The Art Institutes of Chicago

What The Art Institutes of Chicago does

The Art Institutes of Chicago was a for-profit higher education institution providing arts-focused postsecondary programs, including design, media arts, fashion, and culinary disciplines. Founded in 1968 and headquartered in Pittsburgh, the school was part of The Art Institutes system operated by Education Management Corporation (EDMC), a publicly traded for-profit education company. The institution served students seeking creative-industry credentials through campus-based and likely online delivery channels typical of the for-profit college model of its era.

The Art Institutes operated within a tuition-driven business model reliant on federal student aid (Title IV), a structure common to large for-profit chains during the 2000s and 2010s. The institution was among a cohort of for-profit education providers — alongside Corinthian Colleges and ITT Technical Institute — that became subject to federal and state enforcement actions alleging fraudulent or deceptive recruitment and outcome practices. The system has since ceased active operations, leaving no functioning revenue base, current enrollment, or active product portfolio.

Based on available data, approximately 317,000 former Art Institutes students received student loan erasure as part of regulatory settlements, with cumulative loan relief cited at nearly $160 billion across the implicated institutions. The institution's operating status is recorded as closed, and no current management team, product roadmap, customer base, or revenue stream is observable in the source material.

Name

The Art Institutes of Chicago

Website

https://artinstitutes.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1968

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

The Art Institutes of Chicago was a for-profit higher education institution offering arts and design-focused postsecondary programs, operated by Education Management Corporation. The school has ceased active operations following federal regulatory settlements.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

For-Profit Higher Education

NAICS

Fine Arts Schools (611610)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Fine Arts Colleges (Painting, Sculpture, Printmaking) (EDAHAJAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Performing Arts Colleges (Theatre, Dance, Musical Theatre) (EDAHAJAD), Visual Arts (Drawing, Painting, Illustration) (EDAAAGAA)

Keywords

• Higher education
• For-profit college
• Arts education
• Design programs
• Vocational training

Headquarters

HQ city

Pittsburgh

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Core offering

The Art Institutes was a system of for-profit higher education institutions that enrolled individual students in career-focused creative-arts programs. Instruction spanned disciplines such as design, media arts, fashion, and culinary arts, delivered across multiple U.S. campuses and through online channels. The institution is no longer actively operating following regulatory enforcement actions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Broad incumbents

• DeVry University: Large for-profit higher-education operator; comparable on the for-profit, multi-campus, career-oriented higher-ed model even though its curriculum is broader than arts-focused.
• University of Phoenix: One of the largest for-profit university systems in the U.S.; relevant comparator on scale, for-profit status, and exposure to the same federal regulatory regime that affected The Art Institutes.

Direct peers

• Pratt Institute: Non-profit college of art, design, and architecture; directly comparable curriculum overlap and a similar positioning in creative-industries career preparation.
• Full Sail University: For-profit institution specializing in entertainment, media, and creative-technology degrees; closely comparable on target student, creative-arts curriculum, and for-profit delivery model.
• Parsons School of Design: Major art and design school within The New School; directly comparable on design and creative-arts curriculum and on serving a similar student demographic for portfolio-oriented degrees.
• Rhode Island School of Design: Leading non-profit fine arts and design college; comparable on core curriculum (visual arts, design) and on the competitive set of applicants the Art Institutes historically recruited from.
• Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD): Non-profit specialized college for the arts; comparable on creative-arts degree focus and on competing for the same student demographic in portfolio-driven creative fields.
• Corinthian Colleges: For-profit higher-education chain that was dismantled after federal enforcement for deceptive practices; directly comparable to The Art Institutes on business model, regulatory fate, and closure trajectory.
• ITT Technical Institute: For-profit college chain closed following federal actions; co-listed with The Art Institutes in regulatory settlements, making it the closest analogue on size, model, and outcome.
• School of the Art Institute of Chicago: Non-profit fine arts college located in the same city as the original Art Institutes of Chicago campus; directly comparable on curriculum (visual and studio arts) and student profile, and the most natural non-profit alternative in the same market.

Market position

Strengths2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights2 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/art-institute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about The Art Institutes of Chicago