School of the Art Institute of Chicago

What are the graduation rates for students at School of the Art Institute of Chicago?

In the reported IPEDS outcomes, 37% of SAIC students in the relevant first-time, full-time bachelor's-degree-seeking cohort completed within four years. The six-year graduation rate was 67%. These measures follow an entering cohort over time; they are not percentages of everyone enrolled at the school in one year.

The difference between the two rates means a substantial share of the cohort completed after the fourth year but within six years. The reported first-year retention rate was 84%, a different measure describing students who continued their studies rather than finished a degree. Transfer students, part-time students, and graduate students may follow different paths and are not adequately described by a first-time, full-time undergraduate graduation rate.

What is the earning potential for graduates at School of the Art Institute of Chicago?

A College Scorecard program-level figure reports $24,981 in median earnings for Fine and Studio Arts one year after completion. It is a measure for the graduates included in that field's matched earnings data, not a salary promised to every SAIC student or a schoolwide starting salary.

Program earnings figures can exclude people without a matched earnings record and do not capture every form of artistic income, unpaid work, further study, or later career growth. The one-year timing is also consequential in fields where graduates build portfolios and freelance work over several years. Applicants comparing programs should use the figure alongside likely debt, living costs, their intended occupation, and outcomes measured over a longer period.