Frequently Asked Questions

Is Orientation and Welcome Week mandatory for incoming students?
All incoming undergraduate and transfer students are required to complete the New Student Orientation course and participate in Welcome Week. 

How do I register for Orientation and Welcome Week?
Students do not need to register for either Orientation or Welcome Week. (The Orientation course will be added to their SAIC account and is accessible by logging onto https://saic.instructure.com/). A $200 orientation fee will automatically be charged to each student's account for this program. For Welcome Week, students simply show up to the SAIC Ballroom on January 22nd. 

Parents and families need to register for the Parent and Family Welcome Week event only if they plan to attend on January 22nd. (The Parent and Family Welcome Week event is free of charge). Parents and families do not need to register for the Parent and Family Orientation which can be accessed here:  

How do I get to SAIC and where can I park?
Check out our website which has information on how to get to SAIC, including public transportation directions from Chicago's two major airports as well as where to find public parking near campus. 

Street parking on Wabash Avenue is extremely limited. Garage parking is available nearby at 55 East Monroe Street (travel south from 36 South Wabash Avenue to the intersection, turn left on Monroe, and enter the garage mid-block from the right lane).

How do I navigate the SAIC Campus?
Check out our Campus Map here. 

How do I travel in and around Chicago?

More information about how to get around Chicago is included in the Student, Parent and Family Orientation course.

What is an ARTICard, and how do I get one?
The ARTICard is SAIC's mandatory identification card for students, faculty, and staff. It provides access to campus buildings and school privileges and also allows cardholders to purchase items and services at select locations on and off campus. It is your permanent SAIC ID card, and as long as you’re registered for classes or an active faculty or staff member, it is valid.

Students will have the opportunity to pick up their ARTICard during Welcome Week. You must present a valid U.S. government issued photo ID or passport to pick up your ARTICard.

For more information, please visit the ARTICard website.

What is the U-Pass, and how do I get one?
The Ventra/Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) U-Pass allows eligible SAIC students unlimited use of CTA bus and rail transportation for the fall, winter, spring, and summer semesters. When compared with regular CTA fares for a semester, the Ventra U-Pass can provide more than $150 in savings.

The CTA fall U-Pass will be active from January 22 - May 15 and is available for $155* (plus a $5 card fee for new users). You must be registered with six or more credit hours during the spring semester to be eligible. If you are eligible for the program by Wednesday, January 17, your CTA U-Pass card will be activated on Monday, January 22. If you become eligible for the program after January 17, it will take 2-3 business days for your CTA U-Pass card to be activated.

If a student has submitted their picture to the ARTICard office, students should be able to receive their U-Pass at the same time they pick their ARTICard. Contact the ARTICard Office at articard@saic.edu with any questions about the CTA U-Pass program or visit the SAIC U-Pass web page. 

What is the SAIC laptop requirement and why does it exist?
All incoming undergraduate students, with the exception of second-degree students, are required to own a laptop that meets minimum hardware requirements. To learn more about the requirements, please visit saic.edu/laptop. Students will participate in a software training and downloads through the New Student Orientation course on Canvas.

SAIC is committed to providing the best and most innovative art education possible. SAIC believes we have a responsibility as an institution to ensure that, when you graduate, you are fully conversant with the tools that technology can provide. In order to ensure integrated curricular technology and equal access to a wide range of software, technical support, and training, SAIC has instituted a technology requirement consisting of two parts: a school-wide laptop requirement and a technology fee.

What is the SAIC technology fee?
All students enrolled for six or more degree credit hours are charged a technology fee. This fee enables a student to access wireless and wired networking, curricular software in computer classrooms and labs, and CRIT Help Desk support and training. In addition, students with a qualifying laptop computer can access curricular software both on and off campus. The 2023-2024 technology fee is $335 per semester. 

What is Contemporary Practices and how can I find more information about it?
Your first-year at SAIC is in the Department of Contemporary Practices. Why do we call it that? “Contemporary” is our commitment to delivering current ideas and techniques that drive art and design today. We say “Practices”—plural—to reflect the infinite ways artists and designers apply their ideas. Your first-year experience will be led by diverse, internationally recognized faculty as you learn hands-on skills and studio-based methods of conceptual exploration, artistic research, and critical thinking. You will learn how to describe your work and those of others and how your creative practice is situated in a contemporary social, cultural and/or political context. 

For more information, please visit the Contemporary Practices Departmental Website.

How do I pay for school?
Financing education is unique for each student and family. Please visit the Financial Aid website for resources may will be helpful to you.

How do I get involved at SAIC?
Campus Life strives to enhance and complement students' studio and academic experiences through campus activities, events, programs, student groups, and student organizations. Campus activities and events are a great way to build connections and further your development as individuals and artists. For more information on life at SAIC, please visit the Campus Life website.

Student groups at SAIC reflect the many interests of our diverse population. There is a group for any interest, and if it doesn't currently exist, our students are encouraged to start their own groups.

To learn more about joining one of the over 50 registered student groups please visit Engage SAIC.