Quad
School of the Art Institute of ChicagoChicago, IL · Private nonprofit

Academics

Majors and faculty

The most popular major is Fine/Studio Arts, General (98% of graduates). 10 students for every faculty member, fewer than at 76% of colleges. 22% of faculty are full-time. Spends $18,435 a year on instruction per student.

Most popular majors

639 bachelor's degrees, 2024–25 graduates

The top 3 programs account for 100% of graduates; 3 programs in 2 fields awarded at least one.

  1. Fine/Studio Arts, General 50.070298% 625
    Graduates in this field earn $45,602 4 years out
  2. Creative Writing 23.13021.7% 11
  3. Visual and Performing Arts, General 50.01010.5% 3

Bachelor's degrees awarded July through June, by federal program name (), which can differ from what the college calls a major. A double major counts once, under the ; its other field is a . Earnings are College Scorecard's median for graduates of the program's broader field (), 4 years after completion; see Top-earning majors below.

Top-earning majors here

By earnings 4 years after completion

  1. Fine and Studio Arts$45,602 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $23,984

    4 years after completion$45,602
    National median: $41,367Above typical

    4 years out, Pell: $38,285 · Non-Pell: $28,415(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)

    Median federal debt: $27,000 · 1,170 graduates, two most recent years combined

Bachelor's programs only, among graduates who received federal financial aid and were working (not enrolled in school) in the measurement year.

Students per faculty member vs. every college10 to 1
10 to 1
← Fewer students per facultyfewer students per faculty member than 76% of 1,892More students per faculty →

Not the average class size: faculty also teach graduate students and do research, and large lectures can sit alongside small seminars.

Full-time faculty22%
National median: 67%Below typical
Average faculty salary

$104,650

9-month equated, all ranks combined. Pay tracks local cost of living as much as a college's generosity.

Spending and endowment

Fiscal 2023–24. Compared only against other private nonprofit colleges: public and private colleges report finances on different accounting forms that aren't comparable.

Instruction spending per student$18,435
$18,435
← Lessmore than 82% of 1,199More →
Endowment per student$127,986
$127,986
← Lessmore than 82% of 1,065More →

Sources:IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard Field of Study data, most recent release;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Salaries survey (SAL, instructional staff, all ranks), Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;IPEDS Finance survey, derived per-student figures, 2023–24;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey (athletics, programs, services, religious affiliation), 2025–26About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)