SIA International Art Education

What SIA International Art Education does

SIA International Art Education (SIA国际艺术教育) is a Beijing-headquartered, privately-held education services company founded in 2011 in New York by Liu Ziyang (刘子阳) and relocated to China in 2013. It provides customized portfolio preparation, application consulting, and background enhancement services for Chinese students applying to undergraduate, graduate, and pre-college art, design, and music programs at overseas universities across the UK, US, Japan, Australia, Canada, Germany, Italy, and France. As of 2024 it operates 15 owned learning centers in 13 cities (Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Chongqing, Wuhan, Tianjin, Zhengzhou, New York, and Tokyo) and reports 21,000+ lifetime students supported with 36,000+ accumulated offer letters.

The company's core product set includes Undergraduate and Graduate Portfolio VIP Courses (customized 1-on-1 coaching), Music Study Abroad programs, BTEC Level 4 pre-college Foundation Diplomas, A-Level exam preparation, an Ivy League/G5-targeted elite program, an overseas GPA enhancement service branded SIA CARE, and Background Enhancement modules (international competitions, luxury brand internships with Prada/DIOR/Porsche, overseas summer schools). Its pedagogical backbone is the proprietary Radical Art Curriculum System (launched 2018, co-developed with the Royal College of Art external review team) and the ESTAS dual-review quality assurance system (established 2014), supported by 200+ contracted overseas university professors and a separate cohort of senior domestic mentors. SIA holds US and UK government educational certifications, Pearson BTEC Level 4 authorization, and A-Level/AP exam qualifications.

The business model is direct-to-consumer professional services delivered through owned physical learning centers and a consultative phone/digital funnel (website siaedu.net plus 7x24 hotline 400-677-2260). Pricing is opaque and established per-student via consultation, with course structures built around multi-month to multi-year contracts, premium VIP tiers, and add-on modules (overseas professor project courses, recommendation letter services). Revenue is generated primarily from one-time application-cycle engagements with high-net-worth Chinese families, supplemented by recurring SIA CARE subscriptions for currently-enrolled overseas students. The company is backed by 2017 Series A/A+ venture funding totaling RMB 70 million from Yongj Capital, Qingke Chuangguang, and Blue Lake Capital, with no subsequent ownership changes or public listing disclosed in the input data.

Name

SIA International Art Education

Legal name

北京鲲鹏山水教育咨询有限公司

Website

https://siaedu.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

SIA International Art Education (SIA国际艺术教育) is a Beijing-based private education company providing customized portfolio preparation, application consulting, and background enhancement services for Chinese students applying to overseas art, design, and music schools, delivered through 15 owned learning centers in 13 cities globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Art Study Abroad Education Services

NAICS

Educational Services (611), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

STEM/Business/Discipline-Specific Foundation Pathways (EDAIAJAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Conditional Offer / Package Programs (Language + Pathway + Progression) (EDAIAJAJ), Under-18 / High School-to-University Foundation Pathways (EDAIAJAI)

Keywords

• Art portfolio coaching
• Study abroad consulting
• Art school applications
• Portfolio preparation
• Overseas education services

Headquarters

HQ city

Beijing

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices13 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Art Portfolio Training Courses: Core revenue stream from customized one-on-one portfolio preparation courses for undergraduate and graduate art school applicants. Includes VIP courses, rebuilding courses, and overseas professor project courses. Students pay for multi-month coaching programs with guaranteed admission outcomes.
2. Music Study Abroad Programs: Specialized music留学 programs covering T-A-S foundation courses, music professional courses, overseas professor master classes, and mock interview courses for music conservatory applicants.
3. Background Enhancement Services: Value-added services including international competitions, luxury brand internships (Prada, DIOR, Porsche), overseas summer schools, academic competitions, and fashion week training programs that complement portfolio applications.
4. Overseas GPA Enhancement (SIA CARE): Year-long support services for undergraduate and graduate students already studying abroad, including coursework tutoring, academic planning, visa application support, and overseas living guidance.
5. BTEC and A-Level Exam Preparation: UK-recognized pre-university art and design certificate programs and A-level exam preparation courses for students seeking direct本科 admission to UK universities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

SIA provides customized one-on-one portfolio coaching, overseas professor-led project courses, and end-to-end application services for Chinese students seeking admission to undergraduate and graduate art and design programs at overseas universities in the UK, US, Japan, Australia, Canada, Germany, Italy, and France. The service stack spans foundation training, portfolio development, application documents, mock interviews, background enhancement, and post-enrollment overseas academic support, with music study abroad programs and BTEC/A-Level qualification courses as adjacent offerings.

Product overview

SIA International Art Education operates as a multi-product art education platform offering portfolio preparation courses for undergraduate and graduate applications to overseas art schools. The core product lineup includes undergraduate and graduate portfolio VIP courses, music study abroad programs, BTEC pre-college courses, junior elite training for ages 10-16, Ivy League elite courses for top university admissions, and overseas GPA enhancement services. These are supplemented by A-level art examination preparation, background enhancement programs, and overseas professor master project courses. The platform provides services across art and design disciplines including visual design, fashion, film/animation, space design, industrial design, and music, covering study destinations in the UK, US, Japan, Australia, Canada, Italy, France, and Germany.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Undergraduate Portfolio VIP Course (本科作品集VIP课程) Customized 1-on-1 portfolio coaching service targeting Chinese high school students applying for undergraduate art and design programs at overseas universities; includes one-stop application planning services and overseas professor project courses.
• Graduate Portfolio VIP Course (研究生作品集VIP课程) Customized 1-on-1 portfolio coaching for Chinese undergraduate students applying to master's programs in art and design at overseas universities; includes background enhancement, overseas professor project courses, and foreign document services.
• Music Study Abroad Programs (音乐留学课程) Comprehensive music study abroad services for Chinese students targeting conservatories and music programs in the US, UK, Japan, Europe, and Australia; includes T-A-S foundation courses, professional music courses, overseas professor master classes, and mock interview preparation.
• BTEC Foundation Diploma (BTEC预科课程) BTEC Level 4 Foundation Diploma in Art and Design offered as a UK-recognized pre-college qualification that allows direct application to UK or US undergraduate programs; certified by Pearson Group UK.
• Junior Elite Training Course (初中精英培养课程) Four-stage creative thinking development program for Chinese students aged 10–16, covering creative thinking, critical thinking, innovative thinking, and global perspectives as early preparation for art-focused education pathways.
• Ivy League Art Elite Course (艺术斩藤精英课程) Premium long-term planning program targeting Ivy League US universities and UK G5 institutions through art and design programs; includes top-tier faculty, overseas professor project courses, and high-end foreign document polishing.
• Overseas GPA Enhancement / SIA CARE (海外GPA提升课程) Year-long comprehensive support service for Chinese undergraduate and graduate students already enrolled at overseas art schools; covers academic guidance, GPA improvement, visa application support, life assistance, and career development.
• A-Level Art Course (A-level艺术课程) A-Level examination preparation courses for art and design majors, supporting CAIE, Edexcel, AQA, and OCR examination boards for direct undergraduate admission to UK universities.
• Background Enhancement Program (背景提升计划) Value-added background enhancement offering including international competitions, luxury brand internships, overseas summer schools, academic competitions, and fashion week training programs designed to strengthen overseas art school applications.
• Overseas Master Project Courses (海外大师项目课) Courses taught directly by overseas university professors from top art schools (RCA, RISD, Parsons, Cornell, Berklee), featuring original studio curriculum, 1-on-1 portfolio review, and high recommendation letter rates.

Quantifiable outcome

• 21,000+ students helped receive offers; 36,000+ total offer letters from overseas art schools; 300+ million RMB in scholarships awarded to students in 2021; 2024 Fall: 6000+ offers, 2亿+ RMB in scholarships; 15 years of operation with 15 learning centers globally

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Royal College of Art (RCA) External Review TeamcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018In 2018, SIA established an exclusive partnership with the RCA's teaching quality external review team. The RCA team is responsible for constructing SIA's teaching system, Radical Art curriculum, and review system, providing academic training and participating in student portfolio quality review.
• Royal Academy of Music (RAM)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRAM professors collaborate with SIA on master project courses and student portfolio reviews, primarily for music study abroad programs.
• Berklee College of MusicminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBerklee professors participate in SIA music programs, providing master classes, portfolio reviews, and mock interview coaching for aspiring music students.
• Peabody Conservatory (皮博蒂音乐学院)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSIA has an exclusive cooperation agreement with Peabody Conservatory, signed in 2019, enabling SIA to serve as an exclusive partner for Peabody's China recruitment.
• 20+ World Art Universities (艺术名校)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSIA maintains academic partnerships with over 20 world art universities, enabling access to professors for project courses, portfolio reviews, and recommendation letters. Includes RISD, RCA, Parsons, UAL, Cornell, UCLA, and others.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves22 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• ACG International Art Education (ACG国际艺术教育): One of the largest dedicated art study abroad consultancies in China, directly competing with SIA on portfolio preparation for overseas art and design schools. Offers similar undergraduate and graduate portfolio coaching with comparable overseas-university placement claims.
• SFK / Sino-Foreign Art Education (斯芬克艺术教育): Direct competitor in the Chinese art study abroad segment, providing portfolio coaching, overseas professor programs, and application services for art school applicants targeting US and UK destinations. Operates multi-city learning centers with comparable curriculum offerings.
• ROSSO International Art Education (罗素国际艺术教育): Shanghai-headquartered art education platform offering portfolio preparation and overseas art school application services to Chinese students. Overlapping service lines with SIA across fashion, visual design, and architecture portfolios.
• SKD International Art Education: Boutique art study abroad consultancy serving Chinese applicants to US/UK design schools. Competes with SIA in the premium 1-on-1 portfolio coaching tier and overseas professor project course format.
• Meixing Siyuan / My Study (美行思远 MXSY): Beijing-based art study abroad service provider with multi-city presence in China, offering portfolio training, background enhancement, and overseas application services comparable to SIA's core product line.
• VOO International Art Education (维欧艺术教育): Art education provider in China focused on fashion, visual arts, and design portfolio preparation for overseas study. Competes for the same Chinese customer segment as SIA across undergraduate and graduate-level applications.
• PalmDrive Education (棕榈大道): Overseas education planning and application services firm serving Chinese students, including counseling for overseas art and design programs. Operates as a more digitally-led, less physical-footprint competitor to SIA.

Broad incumbents

• Qidi Education (启德教育): Large multi-discipline Chinese study abroad agency covering business, engineering, and arts. While not art-specialized, Qidi's scaled distribution and brand recognition in China put it in competition with SIA for the broader outbound education wallet, particularly at the family-research funnel.
• New Oriental Vision Overseas (新东方前途出国): Study abroad arm of New Oriental Education & Technology Group, China's largest private education conglomerate. Offers outbound application services spanning multiple disciplines, with growing presence in the art track and far larger distribution than SIA.

Emerging players

• IDEA International Art Education: Smaller China-based art study abroad consultancy with partial overlap with SIA's portfolio-coaching offering. Typically competes in select cities rather than at SIA's 13-city national scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors4 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SIA International Art Education