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.

Private for-profitMidsize · 3,587 undergradsLarge cityNear the coast

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
To the ocean
1 mile
Nearest airport
11 miles to Oakland San Francisco Bay (OAK) · major hub

How Academy of Art University compares

Graduation rate34%

Higher than 16% · #107 of 122 in California

First-year retention75%

Higher than 46%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$39,008

Higher than 12% · #121 of 130 in California

Average net price$40,613

Cheaper than 4% · #98 cheapest of 118 in California

Median debt at graduation$31,000

Lower than 3%

Student–faculty ratio14 : 1

Lower than 42%

Undergraduate enrollment3,587

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

5,441students
  • Undergraduate3,58766%
  • Graduate1,85434%

Undergraduates by gender

3,587undergrads
  • 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)

All students
6%
Low-income (Pell)
8%
First-generation
9%

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.

12reported offenses a year
1.3 violent a year11 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
6.3
Arson
4.3
Rape
0.7
Fondling
0.3
Aggravated assault
0.3

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.

< $30k
$37,668
$30–48k
$36,340
$48–75k
$43,874
$75–110k
$43,953
$110k+
$44,082

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.

Est. total to a degree
$229,552

$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.

46%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$8,470
average award, among those who get one

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.

Weigh it value

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.

Women
$35,388
Men
$43,891

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

HighLow
40°60°80°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.44.8JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, San Francisco Dwtn, CA US station (1.9 mi from campus).

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 →

Colleges near Academy of Art University

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.