TheAcademy of Art University (AAU, orART U), formerlyAcademy of Art College andRichard Stephens Academy of Art, is aprivatefor-profitart school inSan Francisco, California. It was founded as theAcademy of Advertising Art by Richard S. Stephens in 1929.[2] The school is one of the largest property owners in San Francisco, with the main campus located onNew Montgomery Street in theSouth of Market district.[3]
In fall 2024, it had 121 full-time teachers, 485 part-time teaching staff, and 6,320 students;[1] it claims to be the largest privately owned art and design school in the United States.[4]
It was founded in 1929 as Académie of Advertising Art,[5] a school for advertising art, at 215 Kearny Street.[6] The founder, Richard S. Stephens,[7] a painter and editor forSunset Magazine, led it until 1951 when his son Richard A. Stephens took over. In 1992, Stephens was replaced by his daughter, Elisa Stephens.[8][6] Under her presidency, student numbers increased to 18,000 by 2011.[9]
The school has been participating in theNew York Fashion Week event bi-annually since 2005.[13][14][15] Every year, the university hosts a spring show that highlights student work from the school's 75 disciplines.[16]
In 2006, AAU acquired the Commodore Hotel for approximately $15.7 million; the building was then converted into co-ed student housing, called "Commodore Hall."[17]
In 2009, four former admission officers alleged that the school had compensated them based on how many students they could enroll, which was an incentive-based recruitment technique.[18][19][20][21][22] The former employees sued the school in U.S. District Court in Oakland in 2009.[20]
In May 2016, the city of San Francisco brought a lawsuit against Academy of Art University after possible violations of city land-use laws, including the unauthorized conversion ofrent-controlled housing to academic use.[20][22][23][24] In December 2016, the school was ordered pay the city $20 million in fees and $40 million in housing concessions, such as providing low-income housing for seniors.[25][26] In January 2020, the agreement was amended, requiring the Academy of Art University to pay $37.6 million to build affordable housing.[22][27]
In 2023, ten architecture and landscape projects by AAU students were featured inDezeen magazine.[28]
In 2024, AAU sold the Da Vinci Villa, a 153-unit student housing complex inRussian Hill, for $16.5 million.[29] It was also announced that AAU plans to sell the 114-unit Commodore student dorm building and restore its former use as a hotel. The university currently lists student housing options at 560 Powell St.; 620 Sutter St.; 680 Sutter St.; 1080 Bush St.; and 655 Sutter St.[17]
According to theNational Center for Education Statistics, 45% of students who began their studies in fall 2013 completed a four-year degree within 150% of that time (the "6-year graduation rate").[1] For online-only students, the 6-year graduation rate was 6% and 3% for part-time students in mid-2015.[37] Approximately 35% of all students were online-only in 2015.[37] In 2016, roughly 7% of students completed a four-year degree within the allotted time.[32]
According to data from the National Center for Education Statistics in 2019, the school's graduation rate for "full-time, first-time" students was 45%.[38] The school hasopen admissions and an admission acceptance rate of 100%.[30][32] In 2016, itsaccreditor expressed concern over low graduation rates; 37% of students who enrolled in 2010 graduated by 2017.[19]
In the 2014–2015 season, the men's cross country team had a second-place finish and the women's team had a record fourth-place finish, earned at the Pacific West Conference Championships. Valentin Pepiot, their thirdNCAA Nationals individual qualifier, was one of the top finishers from the PacWest in the postseason finale.[40] Academy of Art earned a record 10 PacWest postseason honors. For the 2015 indoor andoutdoor track and field seasons, they had sevenAll-American honors and one NCAA individual champion in Jordan Edwards.[40]
In May 2023, theSan Francisco Shock announced a partnership with Academy of Art University for its2023 OWL season. The university's campus will be the official home of the Shock, allowing access to its facilities and housing.[41]
On April 4, 2025, university officials announced that they were eliminating the athletic department following the 2024–2025 season.[42]
