title: Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design
text: # Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design
  
  The Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design (AICAD) is a non-profit consortium of 36 art and design schools in the United States and Canada. All AICAD member institutions have a curriculum with full liberal arts and sciences requirements complementing studio work, and all are accredited to grant Bachelor of Fine Arts and/or Master of Fine Arts degrees. To qualify for AICAD membership an art school must be: a free-standing college (not a division of a larger college or university) specializing in art or design; a non-profit institution; grant BFA and/or MFA degrees; and have accreditation from both the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD) and the relevant academic accrediting organization in their region.
  
  AICAD was founded in 1991 by a group of art college presidents for the purpose of sharing information among similar institutions and acting collectively. Its mission is to strengthen and connect the member colleges, and to inform the public about these colleges and the value of studying art and design.
  
  AICAD distributes information about the organization and its members, and about art and design education and careers, to potential students, parents, teachers, and others. It conducts regular conferences and symposia on contemporary academic and administrative subjects, operates an independent studio and internship program in New York City (The New York Studio Residency Program), oversees student exchanges among the member schools, gathers and analyzes institutional data to assist in future planning efforts. It also provides members with information about current art and design education issues as well as information on relevant legislation and government policies.
  
  ## Members
  
  * Alberta University of the Arts (formerly Alberta College of Art and Design)
  * Art Academy of Cincinnati
  * Art Center College of Design
  * California College of the Arts
  * California Institute of the Arts
  * College for Creative Studies
  * Columbus College of Art and Design
  * Cornish College of the Arts
  * Cranbrook Academy of Art
  * Emily Carr University of Art and Design
  * Institute of Art and Design at New England College (formerly the New Hampshire Institute of Art)
  * Kansas City Art Institute
  * Laguna College of Art and Design
  * Lesley Art and Design (formerly the Art Institute of Boston)
  * Maine College of Art and Design (formerly Maine College of Art)
  * Maryland Institute College of Art
  * Massachusetts College of Art and Design
  * Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design
  * Minneapolis College of Art and Design
  * Montserrat College of Art
  * Moore College of Art and Design
  * NSCAD University
  * OCAD University
  * Otis College of Art and Design
  * Pacific Northwest College of Art
  * Parsons School of Design
  * Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
  * Pennsylvania College of Art and Design
  * Pratt Institute
  * Rhode Island School of Design
  * Ringling College of Art and Design
  * San Francisco Art Institute
  * School of the Art Institute of Chicago
  * School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts
  * School of Visual Arts
  * University of the Arts
  
  ### International Affiliates
  
  * Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design
  * Burren College of Art
  * China Academy of Art
  * LASALLE College of the Arts
  * Nanjing University of the Arts
  * Osaka University of Arts
  * Plymouth College of Art
  
  ## Regional accrediting agencies
  
  * Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
  * New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC)
  * North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
  * Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
  * Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS)
  * Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC)
  
  ## New York Studio Residency Program
  
  The New York Studio Residency Program (NYSRP), a project of AICAD, was a one-semester program in New York City for undergraduate fine arts students enrolled at AICAD colleges. The program emphasized independent, self-directed study in the context of its location in the Dumbo neighborhood of Brooklyn. The 15 to 20 students enrolled each fall and spring semester came from all over the US and Canada. The program closed in 2017.
  
  