The Academy of Art University

If you want a high quality art education, go to a state university and/or study privately. This place is nothing more than a for-profit school that only cares about money.For students who are thinking about attending AAC, my best advice to you is-DONT DO IT! Go to an accredited art college or a state university-you'll be much better off in the long run. This "school" is nothing more than a factory , as well as a money mill that continues to "sucker" as many students as it possibly can-only for profit, I know, because I used to attend AAC and got out as soon as possible. I'd advice you to do the same.

1st Year Male -- Class 2007

Useful Schoolwork: C, Education Quality: F

I studied photography online. I had a couple of outstanding instructors. The rest were average. I'm not sure if I learned much more than I would have reading books and posting photos on photo.net for feedback. The feedback was somewhat helpful, but not what I expected from a university. My advice is not to study photography online. It is more like studying in a fancy correspondence program; only the assignments get emailed instead of mailed. Yes, you can chat on a board. But I didn't learn much from the chat boards that they promote so much. I would have been much better off, reading books, doing self assigned projects at the end of the chapters, and going to a couple of Santa Fe workshops. Find a good program at a NON profit univ. and go there to study photography.

2nd Year Female -- Class 2015

Surrounding City: A+, Education Quality: D-

DO NOT go here!!! The college has the WORST customer service skills ever. You are not and will never be important to them. You are only a number. They do NOT work with you like they say they will. Thanks to the Academy of Art I'm stuck paying $6,000 worth of classes I didn't attend because they told me they would help me and then refused to. The college is a big rip off. You are not allowed to talk on the phone to whoever you would like to help solve your problems. Worst finanical aid department ever. They told me, "it's not their job to notify students when there is a problem." If there finanical aid and customer service wasn't so useless and crappy I probably wouldn't be in this mess! I'm pissed that I have to pay $6,000 because they refused to let me drop all my classes before it was too late. There are only a few good teachers there. One teacher ripped me off on a grade and was too arrogant to write back to me. A good amount of the classes you were tested on information that you were not taught and couldn't find the answers to. I did online so pretty much the only good grade that this college is getting from me is A on the campus cause I have no clue but I'm sure the safety and what not isn't bad. The online students are horrible. Out of my year at this wasteful college I only made one friend. Everyone is closeminded and rude. I have never been in a class environment where just about everyone is rude. If you feel like getting screwed over then this is the perfect college for you. Please go to a better photography schoool! This is the biggest mistake you could make!! I'm no longer attending here and going to a better college that I'm luckily going to be done by next year (2011). I feel like Academy of Art could careless in making sure people succeed.

1st Year Female -- Class 2011

Campus Aesthetics: A, Education Quality: F