Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design

What Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design does

AICAD (Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design) is a non-profit consortium of 40+ leading independent art and design colleges in the United States and Canada, founded in 1991 by 25 college presidents. The organization operates as a shared infrastructure layer for its member institutions and the prospective students, educators, and parents they serve, with no parent company, private equity, or venture capital involvement. Member institutions pay recurring membership dues; AICAD does not charge individual students directly for access to its core resources.

The product surface is composed of curation, community, and coordination tools rather than proprietary technology. Core offerings include the AICAD School Search Portal (filterable database of member schools by degree type, program, region, and size), the Slideroom-based Portfolio Review Portal for centralized application submissions, the Member Login Portal, the AICAD Job Board, an Alumni Success Stories archive, and dedicated resource hubs for students, teachers, and parents. The Post-Graduate Teaching Fellowship, launched in Fall 2015, places recent MFA graduates in two-year teaching positions at member institutions to increase racial and ethnic faculty diversity. An annual AICAD Symposium (e.g., 2025 "Engaging Values") provides member-facing professional development and networking. Distribution runs through the AICAD website, social channels (Twitter, Facebook), the centralized Slideroom portal, and in-person events.

The go-to-market model is community-led: prospective students discover member schools through the consortium's search and portfolio infrastructure; member schools derive value from cross-institutional exchange, fellowship placements, and collective promotion of art and design education. Customer segments span three personas (prospective students, teachers, parents) and one primary business unit (member art and design colleges). The consortium spans US regions (Northeast, South, Midwest, Pacific Northwest, West Coast) plus Canada, with no disclosed revenue, headcount beyond 1–10 employees, or external funding activity.

Name

Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design

Legal name

Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design

Website

https://aicad.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

AICAD is a non-profit consortium of 40+ independent art and design colleges in the US and Canada, providing a school search portal, exchange program, portfolio review platform, faculty diversity fellowship, and shared resources for member institutions and prospective students.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Art and Design Education Consortium

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAFAMAD

Essay, Resume & Portfolio Coaching Platforms

Education/Education Technology (EdTech) & Digital Learning/Career Guidance, College Admissions & Student Success Platforms

SECONDARYEDADACAK

Online/Distance Education Quality & Accreditation Bodies

Education/Education Administration, Accreditation & Policy/Accreditation Bodies (Institutional & Programmatic)

SECONDARYEDAIAGAL

Service Learning Program Design, Accreditation & Evaluation

Education/International Education & Study Abroad/International Service Learning, Volunteering & Gap Year Programs

SECONDARYEDADAFAA

National/State Examination Boards & Testing Agencies

Education/Education Administration, Accreditation & Policy/Assessment, Examinations & Qualifications Authorities

Keywords

• Art education consortium
• Design school network
• Higher education association
• Faculty fellowship programs
• Student exchange partnerships

Headquarters

HQ city

Providence

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Institutional Membership Dues: AICAD operates as a non-profit consortium funded through membership dues from independent art and design colleges. Member schools collectively benefit from shared resources, exchange programs, and collaborative initiatives that strengthen individual institutions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

AICAD operates a non-profit consortium of 40+ leading independent art and design colleges in the US and Canada. It provides a searchable school directory and portfolio review portal for prospective students, facilitates student exchanges between member institutions, runs the Post-Graduate Teaching Fellowship program to diversify faculty, and maintains a member-only job board and resource hubs for students, teachers, and parents.

Product overview

AICAD (Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design) is a non-profit consortium of leading art and design schools in the US and Canada. The organization's offerings consist primarily of its school search and matching portal for prospective students, the Post-Graduate Teaching Fellowship program for diversity-focused faculty development, alumni networking resources, career guidance services, and a member portal for institutional collaboration. These products collectively serve to connect prospective students with member institutions, support faculty diversity initiatives, and facilitate resource sharing among member schools.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• AICAD School Search Portal A comprehensive search tool enabling prospective students to browse and filter AICAD member art and design schools by degree type, program area, geographic region, and school size.
• Portfolio Review Portal Online portal for submitting student portfolios for review by member institutions, operated through SlideRoom.
• Post-Graduate Teaching Fellowship A professional practice fellowship providing recent MFA graduates from AICAD member schools with teaching positions, mentoring, professional development, and health benefits at host institutions for up to two years, aimed at increasing faculty diversity.
• AICAD Job Board Online job board featuring employment opportunities across AICAD member institutions for faculty and administrative positions.
• AICAD Exchange Program Student exchange program allowing enrollment at other AICAD member institutions for one or two semesters.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• AICAD Exchange PartnershipscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAICAD facilitates exchange partnerships between member institutions, allowing students to study at other AICAD schools for one or more terms. This exchange program provides students with diverse educational experiences across the consortium's network of art and design colleges.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• Independent Sector: Independent Sector is a national membership organization of nonprofits, foundations, and corporate giving programs. It is comparable to AICAD as an enabling ecosystem organization that supports and convenes mission-driven member institutions across the nonprofit space.
• National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA): NC-SARA coordinates state-level reciprocity for distance education across US institutions. It is thematically related to AICAD's role in facilitating cross-institutional access and is a useful peer for understanding consortium-style cooperation in higher education.

Broad incumbents

• NAFSA: Association of International Educators: NAFSA is a major membership association for international educators and exchange programs. Its exchange-program orientation and advocacy role provide a broad-incumbent comparison to AICAD's student exchange partnerships and international (US/Canada) reach.
• College Board: College Board is a large, established nonprofit serving the college admissions funnel through standardized testing, AP programs, and student search tools. It operates adjacent student-facing services that compete for the same prospective-student attention as AICAD's school search portal.

Direct peers

• National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD): NASAD is the recognized accreditor for art and design schools in the US, directly paralleling AICAD's role as a consortium serving the same institutional segment. Both organizations exist to strengthen and promote postsecondary art and design education, with overlapping membership among leading independent colleges.
• Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA): CHEA coordinates US higher education accreditation bodies and policy. It operates in the same consortium/quality-assurance space as AICAD, working with member institutions and accreditors to set standards and inform the public about higher education quality.
• Council of Independent Colleges: Council of Independent Colleges serves as a membership and service organization for private nonprofit colleges, with programs in leadership development and shared services. Like AICAD, it is a consortium model focused on supporting independent higher education institutions through collective resources.
• National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU): NAICU is the leading US membership association for private nonprofit colleges and universities, the closest higher-level analog to AICAD's consortium model. Both operate subscription-based membership organizations that advocate for and provide shared services to independent higher education institutions.
• National Art Education Association (NAEA): NAEA is a membership organization advancing visual arts education, with a focus on art educators and preK-12 through postsecondary instruction. It overlaps with AICAD in serving art educators and promoting art education pathways, making it a natural peer in the art education ecosystem.

Regional players

• ArtTable: ArtTable is a US-based nonprofit membership organization for visual arts professionals, focused on career development and leadership in the arts. It overlaps with AICAD in serving career-oriented constituencies within the visual arts field, though with a professional rather than institutional focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/AICArtDesign
• Facebookfacebook.com/associationofindependentcollegesofartanddesign
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/association-of-indepdendent-colleges-of-art-design

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design