The Academy of Art University (ART U) in San Francisco, California, was previously known as Academy of Art College and Richard Stephens Academy of Art. It is a private for-profit art school. Established in 1929 by Richard S. Stephens, it was originally known as the Academy of Advertising Art. By fall 2023, the institution had 126 full-time teachers, 492 part-time teaching staff, and a student body of 6,786. It proudly asserts its position as the largest privately owned art and design school in the United States. Academy of Art University strategically owns a significant amount of property in San Francisco, including the main campus situated on New Montgomery Street in the South of Market district. Academy of Art University provides a wide range of educational options, including associate, bachelor’s, and master’s degrees in approximately twenty-two subjects. There are online courses available. By 2015, Academy of Art University had not updated job placement rates since 2006 and was in a dispute with the US Department of Education regarding this obligation. In 2007, the Academy of Art University obtained regional accreditation from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). Schools are not obligated to share job placement statistics with the WASC. When it comes to interior architecture and design, the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree (taught or online) and Master of Fine Arts degree are accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation. Since January 1, 2006, the Master of Architecture degree has been accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board, while the Bachelor of Architecture program received accreditation as of January 1, 2015. As per the National Center for Education Statistics, 45% of students who started their studies in fall 2013 finished a four-year degree within 150% of that time (the “6-year graduation rate”). Online-only students had a 6% graduation rate, while part-time students had a 3% graduation rate in mid-2015. Around 35% of students exclusively attended classes online in 2015. In 2016, approximately 7% of students successfully finished a four-year degree within the expected timeframe. Based on statistics from the National Center for Education in 2019, the school had a graduation rate of 45% for “full-time, first-time” students. The school offers open admissions with a 100% acceptance rate. In 2016, the accreditor raised concerns about low graduation rates, with only 37% of students who started in 2010 graduating by 2017.