College · Private for-profit · San Francisco, CA · City
Academy of Art University
San Francisco, CA
Admit rate—
6-yr median pay$30k
Net price / yr$41k
Undergrad size3,587
§ I · The real read
What it's actually like.
The bet
Net price of $41k/yr for a shot at a $30k first-5-year salary. Math out whether that works for you — it does for some people, not for others.
Getting in
Admit rate of unspecified means this is admit rate not reported for this school.
If you get in
3,587 undergrads. Small. You will know your cohort.
Where you live
City campus — public transit, off-campus food, weekends happen nearby.
§ II · Cost & aid
Sticker vs. real.
Sticker cost of attendance is $48k/yr. After need-based aid, the average student pays $41k/yr. Merit aid varies. Run your EFC calculator before you rule anything out.
Sticker · 4 yrs$192k
Before any aid.
Net · 4 yrs$162k
What the average student pays.
Typical aid$30k
Difference over 4 years — higher for lower-income households.
Payback5.3x
4-yr net price ÷ first-5-year salary. Lower is better.
Where the money goes · annual sticker.
- Tuition · in-state
- $30.7k
- Room & board
- $32.8k
- Books & supplies
- $1,062
How students pay for it.
Pell grants41%
Share of undergrads on federal Pell grants.
Federal loans49%
Share taking out federal student loans.
Median debt · grads$31k
What the median student owes at graduation. Non-completers: $10k.
3-yr default0%
Low — grads tend to pay on time.
§ III · Outcomes
Do people finish? Do they land?
1-yr retention71%
Watch this number.
Graduation · 6 yr34%
A meaningful chunk do not finish — ask why.
6-yr median pay$30k
Cross-major. Your major's number can be very different.
10-yr median pay$39k
Ten years out — where grads tend to land career-wise.
Transfer out22%
Share of full-time students who transfer to another school.
§ IV · Campus & identity
Setting, size, and who this school is.
- Setting
- City
- Control
- Private for-profit
- Undergrad size
- 3,587
- Location
- San Francisco, CA
- Region
- Far West (AK, CA, HI, NV, OR, WA)
- Carnegie class
- Master's Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
- Size & setting
- Four-year · medium · primarily nonresidential
- Undergrad program
- Four-year · higher part-time
- Accreditor
- Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission
§ · Who studies here
The student body at a glance.
- White28%
- Hispanic21%
- Black13%
- International12%
- Unknown11%
- Asian7%
- Two or more races7%
- American Indian / Alaska Native1%
- Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander1%
First-gen students41%
Share whose parents didn't complete college.
Part-time47%
Many students enroll part-time — often working.
Veterans1%
Share using veteran education benefits.
Median family income$23k
Of enrolled students' households — useful for aid context.
§ V · Majors offered here · 21
What you can study.