Private for-profit · University
Academy of Art University
San Francisco, California · Large city
- —
- Admit rate
- $40,613
- Avg net price
- 34%
- Graduation rate
- $39,008
- Median earnings
Academy of Art University is a private for-profit bachelor's-granting institution in San Francisco, California (large city setting), enrolling 3,587 undergraduates.
About San Francisco, California
San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the fourth-most populous city in California and the 17th-most populous in the United States. The earliest archeological evidence of human habitation in the area dates to 3000 BCE. The Ohlone name for San Francisco was Ahwaste, meaning "place at the bay". Although the Financial District, Union Square, and Fisherman's Wharf are well known around the world, San Francisco is also characterized by its numerous culturally rich streetscapes featuring mixed-use neighborhoods anchored around central commercial corridors to which residents and visitors alike can walk. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Large city
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 1 mile to San Francisco, CA
- To the ocean
- 1 mile
- Nearest airport
- 11 miles to Oakland San Francisco Bay (OAK) · major hub
How Academy of Art University compares
Higher than 16% · #107 of 122 in California
Higher than 46%
Higher than 12% · #121 of 130 in California
Cheaper than 4% · #98 cheapest of 118 in California
Lower than 3%
Lower than 42%
Larger than 72%
Percentiles compare Academy of Art University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in California.
Student body
Undergraduate vs. graduate
- Undergraduate3,58766%
- Graduate1,85434%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women2,05657%
- Men1,53143%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White28%
- Black13%
- Hispanic21%
- Asian7.2%
- Other or multiracial30%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 3,587
- Graduate enrollment
- 1,854
- Student–faculty ratio
- 14 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 41%
- First-generation students
- 41%
- Students over 25
- 44%
- Median family income
- $22,550
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $76,986
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $30,736
- Room & board
- $32,766
- Books & supplies
- $1,062
- Total cost of attendance
- $48,036
- Average net price
- $40,613
Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.
Outcomes
- Graduated (within 6 years)
- 34%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 6%
- First-year retention
- 75%
- Transferred to another college
- 22%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $30,452
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $39,008
- Median debt at graduation
- $31,000
- Students with federal loans
- 49%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 31%
About 28% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.
Graduating on time
By student background (4 years)
When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.
Campus life & athletics
- On-campus housing
- Yes
- Dorm capacity
- 1,488
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 41%
- Housing charge (year)
- $14,124
- Meal plan (year)
- $9,622
- Application fee
- $50
Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- C
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 2.2 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 4
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 32
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (5,498 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.
Reported offenses in an average year
The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.
By offense type, per year
Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.
What you'll actually pay, by family income
Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.
College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.
Four-year (or more) true cost
Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.
$43,874/year × about 5.2 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.
Does the school pay you to attend?
Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.
A meaningful share of freshmen — 46% — get grant money from Academy of Art University itself, averaging $8,470, which softens the sticker price.
Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 197 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.
Is it worth it?
A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.
- Median earnings (10 years)
- $39,008
- Typical debt at graduation
- $31,000
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 79%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 48%
Typical debt would take roughly 7.9 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
The payoff is less clear-cut here — weigh the debt against the earnings and your intended field before borrowing heavily.
Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.
The pay gap here
Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.
Men out-earn women by $8,503 (24%) a decade out.
Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.
Campus climate
- Summer high
- 70°F
- Winter low
- 47°F
- Annual rain
- 22.9″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, San Francisco Dwtn, CA US station (1.9 mi from campus).
What Academy of Art University graduates study — and earn
Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.
Colleges similar to Academy of Art University
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Academy of Art University side by side →
Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design
Lakewood, Colorado · Large suburb · 4 mi to Denver
- Students
- 2,050
- Admission
- —
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- SAT
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- Earnings
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Berkeley College-Woodland Park
Woodland Park, New Jersey · Large suburb · 16 mi to New York
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Arizona College of Nursing-Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona · Large city · 13 mi to Phoenix
- Students
- 1,229
- Admission
- 100%
- Net price
- $37k
- SAT
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- Earnings
- $35k
Strayer University-North Carolina
Greensboro, North Carolina · Large city · 5 mi to Greensboro
- Students
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- Net price
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- $40k
School of Visual Arts
New York, New York · Large city · 2 mi to New York
- Students
- 3,244
- Admission
- 93%
- Net price
- $58k
- SAT
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- GPA
- 3.6
- Earnings
- $46k
Berkeley College-New York
New York, New York · Large city · 3 mi to New York
- Students
- 1,449
- Admission
- —
- Net price
- $34k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $46k
Colleges near Academy of Art University
Golden Gate University
San Francisco, CA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 259 students
San Francisco Film School
San Francisco, CA · Private for-profit · Associate · 127 students
Cinta Aveda Institute
San Francisco, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 117 students
Bay Area Medical Academy
San Francisco, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 209 students
Minerva University
San Francisco, CA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 637 students
San Francisco Institute of Esthetics & Cosmetology Inc
San Francisco, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 167 students
University of California College of the Law-San Francisco
San Francisco, CA · Public · Graduate
California Institute of Integral Studies
San Francisco, CA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 38 students
Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.













