A: We are located on the 12th floor of the Sullivan Center- Suite 1204, 36 S. Wabash Ave.

A: Appointments can be made via the Navigate or by email at studenthelp@saic.edu or calling the front desk at 312.629.6800. 

A: On your student profile in Navigate, your advisor is listed under "Your Success Team" on the lower right hand side of the page. If you need any assistance,  email studenthelp@saic.edu or call the front desk at 312.629.6800. 

A: As an interdisciplinary school, SAIC has no set majors. Instead, it has several degree programs. The most common degree is Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio (BFA). Within SAIC's interdisciplinary structure, you can choose different concentrations on multiple subjects, while also moving freely between departments.  Certain departments (e.g., Architecture, Interior Architecture, Designed Objects, Fashion, and Visual Communications) utilize department specific pathways, which can guide you through the medium/concentration of your choice as you progress through your program. For the most updated and detailed information on pathways of a specific academic department, please contact the academic department directly. 

Students may elect to change their Program of Study during their educational career at SAIC under certain circumstances. 

• Changing degrees during your SAIC career may lead to a re-attribution of credits already completed. Academic Advising strongly encourages all students to meet with an advisor before making any decision to change degrees to review their degree progress, courses taken, and how those courses may or may not count towards their new degree. 

• International students seeking a degree change must also receive authorization from the International Affairs office. 

Changing to Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) Degree Program

Students changing into the BFA degree must meet with an academic advisor to receive authorization. Once authorized, students may submit their signed Program Change Form to the Registration and Records office. 

Changing to a degree program other than BFA degree

Any student wishing to change into the Bachelor of Arts in Visual and Critical Studies, Bachelor of Fine Arts in Writing, Bachelor of Arts in Art History, or Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art Education degree program must receive authorization from that department's Program Director (or their designee). Students should submit a Program Change form to the Program Director or designee and may be asked to meet in person to evaluate their request or submit additional application materials.

A: Visit this page for information on ordering your official transcript.

All scores should be sent to the Admissions Office. Please contact the Admissions office for any questions:

36 S. Wabash Ave.
Chicago, IL 60603
admiss@saic.edu
800.232.7242
312.629.6100

Check the school's academic calendar to make sure you know when classes begin. It is important to be on time and attend courses on the first day, and throughout the semester, because absences affect your ability to earn credit. If you register late for a class (during the Add/Drop period), you are still responsible for any participation or work you have missed. Enrolling late does not excuse you from the missed class time. We encourage you to carefully consider adding classes after the semester begins and ideally after a discussion with the instructor. See SAIC’s Attendance policy in the Student Handbook and the syllabus for each of your courses for more information. 

A: Every semester you should log in to SAIC Self-Service and review your schedule a few days before classes begin, as there are occasionally last-minute room changes. You can see your course schedule by visiting the Current Students dashboard and clicking the Self-Service link. You will find your course schedule under Manage Classes non-mobile, then select View My Classes.

Download the SAIC Campus Map‌ with the classroom locations listed by their abbreviation of your class schedule.

SAIC Campus Map [PDF]

A: Most classes, including studio, will provide you with a list of materials needed on the first day. Check both your email and the Canvas site (when applicable) for each of your classes prior to the start of the semester. Either way, plan on bringing notebooks and writing materials to the first class so you can take notes. You may also visit the DePaul University bookstore website to see if the courses you enrolled in have any required texts available for purchase there. 

A: Information on viewing your unofficial transcript can be viewed here.

A: Some options include a CAPX Internship course, an Independent Study or attending Ox-Bow School of Art over the summer for a one week long course. 

A: Students may change their schedules through SAIC Self-Service any time after initial registration until the end of the add/drop period. There is no fee for schedule changes during the add/drop period. Please check the add/drop drop deadline from here.

A: After the add/drop period ends (please check the Academic Calendar for specific dates) and the deadline to drop a course from your schedule passes, students can withdraw from a class before the withdrawal deadline of a given semester, which can be found in the Academic Calendar. Please note that tuition is not refunded for withdrawals. 

To withdraw from a class, simply e-mail the registrar’s office at saic.registrar@saic.edu with your name, student ID, and the class you wish to withdraw from. Students who drop below 12 credits (full time) might have their housing, ventra card, or scholarships affected. Please reach out to Student Financial Services before withdrawing from a course!

If you are unsure how the withdrawal will impact, please make an appointment with an academic advisor and discuss the implications.

Keep in mind: 

In order to maintain their VISA status, international students are not permitted to take under 12 credits.

12 credits at SAIC is considered full-time, so anything under that could have potential financial ramifications - we recommend you schedule an appointment with Student Financial Services prior to withdrawing under 12 credits to discuss.

A: Some holds prevent students from registering, so students should look under "Tasks" in Self-Service to see if they have any active holds. 

A hold can come from a number of departments (the Media Center, the Flaxman Library, Student Financial Services, etc.), and can be placed if you have not returned items, if you have outstanding payments to make, or you need to meet with your advisor. A hold can prevent you from using SAIC resources (e.g., checking out library books), and can also affect your ability to register for classes. 

When you click on the individual hold, you can see details such as who to contact to resolve the hold, and when the hold is active. You may see a hold on your account that is active on a future date. This hold will not prevent you from registering until that date. 

A: If you try to enroll in a class, but receive a message saying "Requisites have not been met", this means there are classes you need to complete before taking this course. Prerequisite requirements indicate the class builds on skills learned in a previous course(s). You will need to enroll and receive credit for the course(s) listed as a prerequisite—which is listed under the course information in Self-Service.

A: Off-campus study courses are classes that include an element that participates in studying outside of the SAIC campus setting. Off-campus study options include:

• Internships taken for SAIC credit and arranged through CAPX.

• SAIC sponsored winter and summer study trips.

• Semester Away/Study Abroad with international and domestic SAIC exchange partners.

• Winter and summer courses at Ox-Bow School of Art.

• SAIC classes designated to fulfill off-campus requirements (To find these classes, use the Course Attribute - “Off Campus Study Requirement” setting when searching for classes in Self Service.)

Six credits of off campus credits are required at SAIC.

A: There are five different types of liberal arts classes you can take at SAIC: 

First Year Seminar I and II (must be completed prior to enrolling in other liberal arts classes, and cannot be repeated for credit.)

• Science (6 Credit Requirement)

• Social Science (6 Credit Requirement)

• Humanities (6 Credit Requirement)

• Language (No specific requirement, but Language courses will go toward your Liberal Arts Electives)

Your degree will require 6 credits in each category, except for language (with the exception of BFAAH). Please consult your degree requirements to determine the amount of liberal arts courses you need in each category. After you have satisfied your requirements in science, social science, and humanities, additional courses taken will qualify for your Liberal Arts Electives, or go toward your General Electives.

A: Professional Practice can be fulfilled in your junior year, upon completion of Sophomore Seminar, by enrolling in a 3900-level course. You may also enroll in Internship as Professional Practice, through CAPX, which will also satisfy this requirement. You must complete Professional Practice before enrolling and completing Senior Capstone.

A: The Capstone course (CAPSTONE 4900 or DEPT 4900), recommended for the final semester of study at SAIC is an intensive mentoring class focused on the development and/or presentation of culminating work at the end of your undergraduate studies. The course focuses on assessing the strengths and weaknesses of previous work, developing a focused project or body of work, preparing to present one's work publicly, and sustaining a creative practice after school. For additional information on the senior capstone requirement, please click here.

A: There a few different options for auditing a course. You can view more information here.

A: If you have any extenuating circumstances (such as health concerns or no availability at SAIC) that requiring you take a class outside of SAIC, you can appeal to take class(es) outside of SAIC by filling out an appeal form: Appeal to Take Classes Outside of SAIC. From there, the Academic Review Board will review your application and the courses you are requesting. There is no guarantee that your appeal will be approved.

Please keep in mind the following when selecting courses and timing your outside institution courses:

You need to meet your prerequisites for the types of courses you’d like to take. 

• Art History Courses: ARTHI 1001 and ARTHI 100 Elective. 

• Liberal Arts Courses: ENGLISH 1001 (or equivalent) and ENGLISH 1005

• Studio/General Electives: CP 1010, CP 1011, CP 1020, and CP 1022

You may take a maximum of 15 credits outside of SAIC during your career. Different types of credits have their own maximums within this

• Art History Course: Only 3 credits of Art History can be taken outside of SAIC through permissions.

• Liberal Arts: Only 3 credits of Liberal Arts can be taken outside of SAIC. With one exception for language courses. You can take up to 6 additional language credits of a language SAIC does not offer. 

• Studio/General Electives: No maximum within the overall 15 credit maximum. 

Policies | School of the Art Institute of Chicago (saic.edu). When you finish and receive credit in your course (a C grade or better is required for an eligible transfer), you will send an official transcript to the Registrar's Office.

A: Pre-registration, also known as "pre-reg," is a required meeting with your Academic Advisor to review your course selections for the upcoming semester. Pre-registration occurs in October/November and February/March. If you are required to have a pre-reg appointment in order to register for classes, you will be sent an email invitation to schedule the meeting via Navigate. Failure to meet with an Academic Advisor for a required Pre-Reg appointment will result in a Registration with Permissions Hold, which means you will not be able to register for classes on your own without making an advising appointment. For detailed information, please refer to the Pre-Registration tab on this site.

A: Students can take a Leave of Absence from SAIC for up to 5 years. When they return, any merit scholarships will still be in place. To take a leave of absence, please schedule an appointment with an academic advisor. 

A: Requirements for maintaining academic good standing at SAIC apply to all undergraduate degree-seeking students. While SAIC’s staff and faculty wish to see every student achieve academic and personal success, it remains every student’s responsibility to seek assistance, to understand institutional policy, and to know their own academic status. An undergraduate student’s academic progress is evaluated twice a year, after grades are posted following the fall and spring semesters. Courses assigned a grade of Withdraw (W) are not counted as credit hours attempted when calculating academic standing, with the exception of students returning from Academic Suspension (see Return from Academic Suspension for more information). It is important that all students be familiar with the guidelines for maintaining academic good standing as well as those for maintaining Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress (see Financial Aid section). 

For students enrolled in the Academic Access Program (AAP), please see the Performance Review section under Academic Access Program. 

For detailed information on Academic Standing, please review SAIC Bulletin page 45.

A: If you have any concerns about your instructor, you can contact the Department Chair of the course. All Department Chairs have contact information provided under the specific Academic Department Webpage. You are also welcome to meet with your academic advisor to discuss your concerns and consult on next steps. 

A: Students who receive a course progress report should reach out to the instructor who submitted the report. It is important to know what expectations your instructor has, and to work with them to resolve any issues you are experiencing in the course.

A: SAIC's Food Pantry is available to current SAIC students who are experiencing difficulty accessing food because of a financial emergency or ongoing constraints. Students can request a pre-packaged bag of non-perishable groceries (vegetarian and gluten free available) by completing this form. If you have questions, contact the Office of Student Affairs, at studenthelp@saic.edu or 312.629.6800.