Academy of Art University Reviews

I really enjoyed my time studying at AAU, the instructors where amazing, I attended from 2014-2019 and only had 3 instructors that I didnt care for. One thing people would be aware of is that the classes can be really time consuming and there can be a lot of assignments in certain classes. I had some health problems and found that if you fall behind, it can be really hard to catch back up but for the most part I had instructors that were understanding and willing to work with me. I chose to study online because I have 3 kids and move regularly (Military). Overall I learned so, so much and really enjoyed the experience. The number one complaint I see normally has to do with finances, it is a for profit school and it costs a lot, but shouldnt you already be aware of the financial burden before attending? Thats just my thoughts on it. If you want a cheap and easy education, this isnt the school for you.

Its a scam. I signed up for my BA in graphic design. Everything online said BA until they changed their online board 3 semesters showing in and showing that of the 112 units I submitted they took less than 35 and didnt tell me and I was not in my BA program. Now im 30k in debt.

I sympathize with those who gave bad reviews to the school because they probably didn't pass the classes or didn't get the degree. I am receiving my master degree soon, and planning to get another major here because I have learned and improved a lot while studying here. Sadly, not every student is prepared or ready when they enroll in the school.

I honestly would not recommend this college at all. Dont get me wrong, there are good and bad professors here but the curriculum is just plain dumb sometimes. There are outdated videos on some of the modules and some of the videos use outdated software. I would highly recommend to go somewhere else as this school is definitely a scam. Dont end up in my situation get s****** over by this school.

This school is a SCAM! I attended the school online with plans to receive a Bachelor's. It's very expensive! The online curriculum is a joke. I learned more from YouTube videos than the actual classes. They require you to purchase expensive supplies, lie about assisting you with jobs during/ after completion. After realizing the school was robbing, I decided to complete with an Accociate's degree instead of pursuing a Bachelor's. I paid out of pocket to travel to California from Louisiana for graduation, only to find out that all Accociate's degree students were separated from their major and marched together with a different color gown from everyone else. What was even worse was that after graduating, no one from the school reached out to me to assist with job placement. I no longer had access to the job board and position listings. I contacted the school and was told that because I graduated, I no longer have access to the school's job board or position listings. Three years later, still no contact from the school and still at the same job I've been on since starting AAU. I'm a mom with two kids who have to worry about paying my hefty student loans for an education I did not receive. A COMPLETE RIP OFF!!!!!!

Super expensive, so Ill put that out there first, but my experience was pretty good. I learned a ton and felt much more prepared to go into my chosen field. I was willing to put in the effort, which I know a lot of students struggled with (my courses were all online and it was glaringly obvious when people werent even trying). Overall I had a really good experience and other than the immense amount of debt that I might never pay off, I recommend it (if you are willing to push yourself!).

DO ATTEND THIS MONEY STEALING SCHOOL! I took a summer course online in 2016 at AAU because I really wanted to get back into school. The guy I was talking to through out the enrolling process was telling me about a military scholarship that I qualified for. Basically telling me the only cost I have to worry about that semester is the registration fee. I also had my tuition assistance from the military. I completed my summer animation course (B), decided to rethink about my career choice and didn't go back. Now I have a collection on my credit report saying I owe them $1800! That dropped my score by like, 80 points! I never recieved any calls or emails saying I still owe them money! DO NOT ATTEND THIS FRAUD SCHOOL! I didn't believe the bad reviews on this school, but after this I understand now!

I have transferred to SCAD after completing half of AAUs online MFA graphic design program. I noticed over time that more and more foreign students were entering classes. To the point that most fellow students seemed to not speak or write good English. I also noticed the caliber of teachers also degraded over time. One teacher actually assigned her own book as the required textbook for the class! Seems like a great opportunity for her to get paid a little extra from book sales. Another teacher, Jeremy S. may have incredible credentials, but he can't teach a class to save his life. I was told not to take another class along with his because the workload is so intense! How is that right? Students need to be able to take more than one class a semester. I left AAU, and they came out with an MA program. I said I would give it a shot. Same experience... bad teaching. I said at the start of the class I was concerned. They said to stick with it. The class was poorly designed. Information was unclear and scattered. I requested to find an alternate solution.... let me drop without penalty, let me take the class with another teacher in another semester, the school could come up with a solution, or I will go and never return... I chose the later. Don't go here unless you don't care about how these teachers make you feel and don't care if they have zero interest in you actually graduating.

The financial aid advisers are awful. It made me think it was a scam. The last one, J.W., is extremely rude and told me to basically ignore my high school work and sign up for some grant. Which I couldn't because 1.) I need my student ID which wasn't scheduled to be given to me until one week before classes start and 2.) My high school graduation work was currently more important than a grant at the moment. I don't think that entitled person understood that my graduation literally depended on that project. I am only taking two courses online for a semester. $115,000 per semester! That is a scam. I do not recommend signing up at all. Just go to CalArts instead.

My highest priority had always been earning the degree. I earned it and it wasn't easy. Every semester each class is sixteen weeks. Every class has sixteen learning modules. Each class has similar requirements. For example, the painting class may require 200$ worth of oil paints, 200$ worth of brushes and 200$ worth of canvas. Some classes require a similar investment in books or software. There are usually a bunch of videos to watch every week. I posted at least four short essay style responses to several discussion topics in every class, every week. Each week each class has a multiple choice quiz. Normally, or on average, I also uploaded four studio assignments for peer critique and grading in every class every week. A full-time student willingly devotes 40 hours every week to satisfactorily complete the assignments, that's a minimum of 640 hours each semester. A full-time independent student living on the full federal financial aid stipend certainly needs to have access to more sources of money in order to complete this financially demanding program.