THE ART OF A
COLLEGE EDUCATION
number of student enrollments
more than fivefold nationwide
since 1999. They advertise heavily on subway cars, highway billboards and late-night television,
often promoting degrees as a path
to career advancement.
Such schools have increasingly
caught the eye of federal regulators
and state attorneys general, who
have moved to crack down on institutions that promise more than
they deliver, leaving students stuck
in debt and without improved job
prospects. Some of the largest
players in the industry, including
the University of Phoenix, have experienced enrollment declines over
the past year as government regulations have tightened.
Unlike the for-profit system’s
many problem children, the Academy hasn’t been charged by authorities with violating any laws,
and many art and design professionals and students consider its
curriculum top-drawer. Also, unlike many for-profit institutions
that have sprung up almost overnight in recent years, the Academy
of Art has a long tradition in San
Francisco, with a history stretching back to the late 1920s.
The school’s student loan default rate — often an indicator of
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poor student performance after
college — is well below the national average, and far below the
average default rates of other forprofit schools. Administrators cite
statistics from last year showing
an 80 percent job placement rate
for graduates, though school officials say the measurement is
preliminary because the U.S. Department of Education has not
finalized the formula.
“Because we make sure every
student learns the fundamentals,
employers tell us they love hiring our grads,” says Sue Rowley,
the university’s executive vice
president of educational services.
“They don’t have to retrain our
grads on basic skills.”
In many ways, the Academy’s profile and problems are
more akin to the woes facing law
schools, which also have been
criticized for over-enrolling students who are then burdened with
heavy loan debts and graduate
into an intensely competitive and
unforgiving job market.
As the Academy aims for continued expansion on the ground
and online, former students and
faculty have questioned how a
university rooted in the creative
arts will be able to follow through
on promises of practical career
training. Research has found that
students graduating with degrees