Admissions Procedures and Requirements

1. Students applying for entry into the American Academy of Art must submit the completed application form with a $25.00 non-refundable application fee. All applicants are required to have an interview with a representative of the school when they apply.
   
   Former students who are applying for re-entry into the same degree program from which they withdrew must coordinate with the Registrar rather than through the admissions office.

2. An official transcript of grades must be sent directly from a high school and any post-secondary school attended to the American Academy of Art, Office of the Registrar, at the address on the front cover of this catalog. Only high school graduates or recipients of the G.E.D. or a degree from an institution of higher learning may apply for and attend degree classes.
   
   
3. Students transferring from another institution of higher learning must have a cumulative G.P.A. of 2.0.

Transfer of Credit Policies and Procedures for the BFA Program

The American Academy of Art will consider the transfer of credits for completed course work from other institutions, provided they are submitted for evaluation prior to the student’s start in the program.

To be eligible for transfer of credit to the college, completed course work must have achieved a minimum grade of “C” or “2.0” and must be considered comparable in content, purpose and standards to the level of course work at the American Academy of Art. Only credits from nationally accredited or regionally accredited institutions will be considered, and no more than fifty percent of the course work may be completed at other institutions.

Unofficial student transcript copies may be used for preliminary analysis of possible credit, but final awarding of credit can only be based on transcripts that are official and original.

Accepted credits earned at other institutions will be recorded on a student’s permanent academic record, but grades received at other institutions will not be recorded or included in the student’s grade point average.

The procedures to be followed to receive consideration of transfer credits are:

a. An official transcript must be sent directly to the Office of the Registrar by the institution(s) attended.

b. For studio art credit, the student must submit a portfolio of representative pieces from the course for which credit is sought. The Academic Dean will conduct an evaluation of the studio art pieces and will determine the student’s placement within the American Academy of Art’s curriculum based upon the comparability of course learning outcomes and the skill level demonstrated.

c. For humanities and sciences course requirements (general education), the student may receive credit for a course with a different content as long as it is from the same learning cluster. The American Academy of Art has defined four learning clusters: Behavioral and Social Sciences; Communication;
Fine Art and Humanities; and Mathematics and Physical and Life Sciences. Students must receive 12 credits in each cluster in order to graduate. In the Fine Art and Humanities cluster, at least two of the classes must be in art history.

As long as the course to be substituted falls within the same cluster, the course need not have covered the exact topic offered by the Academy. In other words, a course in psychology could be substituted for a course in sociology, since both are considered to be Behavioral and Social Sciences. Similarly, a course in creative writing could be substituted for a course in professional communication, since both are in the Communications cluster. The Academic Dean, in conjunction with the Registrar, will make the determination of credit accepted.

d. The American Academy of Art does not accept high school Advanced Placement credits or tests for transfer credit.

To Transfer Credit from the American Academy of Art

Program coursework and specific graduation requirements of institutions vary considerably. The Registrar will provide academic information to any institution upon the written request of the student. The receiving institution will evaluate the credits earned at the American Academy of Art and determine the transferability of those credits. Please recognize that the Academy has no control over the policies of other institutions.

Veterans

The American Academy of Art is approved for veterans’ benefits. Veterans who plan to use these benefits to help finance their education should contact the nearest regional office of the Veterans Administration to determine eligibility, application procedures and other requirements.

Veterans are required to submit to the Academy a Certificate of Eligibility from the V.A. along with their application materials. Veterans must be accepted into a degree program to receive benefits and must submit official transcripts of all previous college work.

Veterans should be aware that failure to maintain satisfactory progress will result in the termination of benefits.

International Students

The American Academy of Art welcomes qualified international students who can demonstrate adequate English skills. Applicants whose native language is not English can submit the results of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) with their applications and should indicate the Academy’s institution code number of 1013 when taking the test.

The minimum acceptable TOEFL scores are 500 paper-based total, 173 computer-based total and 61 Internet-based total.

To be granted a Certificate of Eligibility for Non-immigrant Status (I-20), an international student must have:

• Been accepted as a full-time student in a degree program;
• Submitted a signed Enrollment Agreement; and
• Submitted an affidavit verifying sufficient financial resources to cover expenses for a full school year. International applicants are not eligible for financial aid from the U.S. government.

International applicants must submit certified transcripts of all secondary and college-level studies, translated if necessary and accompanied by an explanation of the grading systems.

Americans With Disabilities Act Accommodation

The American Academy of Art does not deny admission to the school on the basis of disability, age, national origin, religion, race, gender or sexual orientation. The school reasonably accommodates applicants and students with disabilities to the extent required by applicable law. The facilities at the school are accessible to the physically challenged.