I graduated from here. I'm over 100,000$ in debt. I THOUGHT this was a good school. But I cant get a good job cause my degree is false, essentially. The school is not accredited and no employer will accept my degree.
I gave 2 starts because i didn't study there.
The person on i spoke with didn't even try to explain and answer my questions.
I have A+ in autocad architecture. I am taking revit courses and i have done some architecture basics courses to be prepared to finish my degree. And all he kept saying is this program is not for me and its hard long bla bla bla.
I honestly was surprised how unprofessional that conversation was from a person who must understand what new students wants. But anyways. Probably that guy had a bad day or something.
Very glad I looked into this school before enrolling. For profit organizations sound sketchy to begin with as well as an art school that doubles in automotive. Come to find out they personally own over $70 mill worth of cars... It all makes sense now come give them your money and restore their vehicles for free and make them even more money. Also beware of the EXTREMELY low graduation rates and overwhelmingly bad reviews and you get the picture. Even Forbes published an article claiming this school to be a total scam. These crooks won't receive any of my money, that is for sure!
Wonderful school taught me everything I need photography
I don't know what everyone is bitching about on here! This school and it's staff have been nothing but wonderful! I even get constant calls from my teachers to check up on me and tell me what a wonderful job I am doing. I have not had one issue. I am an online student going for my Masters Degree in 3D animation and Visual Effects. I have had more success now than going to my other College here in Florida. My teachers have worked in the field they are teaching and have showed me and helped with so many things. I highly recommend this school, it has been cheaper than my 4 year College I previously attended and I am learning more!
Academy of Art University does not introduce incoming students to this area of the corporate office as a student resource before, during or after new student orientation.
I've been at AAU for two semesters now, and I would say that if you want to build your portfolio this is a good option. I'm attending online, and as such my experience is limited to this aspect of the school.
Here are questions you're probably here to get answers for:
Is this school worth going in to debt for?
Will I improve as an artist if I attend?
Do I need a portfolio to apply?
Q: Is this school worth going in to debt for?
A: It depends if you plan on working freelance or for a company when you finish your degree.
Freelance artist? probably not. This school is VERY expensive, at around 2,000$ per course. Go to a Community college that teaches Foundations in Art, as well as some business and time management classes. Some Community Colleges even offer entrepreneur programs that, in conjunction with art courses, would suit your needs just fine. as a comparison, a course at the Community college here in Salem, Chemeketa Community College, comparable courses run at 400$. The only difference is that community colleges do not have degrees that focus on specific areas like Game Design or Illustration. You'll have to go to a school like AAU to learn more about these fields.
If you want to find a firm to work for, attending AAU could be a great option. Especially if you've tried to get in to other schools but were denied because you didn't have a complete enough portfolio or had poor grades in high school. This is the situation I am in, I was a poor student in the past. Even with a decent portfolio, I would not have been accepted to, say, Digipen. Having a degree from an art school will help you in your job search, because completing the program will give you working experience of what is expected of an artist in the industry.
Will I improve as an artist if I attend?
Yes! If you are ready and willing to learn, you will improve. If you are expecting to immediately become amazing, rethink things first. Art takes time and effort, just like any other skill, so be patient and really apply yourself. Do not expect to grow your skill set unless you actually give it your all.
Do I need a Portfolio or good grades to be accepted?
No, AAU is one of those schools that will accept any student. As a result, many students that are not ready for college courses or are not able to manage their time wisely tend to fall by the wayside. They get overwhelmed, and have to drop out. If you know you're ready to apply yourself to college and put in the time (LOTS of time) to study, you should get in. Be aware of finances. If you don't like the school you will still have to pay off any student loans that you have taken out.
Bottom line: If you weren't able to get in to your first choice school but want a more focused program than a community college, look in to AAU. I have had good experiences, good teachers, and great results so far and will continue to work toward my degree. I am paying a very high priced tuition for online classes and feel I should have considered that more. I also feel that the Online experience is not the same as a physical campus. While it was the best choice for myself, a mom with a husband that works full time, Online classes still take a lot of time and can make budgeting time very hard. After my degree is complete I may re-apply to Digipen, which was my first choice.
Due to its private status and located at downtown San Francisco, the tuition fee is high, charged by class units.
The school covers a broad breadth of art fields, from architecture to fashion design. Some majors have better instructors while some are not as deep.
Although classes are expensive, but quite many classes is one hour instruction per class unit each week during regular semesters. The rest would be included lab times. If you live near or inside San Francisco, lab times are useful. If not or taking online classes, too bad.
Admission isn't difficult at all, especially for undergraduate. Basically you apply and you get in. For master level, a little bit more difficult, but could be nearly as easy, depending on majors.
Classes are small sized, usually less than 20 and often less than 10. However, three hour instruction time per week is short. Especially in many classes, instructors need to check students' progresses (duh, it is an art school, students got to make "something"), commenting and suggesting, sometimes more than half of instruction hours would be spent on that, leaving little time for new materials.
Thesis-production is the fun part -- for graduate students. In many other school or fields, theses = papers, and quite often useless papers. At the Academy, it is about producing an art work that could impress the faculty enough to grant you the major and graduation. One could fail to pass the midpoint (thesis proposal) and final evaluation multiple times, before graduating. It is the most fun and challenging part of a graduate study experience there.
This school is a high class TRASH.
My advise to all the International students is do not choose this school if you're dream is to achieve something. i would recommend to go for better state university than a private school where you can experience more diversity and meet actual Americans who are amazing.
first few weeks of my class being the only Indian, i was an easy target to all my Fashion instructors. they gave me insane assignments making me re do everything every week and nothing was enough for them. there were no Americans in my class we were all international. i was independently doing my work and cause i am a silent person teachers picked on me crazy and gave bad grades on purpose.
some of elective classes like fashion drawing was great where i met actual artists and felt like i did learn something.
All these people care about is your money.
FIDM or SFSU or any other states please don't waste your time and money here. university with more diversity has more better opportunities and understanding.
To all the instructors who helped me like David, english teachers, thank you and i'm sorry you have to work for these horrible people.
To all the Instructors who mistreated me, i would say this - people if international or not they are all human beings too, they all come here investing a lot of their time, money and energy believing and dreaming to achieve something don't break it to make your business work.
this may not be a huge loss for you. but breaking someone's dream and career is a huge loss for students.
God bless you all.
The Review in this page are false look into yelp.
This school is a joke. The so call school of fashion is run by delusional Faculty.
Makes the student work long hour for the purpose of creating advertising for the school.
Stay away and save your money. De Vrye in NY has a better curriculum than this lousy school.
Open admission is your first red FLAG. San Francisco does have better school than this lousy one.
Any student that gives this school a high rating must be smoking some serious stuff from BC.
AAU is a joke.
Look at Bennett Goldberg post you will be kill going to the fashion Building is located in a dangerous part of San Francisco. This is No B#$@S%$#.
This is the worst art school you could ever enroll into. Its a for profit school with a 100% acceptance rate and non transferable credits. So when 80% of this school drops out after the first year, 80% have wasted their time and money with a bunch of unmotivated art students.
I want to be a model like my childhood cousin and i wanted to be a model
Everything about this school just sucks. They just trying to chase money. They never care about students feeling. I have requested my i20 for 30 days but they still couldn t get ready for that. Is that bad as hell.
Being enrolled in this school was one of my many worse mistakes. I'm 11k in debt after being enrolled for one year with them. The classes were common knowledge that you could easily obtain on your own through independent research, like how to sew a button or how to draw a human figure. (I was a fashion major)
Another thing is you gotta come from a family that is loaded with money or have family that is from the bay area cause moving into the dorms came out to 40k for me, I remember being really upset about that cause I couldn't afford it I only had received 21k in financial aid and scholarships. They knew I was upset about my only option being having to take online courses but they didn't care cause all they care is about your money.
i study web design in this school. And it is easy to find a job in the bay area. The school is very practical And everything they teach is.what you will do in a real job.
HELLO,
IT IS ANOTHER GREAT DAY HUH
THIS MORNING DAY DAY I STARTED TO READ MY EMAIL
LET ME TELL YOU OF SOMETHING NICE
I WAS INVITED TO THIS PLACE ACADEMY OF ART UNIVERSITY
SO I COULD ATTEND THE SCHOOL COLLEGE
I WAS LOOKSY OF THE PHOTOS AND IT SURE IS A NICE PLACE SO IS THE TOWN TOO I CAN TELL IT WOULD BE FUN
THIS PLACE HAS CABLE CARS AND AN OCEAN
ALL I WOULD HAVE TO DO IS SIGN UP FOR SCHOOL COLLEGE AND FINANCIAL AID AND SIGN UP FOR ALL THE SCHOOL THINGS I HAVE NOT CHECKED ANY PHOTOS OF DORM ROOMS YET
ME I AM IN SANTA CRUZ COUNTY THE MONTEREY BAY CALIFORNIA NORTH AMERICA UNITED STATES UNITED STATES OF AMERICA HUH THIS PLACE LOOKS LIKE A LARGE TOWN WITH LOTS OF HIGH RISE BUILDINGS A LOT OF FUN ONCE YOU GOT USED TO IT
DID YOU KNOW BOTH PLACES WHERE I AM AND WHERE THIS IS IS INSIDE THE POP TARTS CONTAINER
DOES ANYONE KNOW WHERE THIS PLACE THE ACADEMY OF ART UNIVERSITY IS INSIDE THE POP TARTS CONTAINER IS
I CAN TELL YOU
OKAY
IT IS NEAR SOQUEL DRIVE ACTUALLY
WHERE SOQUEL DRIVE AND SOQUEL AVENUE ARE YOU GO UP THE STREET TOWARDS THE FANCY HOTEL OF NEAR SOQUEL DRIVE BEFORE YOU GET TO THE HOTEL ENTRANCE TO DRIVE UP THE HILL LOOK TO YOUR LEFT AND YOU SEE A VERY LARGE CEMETERY INSIDE THE CEMETERY ON THE LEFT IS THE NICE PLACE OF THIS ALL 13 FLOORS OF IT IN MULTIPLE DIMENSIONS AND THEN ALL THE FLOORS BELOW THE GROUND FLOOR TOO THOSE FLOORS ARE IN MULTIPLE DIMENSIONS TOO
THE OCEAN YOU SEE IN THE PHOTOS IS THERE TOO AND SO ARE THE CABLE CARS
THIS LOOKS LIKE A GOOD SCHOOL COLLEGE TO DO SOME SCHOOL COLLEGE
SO IF YOUR TRAPPED IN MULTIPLE DIMENSIONS OR IN MULTIPLE DIMENSIONS
WHY NOT GIVE EM AN EMAIL OR TELEPHONE CALL AND SIGN UP TO MEET WITH THE SCHOOL COLLEGE TO DO SOME SCHOOL COLLEGE
ME
I AM GOING TO KEEP DOING WHAT I AM DOING RIGHT NOW
I HAVE TO GET THE WHOLE MAGNETIC ANOMLY UNSTEALTH
IT IS THE SUPER NOVA REMEMBER
THAT IS WHAT I AM WORKING ON
TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH IF THIS WERE JUST THE RUN OF THE MILL MAGNETIC ANOMOLY I WOULD GO TO THE SCHOOL COLLEGE FOR SOMETHING TO DO WHILE I AM WORKING ON THINGS THAT I DO I ONLY DO LEGAL REAL LEGIT THINGS ONLY ALWAYS HAVE ALWAYS GOING TO ALWAYS
SO IF YOU LOOKING FOR SOME LEGIT THING TO DO MAYBE YOU WOULD LIKE THE SCHOOL COLLEGE EVEN IF YOU ONLY DID ONE CLASS TO FIND OUT IF YOU LIKE THE CLASS HOMEWORK AND WORK
DON'T FORGET TO ASK ABOUT FINANCIAL AID AND DORM ROOMS OKAY FOR YOURSELF
SO I FOUND SOMETHING YOU CAN DO WHERE YOU BE NEVER ILLEGAL AND IT IS LEGIT FOR YOU TO DO
HAVE A NICE DAY
THE REAL
GREGORY MATTHEW ACKERSON GOD
My first time here was a pretty good experience. Checked in and then we went in a room with a few other actors to do our scene for the showcase. Afterwards we had a Q+A that was pretty informative. My only complaint is that is echo-y. One of the agents was coughing during some of the scenes and because of the acoustics it made it hard to hear what the actors were saying. Other than that the place is nice and clean. No complaints.
Those who are complaining and bitching about how bad AAU is, are probably those who did not perform well. I am an airline captain who is also passionate about photography. I am an online student for the past 5 years at AAU and I have no regrets. The online system is easy to follow and you decide how many classes you want to attend per semester. It is NOT true that the school forces you to take four classes per semester. The instructors are great. They usually do answer your question within 24 hours and they do help you once you make an effort to perform well.
I really want to attend this university to finally make my dream come true to become a animator,producer or a directer or maybe all three!! but I really hope this is a good college to go to so please put in your opinion on this I am 15 now so I have plenty of time!!
2000$ a class = overpriced. Teachers are professional and they teach you a lot. I love the classes. If you want to be taught by professionals and come out with a great portfolio, go here. The administration who runs the school though, needs to change. They admit anyone as long as they can pay for it which leads to a huge drop out rate. Even their staff changes every time I turn around. All they care about is money.
I visited this university on vacation to prevail and unravel my future life, this is an outstanding academy and i recommend it to others
It's a for-profit art school, with the usual accoutrements. Some of the teachers here are genuinely passionate about passing on their craft, and want nothing more than to see you become the best you can be (even if it requires hurt feelings. Welcome to art). These teachers made my time here worth it, and their lessons continue to drive many of us forward.
The administration and financial aid departments are difficult and grabby, so be very mindful of the status of all of you financial aid from the source and watch for credits mysteriously disappearing.
I completely agree with the comment before about running. Save your money and time and run to a school that is worthy of your time.
Honestly, I am so disappointed I did not read reviews or research this school before I attended. I was just a number and a $ sign.
My story goes, I was studying Industrial Design and I ran into a couple big problems. First, I wanted to take a class on bicycle design for the summer. My counselor informed me I could not take it my first year. I went to the academy dreaming of working for a sports company. Bikes are right up my alley. Why not? I thought well I'll go talk to the teacher and then to the person I thought was in charge of running the department. I was given the okay to take the class. I called my counselor and informed her the news. She became very irate and told me, "if you want to take this class you have to drop out of the masters program, enroll in the under grade program take the class and then try and get back into the master's program." (please explain that one to me) BTW no one ever did.
Secondly, I am taking a 3D drawing class on line called Graphite. I am having a heck of a time trying to pass it. I tried to find people local to teach me. I ran an ad on Craigslist for a tutor. In desperation to pass the class I called the university looking for help. I asked if I could come out to SF for a week and get training in their training labs. Offered to all students in SF. I was informed they only taught graphite on line and CAD at the school. What was that about? Graphite isn't even the industrial standard program yet at the time they still required it for the part of there program and didn't even teach it at the school. What about benefitting the student? Shouldn't all of their students be taught the industrial standard? I tried to fight that and lost.
Please do your research, check the reviews,article and law suits about this school it might hep you avoid the mistakes I've made.
About the 2 stars I must say there are some really good teachers. Some trying to recreate the Art Center which can be a good thing yet it's not the Art Center. Second star is for the people in the labs and the atmosphere of the students. Good people.
Overall experience, not good.
Their online program is incredibly flawed and expensive. A waste of over 2 thousand dollars. I learned absolutely nothing except how to make sure my work got in on time, never mind that it was poor quality. I will never attend here again.
UPDATE: I have filed a complaint with Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education about AAU. I would like to encourage all of you to do the same. The more people complain to them, the better! BPPE needs to know that this school is overcharging students and giving us a mediocre education. The BPPE finding in your favor could lead to your student loans from here being erased. I also want to encourage all of you to file for an Income Based Repayment Plan. I see that many of you are being forced to work for minimum wage. If you file a IBRP, you will more than likely not need to make any repayments.
Overpriced at $3000 a class especially when you consider that instructors are hit or miss. Not surprising as I recently learned that instructors are only required to attend a one day workshop!
The WNM department is a nightmare, especially for those of us with a related degree. Unfortunately they let everyone in no matter what your previous degree is in. I was in an advanced course once and a student did not know what a server was! In another upper class a student did not know HTML or CSS! How are these people registering for these classes?!? Teachers spend over a month teaching HTML&CSS even in the upper grad classes because of those students. We could be learning more advanced stuff like Javascript (you get a whopping two weeks; good luck getting a job with that one) or a JS library besides jQuery. Hell, they could give students who already know HTML and CSS different projects to work on.
Their electives are a joke, too. I seriously do not care about motion graphics in the slighest but it's one of only few options for an elective. They could easily add other classes but they rarely do. They have no problem forcing you to take classes like design practices where you'll pretty much do nothing but printing and won't learn very much (It's a class designed for freelancers).
The department director is off in la la land and does not take complaints about teachers seriously. My entire class complained about a teacher (whose answer for everything was 'Google it!') and he did nothing. In fact, that teacher is STILL THERE and is now teaching thesis classes.
Workload for in person classes vs online is not even comparable. My friend and I both took the portfolio class, him in person and me online. My friend worked on his three case studies and portfolio for the entire semester and that was it. I on the other hand had five assignments for the first week alone and had THREE midterm projects. I also had a minimum of three big assignments a week for the entire duration of the class and had to post paragraph responses four different days a week. They fail to realize that some of us actually work during the week and aren't riding on mom and dad's money.
The best teachers in that department are DC Sharpnelli, Ben Hulan (I think he's gone now unfortunately), and Walter. Everyone else is either 'meh' or 'total nightmare/avoid like the plague.'
And the admin staff? What a joke.
currently a student here and let me just say I have never felt so amazed by this school its wonderful , my program and all the people I have meet love this school. they push you and that's what people need to be pushed enough to succeed In their careers . I'm so proud of myself for coming way out here and calling myself a student but not just that calling myself a professional in my career choice . the teachers aren't your regular teachers they are professionals still doing what they teach . they share what they know and what you to become the greatest at what you do I love AAU and how much the teachers care for you and appreciate your work and talents.
Stockton would you want to live there your guy friend is very rude your not in jail
Horrible customer service. I spoke with an agent David A. via chat and he was beyond disrespectful to a prospective student. I asked a very simple question that obviously I needed assistance with, and he was so lazy and just directed me to the basic tuition fees page. Um, no. Not what I asked. I asked for the TOTAL ESTIMATE OF A PARTICULAR PROGRAM. How dare you put it back on me? YOU are a customer service agent, YOU ARE supposed to answer the question for me, not direct me to some lousy page I've already looked at 100 times. Why do you think I reached out to live chat in the first place? CLEARLY not for you to direct me to a page I've seen. If this is the type of person Academy of Art employs, major failure in my eyes. Just this experience alone will ensure I never consider this place again and I will be happy to let my other peers know that their interest in this University is a mistake. Disgusting.
I am currently a full time student and I have had it with this university. Half of the professors are excellent, while the other half clearly show up for a paycheck. The care for individual students has declined significantly over my time there. Access to advisors is nearly impossible now and they respond at least a week later. Further more are the fees they pile on to students. After Covid 19 hit and all classes went online, they still were charging facility fees and equipment fees, which in all fairness could be refunded but they were charging them upfront then expecting students to reach out for a refund. And on top of all of that is the mandatory student health insurance plan that you can not waive even if you have your own insurance. They are acting like a for profit business that tries to nickel and dime people the entire way. I gravely do not recommend this Academy. Avoid it at all costs. Am I happy with the with knowledge and skills gained? Yes. Would I do it again? Absolutely not!
Totally Disappointed, the worst place you want to go for "arts"
Great school and a wonderful opportunity. Thank you Academy!
I wanted to go here (online), so I sent in for an info. packet about their school. One that would be sent by mail. After doing so, I read other people's reviews here about how terrible this school's finance department is and how focused they were on their advertising and marketing to promote the school, rather than use their funding to better the school itself.
It definitely shows, as they have sent me not one, but two large books filled with just weird photos (I'm assuming from projects of the students), with no information about the school, or the courses whatsoever. This isn't just an average book either, as far as build quality. The paper they have printed it on is expensive, it's like a thick card material. Something you'd pay an easy $30.00 for in a book store. It's just a montage of pictures with the school's name stamped all over it. I've gotten better, and well structured information packets from schools such as DeVry university, where you practically walk in the door and get accepted. I was on the fence about this school before, but now I definitely don't want to give them any money, as I probably won't receive a quality, or somewhat decent education from here. If they can't accomplish a simple task of providing me with more details and better info. about their classes, school, and qualifications, then what would make anyone want to attend class here?
Worst "University" ever!!
The classes are a joke, no one in the real world industry respects this school so getting hired after graduation is a challenge.
The university lies about its alums, claiming that designers and artists that only used their facilities went to school there.
This is just a money making machine for them, they're not in the business of helping you with your art or career.
Stay away!!!
For CG students like 3d animators or VFX students, I recommend this school. Computers and softwares are always the latest version. The professors are old styles that don't come out for now days but it's normal for all universities I think.
This is the first school I've ever been impressed by and I am so proud to call myself a student here. Every place has their hiccups. However, my first statement still stands. I love this school.
My experience applying to AAU as a transfer student was absolutely horrible, almost laughable, really. The day after I submitted my application, I received 5 calls within two hours from the same recruiter. It seems that they outsource recruitment to a call center because when I finally was able to pick up (I was at work) she had to re-route the call to an actual advisor. I told the advisor that I was at work and asked if she could just send me an email with any information she had for me, which she did.
After this, a different advisor named Johann began contacted me persistently. He called 3 times one day and 2 times the next day. When I asked him to email me (again, I was at work) he insisted we must talk on the phone. I went ahead and submitted my FAFSA and had a (scheduled) phone call with Alice, who was kind and professional. I informed her that I needed some time to think about the plan I had received.
Johann continued to contact me and leave voicemails. When I was able to pick up, he ripped into me about me needing to cancel my application because I was not a "serious" enough applicant. In reality, I work full time, run a business, and travel frequently. I do not have time to constantly make phone calls. He rushed me several times to pay the enrollment fee and begin classes - either that or cancel. Keep in mind that it was January and I applied for the fall semester. He seemed annoyed when I said I wasn't quite ready to commit to AAU as I was also in the midst of applying to SCAD which was my first choice, so I was a little more preoccupied with them. I was so fed up at this point that I emailed Johann and told him to please withdraw my application and that I did not feel comfortable speaking with him. Of course, he calls me again to tell me he will not be withdrawing my application because he wants to talk with me about it first. To be honest, I was completely over the whole situation at this point and did not respond.
I continued to receive emails from AAU, so I emailed the admissions department to ask them to make sure my application was cancelled and that I would receive no more contact. I did not receive a response. Today I received 2 more calls from Johann, telling me he can't withdraw my application until I tell him why. I don't know how I could possibly be more assertive in telling them to cancel my application, but I have sent him one last email.
I encourage you not to apply to this for-profit school. All they care about is getting as many students in as possible and rushing them into paying the enrollment fees ASAP. I definitely learned my lesson. Another thing to note is that their "full time" status is only 12 credits, and when you want to do the e-Learning program you must do a half time semester first. If the school seems like a good fit, I wish you luck! And if you have to deal with Johann, I'm very sorry.
Before I enrolled as an online student, I was skeptical, but I quickly noticed how good it was. It was way more immersive than I thought it would be, it actually pretty fun.
Next bring a plan on being an on-site student, so I hope it's as good as it is online. If it sucks I'll definitely come back and write about it.
I had a wonderful experience I graduated with my MFA and I learned a lot by attending AAU. If you are serious about being an artist and want to enhance your skills AAU is the place to attend. The majority of my instructors were wonderful and there was some that could have had a better personality. The one thing I don't understand is if you're with them three and a half to 4 years and you reach out to your instructors to write a letter of recommendation you may not hear back from them that's the only downfall other than that I think it's a great School.
I went to school on campus.....there s a reason they stopped posting their job placement information.... you can t get a job with a degree from this place! never trust a school with 100% acceptance rate vs 4% graduation rate. It is nearly impossible to get a degree in 4 years... everyone in San Francisco HATES this place. Take all the 1 star reviews serious, trust me. Go to a traditional university!
Avoid the Video Game Design department. They will give anyone a passing grade, even if they're terrible as long as you give them those ridiculously expensive tuition fees.
At the end you'll have a mountain of debt, a fancy piece of paper, and no marketable job skills.
Go to a real game design school like Digipen or RIT, even SCAD is better. Just do me a favor and don't waste your money here. I did.
I am a recent undergrad and I feel conned by going to this school by the price deep deep in debt. Some good teachers and many horrible teachers,
a huge workload, not enough lessons and not enough time to work on your own portfolio because of the bogus assignments that are just carbon copies of other student assignments, everyone has to do the same thing for the assignment. Student housing is an expensive joke. Going to this school made me disillusioned and uninspired. Only a few good people came out of this school and that's about it. Looking back I feel like I've learned nothing and am worse off then I was before I began going here. I regret going to this school.
This school is just a complete hot mess. I am a current online fashion stylist student and I can honestly say that the best thing about this school is the staff. You have to pay a registration fee each semester for classes and apparently it goes up every year. I was told that after all my grants, scholarships, and federal aid, I would only have to pay $18 out of pocket. But just yesterday I received a bill of over $1000. I recommend that you find a more reputable school because I am
I am in my third semester at Academy of Art University. I am so happy with the school. I highly recommend it. I am taking online classes. Great school !
Attended AAU Interior Architecture and Design MFA program. I graduated this May and overall had a very pleasant experience. There were a few self absorbed professors but overall it helped build my portfolio and I enjoyed 90% of the courses I took. I am now a professor at an accredited university in Ohio as well as working for a corporate HQ. Like anything you pursue, It is what you make of it. Very disappointed to read the negative comments, I am glad I didn't have a experience that.
I currently attend another university looking to transfer in the summer. I've been talking to the same Adviser for almost a year now, she gets promoted and then another Adviser was working with me. The GUY withdrew my application for no reason. The GUY was so rude that it completely made me not want to attend this University anymore. The guy Jermaine NEEDS TO BE FIRED!!!!!!!!!
I attend this University and I say; do not waste your $3000/ per course. The staff are over paid to do nothing to help you advance. The Financial Aid office is the worst. I would recommend you look into other schools. Academy of Art is overwhelming overstated while they are overpaid to do nothing. I received the worst customer service experience from the Financial Aid office. They forgot about the code of conduct too. Tuition is high for nothing. Keep looking.
I attended this school for two years before graduating. I will say that this school is tough but believe it or not it is quite wonderful.Warning, you might have some problems will financial aid and some of the uppity students. But I met some good friends and got some great training. Cheers and good luck with this school.
Very disappointing. First off both of my parents attended this school and had very negative experiences. They warned me that I might have a similar experience, but I was curious anyway. I was hoping that they changed, and as a fashion student it was one of the only colleges in the country with a fashion styling program. I reached out to an advisor for help, David Apilado, and he was incredibly rude. I explained to him that I wanted to attend for a two year program, and then transfer later to another school. His response was snarky and unprofessional and not at all what I expected. I was displeased from then on and did not continue to look into the academy.
I went to the now defunct Art Institute Online division. They closed abruptly in March 2019. With 6 classes left to graduate, I found myself looking for a new school to finally get my Bachelors Degree in Fashion Marketing. I found the Academy of Arts University in San Francisco. Everyone was kind and willing to help me settle in so I could finish my degree. I took a few classes in the summer and I ran into a problem and that is when this schools staff really sprung into action. I had what seemed like an impossible challenge that I swear I felt like I had the whole school working on. I had the help of managers and directors that were all willing to help me. In the end they all went WELL ABOVE AND BEYOND in their efforts to help me. If you want a school that will focus on you and help you to succeed and if you are willing to do the work they will help you every step of the way. They are an outstanding design school and I would highly recommend them. 5 stars is absolutely not enough for these guys. I wish the school and the staff the best and continue to do what you do best in servicing the needs of your students.
A very nice place to relax in the evening after work.
I attended this school online and did not enjoy my experience at all. Most of my professors weren't really involved. On top of that, the tuition for online and on-campus were the same which is ridiculous considering their yearly cost is outrageous. I would never recommend this school especially their online programs; DEFIANTLY NOT WORTH IT.
I can't imagine going anywhere else. This place was and still is amazing.
This school is pretty pricey, so know why you want to go here. I went to school here for film because they shot in film and I learned a great deal, more from peers than teachers. Got and MFA, and no regrets!
Wow! What a cool arena for local artists and kids to come together and present their artwork. Recently went on a tour of their facilities with Zealous Good. So many good things are happening here. From their awesome and cool store with its philanthropic cafe, to its classrooms full of different art such as paint, glass, and ceramics. It was cool to see from an inside perspective how things are run here. I'm not a big artsy creative person but Academy of Art University - Academy Resource Center made me feel like anything was possible. I definitely want to come back and take some seminars! Coolest thing about Academy of Art University - Academy Resource Center? I just absolutely love the whole look and vibe of everything from their signs, art on the wall, creative set up, down to the font that they use for simple signs! What a cool place.
Two weeks ago we found out that your beautiful and talented daughter (a masters candidate at AAU) had died due to suspicious circumstances while attending this school. AAU placed our daughter, against her protests and ours, in a dangerous part of San Francisco, isolated her during the intersession and completely ignored both her and our request to resolve this issue. Since her tragic death we have been completely ignored by the University's Administration and they sent security to throw us out of her dorm room when we went to collect her belongings. They have shown no concern, support or remorse for our daughter s death.
Aside from the fact that this "school" financially gouged our daughter and took advantage of her in every way, I can't comment on my daughter's experience. What I will say is that it cost her life. Since my daughter's murder on June 2, 2015 I can tell you that the school's administration has been callous, disingenuous, tasteless and insensitive. They have shown absolutely no concern over our daughter's tragic death, haven't returned our phone inquiries and pushed us around when we came to pick up our daughter's belongings. Obviously, we do not recommend this horrible institution.
Will be attending in the fall from NYC, so far the process and the help i have received have been great. No complaints. When i get a better feel for the university and the programs i will write another review but so far so good.
I think the tuition is way expensive than other schools because nobody wants to stay in this school after first semester! They need money for advertising eeeeeeeverywhere. And pay for unprofessional instructors! If you are rich and want to spending money so bad, apply this school! Or throw away money to the trash can. It s same thing :)
This school is pretty decent, the only thing I think they should really fix is their tutoring online session, because when i was trying to get online tutoring, the online tutoring was not was all over the place and not very organized. If you do decided to apply to this school please make sure you ask the important questions, such as, what is the maximum classes you have to take when taking classes online, How much you are paying for classes every semester, and finally make sure the academic counselor, tell you how long you have until you graduate and all the supplies you need because, I was taking Anaysis and Form FND 110. The councelor only shown me how to purchase my school supplies offline, they had also a tab that is called "General Supplies" I was not told i need a figure and the geometric shapes.
Lastly, I also did not like the way the format of the online student portal was setup. After going through orientation, most teachers expect you to automatically grasp and understand the entire student portal over night, when it is impossible. Another thing i did not like is, every semester, you can only talk with an instructor in online email, and sometimes they take forever to reply. The school do not allow most instructors to talk through skype or by phone. In addition to that, they give you up to four tries to resubmit an assignment per module and once your four tries are up, they do not allow you to resubmit your work anymore. some teachers will just give you a punishing grade even though you put in the effort to get your grade up. When I was taking FND110 Anaysis and Form, my teacher name was Miller Cristen, she gave me a 62% on my first semester assignment for module 1. I was so disappointed and i felt like quitting and going back to my other art school. most teacher use the grading system as an excuse to rip students off considering they put in a lot of money to be there and the effort.
Please really think long and twice and when you get a phone call from them after applying, do not sign up for anything until you get the answers you need. This school they make you take four classes full time which is too much, it feels you are at a university taking online class's. I hope that this message reach out to someone, and that they do not make the mistakes as I have.
Another thing I forgot to mention, and it seems that some instructors have a ha it in doing this which is anot her thing, I dI'd not like about his school. When working on an assignment and just because your artwork is not meeting up to their "high status " standards they grade down on every thing strictly even though you are putting in the effort to do better. Also instead of the instructors telling you in honesty up front, about a few suggestions as to what to work on or what are some things such that could help you get better, they would email the orientation teacher behind your back saying that basically your artwork skills are poor in class and that you need help. One day I spoke to my orientation teacher concerning this issue, she kinda disappointed regarded everything I said and made it see, like tutoring is my only hope in doing quote on quote " doing better" in class ( even though online tutoring was not much help) the online tutoring setup is like a workshop, where they have one tutor tutoring a bunch of students one by one.....which is ridiculoustill and it needs to be more organized. Overall if or for those of you that are currently taking courses online with AAU ( Art Academy University) just be aware that majority of these instructors do not care rather you pass or fail and they will not tell you honestly of what are some of the main things to improve on and or any suggestions. They will email the orientation instructor about everything which is stupid. When they could have told you what you need to work on considering you paid a lot of money and effort in class. So something to be aware of, also another thing too, even though you are using Pell grant to go to school on, you have to pay 120.00 for registration fee every semester.
Pretty disappointed that this university is for-profit..
All I wanted was an email answering a few questions I had about transferring. The school I was going to at the time wasn't very helpful so I wanted to see what info they could provide me while I was thinking about transferring. That day I got a phone call from one of the advisors, Johann.
He dodged almost all my questions and kept me on the phone for HOURS just talking about the college and what they offer. I told him straight out that I had already looked through the website and was applying to a few other schools. I was just looking for a bit more information before I applied and he was persistent on me applying that day. He even took me on an "information tour" and insisted that I hit the apply button to be enrolled in the summer semester.
While I was filling out the application, he continued to ask me personal questions that made me feel very uncomfortable, including things about my hobbies, what I do on the weekend, and about my dating life. I told him that I had a girlfriend and he asked me, "Is she your sugar mama?" Like what professional advisor looking to enroll new students just casually asks you something like that??
Johann then insisted that I pay the application fee right then and there, but since I went into it initially with no real intention of applying in the first place, I didn't have the money at the time. He told me to call up my parents and ask for the money because he couldn't wait literally TWO DAYS for me to get my paycheck. Needless to say, they said no. He called me back after an hour looking for this money and I told him that I was going to take a step back to reassess what was happening. He became very passive aggressive, told me that "I came to him with a sad story and made him feel bad about my situation" which was not true, how I have to pay more for a high quality education, and that I had to make a decision now to start the enrollment process. I wanted to withdraw my application but I don't want to talk to these people again.
In summary: I was looking to get my questions answered, spent a total of three hours on the phone with someone who dodged my questions, lied to me multiple times, pressured me into spending $145 on an application, asked me tons of uncomfortable and personal questions, and when I told him that I needed time to think about it more he tried to make it sound like I came crawling to him in the first place. Not a good impression and definitely not a place I would enroll in. I think I'll use the $145 I saved from not applying and take my "sugar mama" on a fancy date instead
The staff is rude and not helpful. Nobody communicates with each other. I wanted to return to this school to finish my degree after a long absence. Had a meeting with a readmissions advisor about steps I needed to take. After I completed them, I never heard from her. Called weeks later to hear she didn't work there anymore and they had no record of our conversation. My new rep was rude and didn't seem interested in helping me. He couldn't see any of my progress on his computer. Basically informed me it would be impossible to go back to school. I'm taking my credits elsewhere. This school has always had so many problems. Now I remember why I left the first time
When I began school here I wasn't positive. I had already paid the fees and got accepted to my first school of choice. However, AAU called and stated they had an online course for Art Education, which is what I wanted to enroll in. I paid all the fees to become enrolled and got accepted, paid more fees for registration and was finally in. The classes were fun the year I attended but fun was it. I went fully online and ended up with $6000 in student loans. This is not including the HORRIFIC amount of money spent on supplies (between 800-1200 each semester). 2 stars is generous. The only thing that was good was the staff. They were helpful, but yet they seemed a bit pushy in the admissions process. GREEDY. Seriously I think the first 5 star reviews are from staff. BOO
I am not just a hater, you should know that I am a positive, hard working academic person but this school is by far just horrible. Before you come here, you should know that:
1. It does not even rank amongst national university.
2. They take anyone for their money and employers know it.
3. They're lucky they're even regionally accredited because otherwise the school isn't even real (this is recent progress).
4. They are for-profit which means they will do anything to cut costs at the high-paying students' behalf.
5.THEY CANCELED ALL OF THEIR STUDENT EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES SO THERE ARE NO SUPPORT FOR CLUBS OR OTHER COMMON STUDENT SERVICES.
6. The typical student is a complacent, rich kid that did poorly in high school and thinks that art school is easy.
7. Teachers are proud about how hard it is to give an A.
8. You will not get a real college experience.
9. Housing department will screw your over just to "resolve," an issue if any arise.
I did learn some really great things and really great skills at the Academy. However, my degree from there is absolutely worthless. I am unable to get employment in any art field. The degree doesn't even get me an interview. As a matter of fact, Art institute and Brown Mackie graduates are consistantly chosen over me for employment. All I have from the Academy is a worthless degree, and a quarter of a million dollars in student loan debt. One hell of a way to leave a combat veteran.
This school is horrible. Your better off spending your money off elsewhere. They rush you and don't care about you, they care about your money. Force you to pay an application fee for nothing, avoid this school and go to a college who cares about the students passion rather than what's in their pocket.
If you want to be the best, come here.
If you don't want to be the best,
come here anyway.
Its all you!
This school is truly expensive as others have stated. I was in the MFA program in fashion design. While there are a few teachers who teach decently, there are teachers in important classes who wouldn't know how to teach a class if their lives depended on it. That department is not about teaching people, but more about taking already trained students and flaunting them as if they were taught there. If you want to be taught this is not the placed to go. If you want to be exploited for something you were taught already, this is your place! You are paying to become advertising fodder for a school that will NOT teach you anything new!
faculty.academyart.edu
