The Art Institutes
Locations: New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Cincinnati, others (over 40 locations)
Degrees: Associate's, Bachelor's
Programs: Audio Production, Video Production, Film Production, Graphic Design, Game Design, Culinary Arts, Interior Design and more
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With over 40 locations throughout the United States and Canada (including New York, Atlanta, Denver, Los Angeles, Cincinnati, Philadelphia, Salt Lake City and many others), The Art Institutes offer a wide range of associate’s and bachelor’s degree programs in fields that include Audio and Film Production, Game Design, Animation/Special FX, Interactive Media, Interior Design, Graphic Design, Fashion, Culinary Arts and others. Specific degree programs are location based, and not every location offers every subject.
Because the programs of The Art Institutes are career-specific, an Associates Degree can generally be completed in under two years (7 quarters) and a Bachelors in about three years (12 quarters). Total tuition costs vary by location and degree plan, and while they are less expensive overall than most major universities, you should still expect to pay approximately $60,000 total for an associate’s degree, and around $90,000 for a bachelor’s degree.
Student Reviews
With over 40 locations throughout the United States and Canada (including New York, Atlanta, Denver, Los Angeles, Cincinnati, Philadelphia, Salt Lake City and many others), The Art Institutes offer a wide range of associate’s and bachelor’s degree programs in fields that include Audio and Film Production, Game Design, Animation/Special FX, Interactive Media, Interior Design, Graphic [...]
Review by Raymond T.
August 4, 2012 3.8I’m a graduate of the Art Institute of Dallas.. Since I was coming out of an Engineering plan then into RTF, I was ready to learn really. Since graduation I have found related work. Here in Texas, it’s mostly like multi-camera operations, corporate, news and sports. I think the school did a good job. They don’t just don’t train you to be creative but to prepare you for the hardship of getting out there.
Debt Accrued: $5,001 - $10,000
Found work after graduation? Yes
Review by Danny P.
July 24, 2012 1I went to the Art Institute of Santa Monica, California. I graduated with my associates, it took me four years though. I also never got my certificate because I had a 50 dollar fee to pay to the school for returning equipment late or something like that.
Did it meet my expectations? Yes and No. yes because I learned a lot and love it, but no because getting work is not as easy as it seems.
I worked on some films here and there after I graduated, nothing that would bring reoccurring work though. I worked freelance projects for super cheap, doing web content for small companies and such. I landed a job at a place called Comedy Time once, it seemed like a good job at first. I soon realized it wasn’t a job for a media guy. It was more a job for a tech guy that had a slight interest in media. I ended up quitting to work for a week on a short. I couldn’t not stand working at comedy time, one of the worst jobs I have ever had.
I don’t recommend AI. When I moved to San Antonio, some years after graduating, it was interesting. One because my education was worth more here, but two I met a guy that is now my friend and project partner when I shoot small productions. He knew nothing and with the help of me and the internet he knows quite a bit. In LA I met so many people with backgrounds like “my dads friend got me a key pa job and now here I am” or “I just walked on the set and told them I wanted to work”. Seems like there are a lot cheaper ways about working in the industry.
If you are thinking about film school be prepared to work your ass off. Don’t get caught up in the “college life” when you are in school you are also in the job market. It’s not like law school or other traditional schools where you just learn and study so you can pass, then when you graduate you find an awesome job. You have to always be networking and putting your best foot forward.
Don’t be shy yet don’t be the ass kisser. Pay attention to your school investments, if you get an opportunity for a full time position at a company or something to that nature, stop going to school and jump on it. You will always be learning in your field, you can always go back to school and getting paid is a lot better. You will find that most people do not care about what school you went to, but more about your personality and your drive for working hard and practicing your craft.
Debt Accrued: Greater than $50,000
Found work after graduation? Yes
Review by Lisa T.
July 16, 2012 1I attended The Art Institute of Philadelphia from late 2006 to 2009 and graduated with an associates degree in video production
My instructors were actually in the business which was great, but the cost was outrageous and I did not understand it was going to be this hard.
I haven’t been able to find work since graduating, at least not any jobs that make sense. If I took the part time jobs available I would never be able to pay the minimum on my student loan bills… Which I barely do now.
I would never recommend it based solely on the cost. I would advise potential students to be aware of the end result of these schools. Look deeply into what you want your future to be and decide if school for video is a smart idea or if you can’t teach it to yourself and get a basic degree from a local college or community for an eighth of the cost.
Debt Accrued: Greater than $50,000
Found work after graduation? No
Review by Joshua W.
July 6, 2012 3I started at The Art Institute of Dallas in the Fall in 2003 in their associates program for video Production. I transferred into their bachelors program in 2004 once they started it and graduated from it in 2006. I had to move from Dallas, TX from Houston, TX to attend the video program since they shut down the one in Houston about 6 months before I graduated from high school. I later learned they did this to get the funding to start the bachelors. Now they have the B.FA. video program at every Ai in the state of Texas.
I got my B.F.A in Digital Media Production in Spring of 2006. I graduated with Honors and was awarded the “Outstanding Portfolio Award” for my class. The Art Institute (Ai) does quarters instead semester and you go year around. If you take a quarter off your tuition goes up no matter what the reason. Their B.F.A program is divided into 12 quarters for a total of 180 credit hours. At the time I was in school to get a B.F.A at say UNT in Denton you only needed to do 120 credit hours. Because of the amount of credit hours, cost, and speed they want you to do it in, few people graduate and very rarely is it done in 12 quarters.
I did it because I wanted to graduate and start working. I knew I wanted to be in the video profession. It was something I started doing in high school and the only thing that really had my interest at 19 years old. But there was a price to pay which I will get into on your next question.
I was actually lucky when I graduated. I had a job in the “industry” for about a month before I walked. I went to the career service advisor and told him that I had to move out of housing the day I graduated, so I needed a job right away to stay in Dallas. My first job was at a trail company where I moved boxes, transported case materials, and hooked up projectors and made power points. The pay was nice, but I left after about 9 months because I wasn’t working with video. I wanted to shoot or edit, or just do something that I went to school for, so I went back to the career services guy and asked if he had anything else. I was lucky that an alumni had called looking for a production assistant that could do “gofer work” as he put it and do some digitizing tapes. I interviewed there and got the job. I took a $5,000 pay cut to go there and I wouldn’t get bonuses anymore but it was something I wanted to do. After being there for about 4 months I was promoted to an editor and started cutting training videos. I worked my way into editing content for several IPTV networks that the company was building.
In May of 2009 I was laid off. It was the second round in two months. The company went from 31 people down to 5. Just the people they needed to keep the lights on. It was a shocking experience though. I was 25 and laid off for the first time. Because I was full time I was able to get un-employment which I collected for about 6 months I think. It wasn’t much, but with my parents helping me, cutting out cable and a few other things and eating PBJ sandwiches I was able to stay in Dallas till my lease was up. I remember my sister wanting me to move back to Houston right away but I wanted to try and find a job here. I liked Dallas, had a good church I was going to at the time and girl friend that I was on and off again with.
I applied for over 300 jobs for the rest of the year. I was on monster, career builder, mandy.com, craigslist, studiodaily.com, any place I could get my hands on. I looked through the yellow pages and sent a cover letter and resume to every television production place in DFW I could find. One day I mailed out 32 letters. It had taken me two days of writing and printing the cover letter. I never heard back from any other those. I even got some back since those places had gone under as well.
Finally in September I got an e-mail from a guy at a local place who needed a freelance editor for a week or so. I sent him an e-mail back that night and interviewed with him the next day. I got the job and have worked with him regularly every year since. He has been a great mentor to me.
I never found a full time job so I’ve just been contracting since 2009. Each year I’ve learned more about the IRS and picked up some more clients. It’s had its ups and down though, some months are always slow for me and I live off my saving like I was doing for the last two months. My girl friend and I looked into buying a house this past year since I’m 27 now and thought it was time to settle in somewhere more permanent. I was pre approved for $120,000 based off my credit alone, but when they saw I was self employed and looked at my tax returns for the last two years that was dropped to $60,000. But what can you do, it beats flipping burgers and we are both happy in our apartment we share.
I actually talked my girl friend out of going to AiD for photography. I told her it was too much (they wanted like $90,000 in tuition alone) she was already a decent photographer and I was teaching her photoshop and she was already working for a wedding photography company that was teaching her a lot.
An intern that I worked with at my last full time job is going to Ai now. When he told me about it and wanted my advice I told him to stay in the associates program. It’s less than two years long and costs more than half less.
I actually lecture to kids at Ai at different levels of the program. I tell the new ones not to play around since more than 50% drop out. I tell them to learn one skill really well like shooting or editing and excel in that. I tell them to do freelance work and get internship before they graduate. I tell them they will be working with all the people in that very class that they already hate, because it’s true. Video/Film is such a small community in Dallas, TX and people I’ve talked to across the country always say the same thing. Above all else I tell them you get what you pay for. If you don’t show up to class, do the work, put in the time behind the cameras or in the programs you won’t go anywhere. I tell them if you want to be Spielberg or Cameron you should just quit now and go out to LA and be ready to sleep in your car for two years. Some make it out there, some don’t. I never wanted to do Hollywood movies. I always say I’m just a kid from League City,TX that wanted to play with video cameras. That’s what I do and I get paid for it, and it’s really cool job.
I do think that now a days you don’t need a film school to do film or video, if you do it right. There are some many people on youtube, linda.com, adobe tv and other places that you can learn from for free or next to nothing when it comes to paying for classes. Most people don’t have the discipline to sit down and learn like that on their own. I knew I didn’t so I went to a school. It was also a lot harder to use Final Cut Pro and Photoshop in 2003. That’s one of the reason I did go to AiD because it had a lot of equipment and I could use it right away. I didn’t have to do core classes for three years like UT and hope to be in the studio class my last year and run a camera. I was doing that three week into the program.
I have so many friends that I went to school with that are working at Pier 1 or Best Buy not even using their degree. A lot of them didn’t apply themselves in school or didn’t really do a whole lot when it came to looking for a job. A few of them always asked me how I did it and I would always say that same thing:
1. Get a website with a demo reel on it
2. Apply for anything you can find.
3. Always try to follow up with them
4. Network like hell
5. Don’t burn bridges
Debt Accrued: Greater than $50,000
Found work after graduation? Yes
Review by Patrick L.
July 5, 2012 2I am currently sitting out for awhile from the Art Institute but I do plan on finishing. I haven’t found any work yet although a lot of that is on me not really trying. I can’t say I’d recommend AI. If I had to do it all over again, I’d go to a real school like Drexel or Temple or maybe community college.
Debt Accrued: $10,001 - $25,000
Found work after graduation? No
Review by Joe P.
July 2, 2012 1.3I attended the Art Institute of New England majoring in Audio Production/Engineering and graduated with an associates degree in Audio production.
The school was an interesting experience, as well as the last few years working in the music industry being unique. Changes in the music industry as well as student loan legislation have made my professional life difficult. The music industry has moved from major recording studios to smaller, personal studios which employ one engineer. I have witnessed the downgrading of the industry to what it has become now. This is definitely not what I expected when I enrolled into school. In addition, I remember the administrators at school claiming that they had a 85% job placement rate but what they did not inform you was that they majority of their audio students ended up working at Guitar Center or Sam Ash.
I have been fortunate enough to have worked at a high level in the music industry for a few years now as well as being the head engineer for Mobb Deep at their studio for the last 5 years. I have also been busy enough at one point that I have been able to hire other engineers and interns.
I would recommend the Art Institute ONLY if the student could pay for school outright and not have to put themselves in debt in order to attend. Essentially, with the music industry, you can gain an internship at a label or studio without having attended school and begin your career at the same place that someone who spend over $50,000.00 for an education did.
My advice to prospective students is to know what you are getting into. The industry is tough and constantly goes through changes and consolidations. If you know anyone in the industry it is definitely a bonus. This field is all about the connections that you have and not necessarily the talent that you have.
Debt Accrued: Greater than $50,000
Found work after graduation? Yes
Review by Kristofer V.
June 20, 2012 1.8In 2003 I got my first degree from Roosevelt University in Chicago, Illinois, where I’m from. After I got that degree I found that nothing really changed. Jobs weren’t falling out the sky. Not only was I saddled with a whole lot of student debt, but I didn’t know if there was really a job in communications that I wanted to do for a living.
So that same year, amidst all of the other extracurricular activities that I did outside of work and school. Which were playing music in bands and making websites, I decided to try making my own movie. This is the point where I realized where my true passion was. Because I’d been an avid movie goer since I was a kid. Movies really unified all of my interests and so I decided to pursue it.
Fast forward to 2008. I had been heavily involved in the do-it-yourself independent scene. I made the decision to pursue a career in film. The first step in that was to go back to school. At this point I had decided that I didn’t want to continue wage slaving for the rest of my life. I was in a very comfortable, well, I shouldn’t say comfortable. I was in a pretty decent job, that I’d had starting from when I was 16. I’d moved up in the ranks and I went from cashier all the way to executive assistant manager. A salaried position that made $50,000 plus a year, plus bonus.
At age 28 I made the decision that this is not what I want to do. I don’t want to be doing this during the day and then at night trying to be a film maker, and telling people that this is what I want to do. I was kind of getting tired of trying to live the dream when there really was no dream. There was just work and there was everything else.
The Schomberg Campus of the Illinois Institute of Art was located pretty close to me. Actually in the same suburb as Roosevelt University, where I got my first degree. So, I decided that would be my option. It allowed for more flexibility with my schedule and with traveling. I graduated in the Summer of 2011. It’s now the Winter of 2012 and not only have I moved away from Chicago, out to sunny L.A. with my wife, but I am working in the tv and film industry. Currently I work for a production company and a few of our shows are on syndicated television, on NBC, Netflix. It all started from the idea to go back to school and make something with this passion I have for film making.
I have a lot of debt. It’s no secret that going to school is a pretty expensive venture. But I did it twice. The difference in my story is that I took a few chances and kind of risked a lot of things in the decisions I made. At 28 I got married and I went back to school for my second degree. Shortly before graduation my wife and I went through bankruptcy. All on the heels of us pursuing the dream out in Hollywood. To try and start a new life and take our degrees and make the best of them. And actually do what we want to do instead of slaving away at some light blue collar job.
Going back to school didn’t meet my expectations because I didn’t have any expectations. I went back to school because I wanted some credibility and some validation for the skills and the passion that I have to make films. I also wanted to learn the things that I didn’t have any proper training in. Really I was using film school as an educational tool for me to get further in the field that I wanted to go in, which is film.
Unlike a lot of my peers who are a few years younger than me. I didn’t go to film school thinking that I would come out of it and I would immediately get some kind of Hollywood job and be working on blockbuster movies. I’ve been in enough bands and done enough independent film projects to know that the education part is really just supplemental. It does nothing for you in real life. I was lucky enough to know someone out in here in L.A. to be able to get a job and have it happen to be in the tv and film industry.
If you were to ask me whether or not I recommend film school or music school to others I would say no. We’re at a point in this country where the educational system has really kind of deteriorated. To the point where it has no weight or bearing on real life or what happens after you get that degree. That little piece of paper that you work so hard for and that you pay so much money for, doesn’t guarantee anything. It literally is just a piece of paper and it’s something that you can tell people after you leave. It has nothing to do with your job. Because, honestly, it’s not worth it. It really isn’t worth it. It’s piece of mind. It’s tradition. But for what it does for the start of a new life. How’s this for the start of a new life? $50,000 in debt. Go get a job. That’s not a start.
Debt Accrued: $25,001 - $50,000
Found work after graduation? Yes
Review by Justin B.
June 9, 2012 4I currently attend the Art Institute of Seattle here in Washington. I have not graduated yet. I still have about six more months of school. I will be getting a Bachelor’s degree, a Bachelor of Science in audio design technology. Originally I came to this back in 2008 just in the Associate’s program, for specifically for music production. Since then my audio world has just been totally destroyed as far as what I thought audio was when I first got to school. I had no idea it was at technical and intense as it was.
I had a music background and so the school was very professionally and production oriented. It was a lot to take in the first few quarters. As a matter of fact the audio program has the highest dropout rate here in the school. But it’s also known as one of the best programs at the school as well. I’ve learned a lot about Foley and sound design. For example, Ben Burtt, is a famous sound designer.
The whole creative process is very interesting to me and very spontaneous at times. When in doubt and you just can’t think of a sound for a certain scene, you just take that object and drag it on the floor and see what it makes. Sometimes it makes something crazy and it works.
So far I’ve done a little bit of work here in the music industry. I’ve worked on a couple of band interviews. Interviewing local Northwest bands. I’ve done a little bit of music composition for smaller video commercials.
Found work after graduation? Yes
Review by John P.
June 1, 2012 3.3I am a graduate of the Art Institute of Philadelphia. Since graduation, I’ve found work through Local 8 (IATSE) and do anything from rigging, loading, camera shoots, whatever is needed of me. I have done a few weddings and recitals. I have met many entertainers–Lady Gaga, Jimmy Buffet, travelled to NY to set up the professional wrestling stage, just to mention a few.
I’m happy I went there. I have a trade. My best advice? Don’t give up on yourself, no matter how low the school has put you down or others. I can thank my parents for their support.
Debt Accrued: Greater than $50,000
Found work after graduation? Yes
Review by Kathryn I.
February 11, 2012 3I’m currently a full time student at the Art Institute of Austin, but I’m just not feeling the whole “college thing”, see society puts so much pressure about people going to college, when really college is a personal choice I think.
I’m fortunate not to have any student debt, but my boyfriend Steven is in debt and he has been butting heads with the whole school thing, see we’re artists/ hippies and well we don’t really do the whole college thing, he took out almost 90,000$ and he feel like he is getting no where, he feels like he can learn better outside of school and I think so as well
But yes, I would do it all over again because this is where I met the love of my life
Debt Accrued: Less than $5,000
Found work after graduation? No
Review by Ed C.
February 4, 2012 2I went to the Art Institute of Philadelphia. Graduated in June 2005 with a degree in video production.
I loved going to school and learning the movie making process. I had expectations of going to school, getting a degree, moving to Hollywood and becoming a famous director. However, I found myself graduating, staying in the area, not finding work, and doing whatever I could to stay involved in the video production business.
After graduating I found it extremely hard trying to find a job in the industry. I had several interviews with companies and the same answer I always got was “not enough experience”. Trying to find a job in the industry was too hard, so I decided that I would have to make money doing whatever I could to stay involved in video production. In 2006 I started a video production company specializing in weddings. From 2006-2009, I basically shot 10-15 weddings for free for family and friends. I then used that footage and sent it to several production companies in the area and slowly began to make contacts. Since 2009 I have been working for 6 different companies shooting weddings throughout the Philadelphia area. I have built a good reputation based on my shooting style. I still have a full time job Monday-Friday because the work is not consistent.
If you are interested in the industry and learning how to edit and shoot I would definitely recommend film school. I don’t think they prepare you for how competitive and hard it is to get into the industry though.
Debt Accrued: $10,001 - $25,000
Found work after graduation? Yes
Review by Robin B.
January 22, 2012 1I started going to the Art Institute of Tampa in florida in 2008. At that time I didn’t know anything about colleges or film. During my time at the school I also started working for the school. I wasn’t happy about my education there because I felt they just wanted our money and they aren’t focused on giving a proper or even an educated education. My editing teacher didn’t know the final cut program….he told me to figure it out myself. I asked him why was I paying $2000,00 for a class I had to figure our myself? Once I started working for the school I actually heard several arguments from higher ups…..forcing teachers to teach classes they didn’t know. One of the teachers actually quite because of it. 2 years in I decided to save money and quit that school and moved here to L.A. to get into the business the right way. While being here I have worked as an intern at a production company and have gotten lots of information and one bit of info was that no matter what degree you have, you have to start at the bottom and work your way up.
Several of the interns I worked with have Bachelors in Film, have gotten not one job in the film industry, still have to start out at the bottom and are still instructed to take classes from legitimate company’s in the film industry. There are to many for profit schools taking your money you can’t file bankruptcy on and then giving an education that the industry will only laugh at. I could go on and on. I am very passionate about the truth coming out about our college system and how we aren’t being educated properly but they certainly want our money, which you then have to pay back even if you can’t get a job in the industry you just worked years to get into. Ugh…could go on!!!
Review by Joe P.
November 26, 2011 3.8I dropped out of college in my fourth year and transferred to the New England Institute of Art in Boston. While there I majored in Audio Production and Studio Engineering where I ended up graduating with an Associates degree. While there you have the option to receive your bachelors but I had already started getting work so I thought it was unnecessary to attend for another 18 months. I graduated with a 3.9 GPA.
During the first week of class they pulled me out to go to the administrative building to discuss my student loans. A.I. is a private institute and does not give scholarships. When I got to the office I was informed of how I did not have enough credit to acquire the loans from Sallie Mae. In order to stay in school, I had to apply for private loans through a bank, which had a higher interest rate and more rules and restrictions regarding consolidation. I took out the loans and before I had even finished my 18 month program, Sallie Mae bought my loans from the bank and I am now over $50.000 in debt to a company that would not allow me to take out a loan with them.
AI was open 24/hours a day when I attended. I got an apartment within 10 minutes walking distance from the school. Needless to say I spent as much time in there as possible. The instruction was ok. A few of the teachers were really good due to their real life studio experiences but the majority of the teachers never worked in a major studio or just had teaching degrees to go along with their engineering degrees. You had to really want to get something out of the program. I was fortunate that a few doors opened up and I was willing to walk through them.
After graduation, I interned at Quad Recording in Manhattan, so that has allowed me to get some work. Most of the time you are more likely to freelance and get some artists who trust you with their music. I have worked for the last 5 years as Mobb Deep’s engineer in Queens, as well as the acting manager of the studio. I have been able to work with a lot of big acts due to my affiliation with Mobb Deep, but it hasn’t been an easy job. Along with brazen divaness inherent with any artists, there seems to always be financial issues, technical issues, chronological issues, etc. I has been rewarding, but you have to be a certain type of individual in order to understand the rewards.
I would recommend AI, but only under certain conditions. They would have to have a clear financial understanding of what they are about to get themselves into. Also they have to understand that being an engineer is just the same as being a musician. You have to work hard and be talented. You are more essential to the art than most realize, but then again, you are not the star, and that is something that YOU have to realize. It is not a job, it is a lifestyle.
When I started I knew absolutely nothing when pertaining to engineering. I had no contacts, no experience, just desire. The music industry is unfortunately all about who you know, and not what you know. If one were ingrained inside the industry already then I would definitely taken an easier route, but this is the only one that was available to me personally, so I would do it again because I would have too.
Review by LaShawn C.
November 25, 2011 1I attended The Art Institute of Washington for awhile but dropped out early on. I still have $2800 in student debt. The school truly disappointed me. I haven’t found work, wouldn’t recommend them to anyone and wish I had never gone there.
Review by Franklin P.
November 21, 2011 1I chose that school to study film and digital production. After 2 years and 3 months of hard – work and a passion of storytelling but not just writing stories, directing actors as well, I had to drop out of school in December 2009. It was the worst year of my life but my most important of all. I dropped out with 133 credits and an overall GPA of 2.6, where I pulled a GPA 3.2 for the last fall quarter. I received a letter in August of 2009 from my the bank that they needed to verify the approved co-signer whom it was my deaf mother.
So, my school was asking for money and I didn’t have no choice, no loans, I didn’t what to do, so I dropped out and the president of the school didn’t care because it wasn’t her problem. I quote, “It’s not my problem, it’s the bank, sort it out with them.” So, I dropped out with a balance at the school and a huge debt. I was supposed to graduate in July 2010 with my friends. We made a promise that we’re gonna make a movie after we graduate and it never happened.
Til this day, I do not recommend my school to one. I’m in huge debt of over $100,000 and leaving my mother hanging off the wall because she cosigned one private loan during my first year in college, so she is part of this mess as well. Sometimes, I wish I can do it all over again but I leave this to God and I believe in him a lot because he motivated me to move to Los Angeles and I’m doing my best to succeed as a filmmaker and actor. I haven’t landed anything big in film but I got casted for Halloween Horror Nights 2011 at Universal Studios Hollywood as a scare actor, so this is my first professional role in entertainment.
It was a seasonal gig and it was cool experience. So, I’m an AGVA actor besides an non-aftra, non-sag extra. So, I guess God is pushing me to work harder than ever to succeed as a filmmaker because this industry is all about networking. My goal is to become a film director and I am proud of the 4 shorts I made at Art Institute Miami International University of Art & Design but I am not proud of what they have done to me and it’s very corrupted. Sometimes I have dreams about creating a charity or organization for young filmmakers who want to succeed and have bigger dreams than ever.
Review by Bob I.
November 18, 2011 1At first, I really wanted a creative education at Ai. DO NOT ATTEND THIS SCHOOL for they are money hungry Sharks!! As I progressed through the enrollment process, I discovered very quickly that what was BEST for ME was NOT important. Because I had personal issues that made it impossible for me to start school when they wanted, they HOUNDED me with so many nasty phone calls, especially from the Director of Admissions, that it made me cry. I was told by her that if I didn’t start school when they wanted, I COULD NOT ATTEND Ai. I later found out that it was a lie and was just a tactic to get me to start school sooner than what was BEST for me. Once I signed all the paperwork, most everyone, except my admissions rep, was so pushy and unfriendly. I am the customer. I thought, why are they treating me in such a negative way. I found out later from students who attended Ai-Cincinnati that there was an EXTREME amount of turnover in all departments: instructors, executive management, admissions and EVERY other deparment they have there. That by itself says something about a business when so many employees leave in all departments. Ai-Cincinnati is a terrible school with mean people. *** BEWARE ***
Review by Jay C.
November 11, 2011 2.5I attended The Art Institute of Philadelphia between the years of 2005-2009 at which time I lived in Philadelphia and worked on various short film and video projects.
I graduated in the spring of 2009 with a Bachelor’s degree in Digital Media Production, moved back in with my parents for a few years to save money because loan payments were coming faster then job offers. Right now have student debt that now probably hovers around $35,000-$40,000 but i have already been paying this off for 2 years so originally it was higher.
I enjoyed my time at school. I learned techniques and met people that I wouldn’t have otherwise but MOST things in the film and music industries are learned on the job and in the field. I feel that I learned more on my first official run on a crew for a TV series then I did the entire 3+ years I attended school.
Moving to NYC definitely helped just out of the sheer volume of work that occurs in NYC as opposed to Philadelphia.
I guess I feel that school teaches you techniques and basics and jargon for your industry but i can assure no one on a TV/Film shoot is EVER going to ask you what school you attended. The proof is in your work, not in a piece of paper that’s framed and hanging at your parents house.
As far as the college experience I had a good time. But if I would have just jumped right into TV/Film straight out of high school and started Production Assisting then I would be much further along in my career now. In this field work experience and word of mouth recommendations / networking will always trump schooling. The information you gain on the job is far more important than what you learn in the classroom. I’m not saying you don’t learn anything in class, it’s just that you never really know how to put that info to use until you are out in the field.
Review by Alice B.
November 4, 2011 1This is the worst school ever! They hold back promising students so that the students that are “popular” with administration can get ahead! If I was going to choose a college FIDM would have been my choice after going to this school! Do NOT WASTE TIME AND A LOT OF MONEY TO GO TO THIS SCHOOL! Complete rip off!
Review by Russell C.
July 19, 2011 1I also would give this school(school used loosely) a negative rating if possible don’t give them a chance to start their hard sell telemarketing scam on you! They will harrass you until you enroll and your time (and money) spent there will be useless. They will not give you credit for classes you finish if you want to start a second degree program, they will say you have to take new classes(that you already finished, again) NONE of your credits will transfer to a new REAL college or school. Their Financial Aid dept is set up to get you money that they will take as fast as they can. Their advisors are nothing more than telemarketers! They will assign you to classes that say no pre-requisite and you really need a pre-requisite or prior expierence or you will fail. You will get good grades that mean NOTHING to the industry! Think before you call because they will keep calling to get you to sign up with them even if you are already attending!!! They still call me and say I asked for info, and I have been there for 1 year! They will do anything to get you in and your degree will be useless! Go to a REAL college not owned by EDMC!!!!
Review by Nina B.
May 31, 2011 2.5Their adult continuing education courses are on the expensive side ($400 + materials), but man, are they worth it!! The instructors are superb, particularly Sarah Stolar, who was inspirational in her passion for artwork. I especially like the fact that they incorporate professional models into some of the classes, so that one can learn to draw the figure properly. They also try to build a sense of community by having an adult continuing education art exhibit at the end of the semester. Would highly recommend to anyone looking to build upon their skill set.
Review by Olivia S.
August 18, 2010 1I have been going to this school since July of 2007 when this location was first opened. I thought it was a little rocky because they were still figuring things out but it’s only gotten worse since I’ve been there. The only reason I have stayed in this hell hole is because your credits are only transferable to other Art Institutes. Financial aid is TERRIBLE. They are rude and have no idea what they’re doing. They’ll do anything to get more money out of you and to keep you from taking out money that is yours! They will hire any dumb ass off the streets as an instructor because they have such a high staff turn-over. You never see the same instructor two quarters in a row. If you are struggling with the class or the teacher doesn’t know how to explain things, plan on taking the class again. No one will help you to undertsand, they will just fail you and make you take it over again to get more money and to make you stay longer. I should have graduated in June and it is now going to be next March because they have done this to me several times. The whole place is disgusting, there is never soap in the bathroom and the stalls are gross. There is never an empty computer lab for those who don’t have access to a computer or for those who need to do class work. The “library” is pathetic. The woman that works there is a bitch and the shelves are completly bare. I could go on for days…. PLEASE DON’T MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE I MADE.