SAN ANTONIO – Hundreds of students and faculty members were left scrambling on Friday after the Art Institutes, a system of for-profit colleges, announced it would close its eight remaining campuses across the nation by the end of this month.
The Art Institutes announced that it would permanently close the remainder of its campuses, effective Sept. 30. That includes The Art Institutes of San Antonio, Austin, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Tampa, and Virginia Beach.
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“My heart just sank because it was so unreal because it made it feel like the last three years at that school was for nothing,” said Kaleb Adams, a senior at the Art Institute of San Antonio.
“I was shaking because I was so confused. It all just hit me at once that I don’t know where to go from here,” said Quinn Shelton,
a junior at the Art Institute of San Antonio.
From set to graduate to worrying about what is next, it’s a concern hundreds of students now face. Students were notified via email of the closure on Friday, Sept. 22, a week and a day before shutting down all operations.
“The fact that they only gave us one week, it’s sketchy,” said Adams.
A statement on the Art Institutes’ website says, “We encourage you to complete your education at another school. The Art Institutes are working with numerous partners to facilitate student transfers.”
Students are encouraged to get their transcripts to transfer schools, but there is uncertainty about whether other campuses will accept the credits they earned at the for-profit college.
“It’s enough of a loss and a setback that I would reconsider,” said Shelton.
“Do you think that would be giving up on a potential dream?” asked KSAT reporter John Paul Barajas.
“Absolutely,” answered Shelton.
The Art Institute of San Antonio has reportedly suffered low enrollment since the pandemic. KSAT called to get clarification on the reason for the closing and left three separate voicemails. A KSAT crew also went to the school in person, but the doors were locked.
For The Art Institutes’ complete statement, click here.