Online Registration & Policies

To apply for a merit scholarship, students should choose "Option 1: Apply for aid/scholarships and pay a $100 non-refundable tuition deposit" when registering online and pay a $100 non-refundable tuition deposit. Applicants must select “Yes” when asked if you are applying for a merit scholarship at the time of registration.

Students will be prompted to submit a portfolio of 6–10 pieces of artwork following the registration process. Artwork may be in any medium, regardless of class choice. Artwork is only required for merit scholarship consideration, not admission into the program. Following registration, you will then receive an email with further instructions on how to upload your portfolio for merit scholarship consideration. Please note: your student’s merit scholarship application will not be considered complete until their merit portfolio is received.

To apply for need-based financial aid, students should choose "Option 1: Apply for aid/scholarships and pay a $100 non-refundable tuition deposit" when registering online and pay a $100 non-refundable tuition deposit. Need-based financial aid is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Applicants must select “Yes” when asked if you are applying for need-based financial aid at the time of registration.

Following registration, students will be emailed a link to DocuSign, a secure server, where they will need to upload a copy of the top two pages of their family’s most recent year’s federal tax form 1040. Please note: your student’s need-based financial aid application will not be considered complete until the federal tax form 1040 is received.

Started the registration process and want to come back and complete it at a later time? No problem! Once you're ready to complete the process, log back into your account and click on your cart. From there, you will be able to resume the registration process. If you have any trouble please call us as soon as possible at 312.629.6170 or email us at ecp@saic.edu.

The full payment deadline is May 1, for all sessions. If you have not made payment by this date, you are at risk of being dropped from your selected courses.

If you register after May 1, you will be given a custom payment due date two weeks out from the time we notify you of your final balance via email. 

If you need to drop a class, all drop requests must be submitted in writing to ecp@saic.edu and include the student's name, ID number, and course information.

One hundred percent of the tuition charge, not including the $100 nonrefundable tuition deposit, is refundable if courses are dropped by May 1.* If a course is dropped after this date, no refund will be granted. Note: this date applies for all sessions.

You may complete your payment online at saic.edu/cspayment. You may also submit your payment by mailing a personal check or money order with the student's full name and ID in the reference section to: School of the Art Institute of Chicago, SAIC Bursar's Office, 37 S. Wabash Ave., Suite 245, Chicago, IL 60603. For any financial questions, please contact Student Financial Services at 312.629.6600 or saic.sfs@saic.edu. 

The School of the Art Institute of Chicago is committed to providing opportunities for full participation in all programs for students with disabilities, including Continuing Studies students and Students At Large. Disabled students should first contact the Disability and Learning Resource Center (DLRC) to request reasonable accommodations. To plan for the most effective accommodations, we ask that you contact the DLRC at least two weeks before the start date for your course. For more detailed information about the DLRC and the accommodations process, see the DLRC webpage. The DLRC can be reached by phone at 312.499.4278 or email dlrc@saic.edu.

Continuing Studies reserves the right to cancel or alter the fees, schedule, or staffing of courses when circumstances warrant. If a cancellation or change is necessary, students will be notified prior to the first class, and students enrolled in canceled courses will have the option of taking another class or receiving a full refund. Note: Courses with low enrollment may be canceled, thus early registration is encouraged.

If you are interested in registering for a course that is full, you can add yourself to the waitlist online. Please provide a preferred contact phone number with your request. Students are not automatically added to the waitlist. If a spot becomes available in the course, Continuing Studies will contact the waitlisted students via their preferred phone number and email.

All drop requests must be submitted in writing to cs@saic.edu and include the student’s name, ID number, and course information. One hundred percent of the tuition charge, less a $100 nonrefundable tuition deposit, is refundable if courses are dropped by May 1. If a course is dropped after the deadline, no refund will be granted. Note: this date applies for all sessions. Refunds take four to six weeks to process, depending on payment type. No tuition will be refunded, and financial aid and merit scholarships may be revoked, if a student is asked to leave the program for violations of policies or regulations. Nonattendance does not constitute an official withdrawal, nor a cancellation of tuition and fees—withdrawals must be submitted in writing as outlined above by the deadline.