Admissions
Discover One of the Leading Arts High Schools in Chicago
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The Chicago Academy for the Arts offers a rare opportunity to combine rigorous college-preparatory academics with professional-level arts training. Located in Chicago’s River West neighborhood, The Academy is a nationally recognized independent performing and visual arts high school where young artists pursue their creative passions while preparing for college and future careers.
Unlike traditional high schools, students at The Academy spend each day immersed in both academic study and intensive arts training, developing the skills needed to succeed as thinkers, creators, and collaborators. This unique co-curricular model integrates intellectual curiosity, critical thinking, and artistic expression—creating a learning environment designed specifically for students who are serious about the arts.
The Chicago Academy for the Arts application process is designed for students who are ready to pursue an exceptional arts high school education. As a premier private arts high school in Chicago, The Academy invites aspiring young artists to demonstrate their artistic voice, creative passion, and commitment to academic excellence. Our admissions process is more comprehensive than that of many traditional or peer schools because our co-curricular model combines strong college-preparatory academics with pre-professional arts training. Students applying to The Chicago Academy for the Arts are taking the next step toward joining a nationally recognized community for visual and performing arts education.
ADMISSIONS PROCESS
APPLICATION DEADLINES
EARLY DECISION DEADLINE
November 15, 2026
PRIORITY DEADLINE
January 15, 2027
LIVE AUDITION DAY
To be announced!
(Anticipate: January, 2027)
Tuition
For the 2026–2027 school year, tuition at The Chicago Academy for the Arts is $39,388, plus additional school fees. As a private arts high school with a college-preparatory academic program and pre-professional arts training, tuition supports both rigorous academics and intensive instruction in disciplines such as visual arts, music, theatre, musical theatre, dance, creative writing, and film.
We believe that talented young artists should have access to a transformative arts education regardless of financial circumstances. The Academy’s Access and Affordability Committee works closely with families applying for need-based tuition assistance and distributes nearly $2 million in financial aid each year. Historically, nearly 80% of Academy students receive tuition assistance, making a premier Chicago arts school education more accessible to aspiring artists and scholars.
At this time, all financial support is awarded through our need-based tuition assistance program, which helps ensure that students from a wide range of financial backgrounds can attend one of the nation’s leading private arts high schools.
Tuition and Affordability
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$1,550
New Student Fee (New Students Only)$7,000
International Student Fee$2,700
Music Department Private Lesson Fee$1,350
Musical Theatre Department Private Lesson FeeBus Shuttle
The bus shuttle to and from the Metra train stations (La Salle, Van Buren, Union, and Ogilvie) is included with tuition.
Books & Supplies
Families are responsible for purchasing books and supplies.
Field Trips
While many field trips are fully subsidized by the school, from time to time there may be additional costs.
Tuition ASSISTANCE
The Chicago Academy for the Arts Tuition Assistance program is designed to make an Academy education possible for all families based on demonstrated financial need and the availability of funds. The Academy is proud to use Clarity Financial Aid to determine a family’s level of financial need based on the information that families share in the application which includes assets, income, expenses, and debts. The application is mobile-friendly and fully translated into Spanish.
Families interested in Tuition Assistance (including Daniel Murphy, LINK Unlimited, and HFS Chicago Scholars) should complete and submit their application by clicking the button below. Tuition assistance funding is limited and will be allocated first to students who apply by the Early Decision and Priority deadlines during our admissions season.
Please plan to complete your application by January 15, 2027.
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Step 1
Go to https://app.clarityapp.com/sign-up
Step 2
Begin your application and add The Chicago Academy for the Arts to your student applicant entry. You can save your application and log out at any time and return later to complete it.
Step 3
US taxpayers: Complete the Clarity Enhanced Tax Verification (ETV) process to release your W2 and personal tax return transcripts from the IRS. You'll be asked to authorize the sharing of your tax transcripts and verify your identity. This is a one-time security measure required by the IRS to protect against identity theft and the compromise of personal information. Only those filing US taxes will be prompted to complete this step. Clarity offers two options for enhanced tax verification process: “Clarity” and “IRS”. Please reference the Tax Verification Guide to preview the steps of this process.
{The IRS pathway is significantly faster, allowing for the tax documents to transfer to Clarity within 24 hours. For this reason, any applicant who applies after January 15, 2027, will need to select the IRS pathway in order to meet our priority deadline. Clarity has found that families who have an IRS.gov account before starting the Clarity Application have a much easier time completing the process.}
Step 4
Enter your financial information, review your application, and pay the $65 Clarity application fee.
Step 5
Submit your Clarity application and follow the link to return to your dashboard. Here you will see any additional supporting documents requested by schools. Upload your supporting documents by January 15, 2027. Keep in mind that at a later date, you may be prompted by the school via Clarity to upload additional documentation as needed.
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If you need support during the process of completing your application, there is in-app, phone and email support available through the “Help” button in the bottom left of the screen. Additional resources:
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New to Clarity? Join one of their Family Application Information Webinars:
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International students and students applying for mid-year transfer are not eligible for tuition assistance at this time. If you have any questions regarding tuition assistance, please reach out directly to our Director of Enrollment Management.
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The Academy is proud to partner with local scholarship organizations including, but not limited to, the Daniel Murphy Scholarship Fund, HFS Chicago Scholars, High Jump Scholars, and LINK Unlimited Scholars.
ADMISSIONS TEAM
Our Academy Admissions team is excited to meet you and help you throughout the admissions process.
Please reach out if you have any questions!
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Students must be able to fulfill the audition requirements, but that does not necessarily mean that they have formal training in or outside of school. Formal training is more common in some arts disciplines, like dance or music, but is not a prerequisite. Students must also be strong academically in order to be considered for admission.
The Academy is a co-curricular program, where arts and academics are seen as equally important to one another. The Academy’s acceptance rate for the 2023-2024 school year was 70%.
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53% of Academy students commute from outside the city of Chicago. The Academy provides school buses to and from the four major Metra stations (Union, La Salle, Van Buren, and Ogilvie).
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Though the Learning Resources Department at The Academy is limited in the support it can provide for students with identified and documented learning differences, The Academy provides a daily 45-minute advisory period in the middle of each day, allowing ample opportunities for students to receive instructional support from their teachers and meet with the school counselor. The Assistant Principal/Director of Learning Resources is responsible for the case management of students whose families have submitted documentation of school-related learning issues.
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One of the Academy’s primary goals is to prepare students to successfully audition at the most selective colleges, universities, and conservatory arts programs in the world. Therefore, it is important that students pick one area of concentration to specialize in.
The Academy offers arts electives in 11th and 12th grade for students to take courses in other arts departments. To see a list of arts elective courses and other academic elective courses offered at The Academy, see here.