Art Institutes Across Texas Close Permanently

On September 30, 2023, the Art Institutes (AI) system of private for-profit art schools, including campuses in Austin, Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio, permanently closed. 

Though the Art Institute of Pittsburgh was founded in 1921, the AI system of schools as it is known today really developed when the Education Management Corporation (EDMC) acquired the Pittsburgh school in 1970. At the time, EDMC expanded the school’s offerings and began opening locations across the country. AI eventually grew to have 50 campuses in 2012, including locations in San Francisco, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Seattle, Kansas City, and Raleigh-Durham, among many other cities.

Since 2012, enrollment numbers at AI schools have been declining, and in 2015, EDMC paid $95.5 million to settle allegations around its recruiting practices, both in relation to paying admissions personnel based on the number of students they enrolled, and using deceptive practices when recruiting students. In 2017, AI was acquired by Dream Center Education Holdings (DCEH). The following year, DCEH was sued for misleading students about the school’s accreditation. That summer, DCEH announced that nearly 20 campuses would close.

On Friday, September 22, students and faculty members at the remaining eight campuses received word that the schools would be closing permanently by the end of the month. The eight affected campuses include Atlanta, Austin, Dallas, Houston, Miami, San Antonio, Tampa, and Virginia Beach. Since the announcement, the AI website has been completely wiped and is now only a singular page announcing the closures and providing information for students seeking to transfer to new schools to complete their education.