The Financial Aid Department works with students and their families to develop a financial plan to support the completion of the student’s program of study. Specialists from this department help students complete the federal and state applications for grants and loans applicable to the student’s circumstances.

Once a student’s eligibility for financial assistance has been determined, a Financial Aid Officer helps the student and his family to develop a plan for meeting direct and indirect educational expenses. Periodic payments made directly to The Art Institute may be included as an alternative. This planning process occurs each academic year, and financial planning services are continually available to students and their families.

Our approach to Financial Aid and Student Financial Planning

Many students receive some form of financial aid to assist them in financing their education.

The Art Institute of Philadelphia provides financial planning for its students. This means that we can provide a payment plan that will allow you to budget for your entire program. Our goal in the Financial Aid Department is to make your monthly payments as affordable to you as possible. After you complete the application forms, your Financial Aid Officer will review them using a federally required calculation to determine your eligibility for financial aid. The Financial Aid Officer will then work with you and your family to devise a Student Financial Plan to help you cover your educational expenses, based on your financial aid eligibility and your family circumstances. This is an outline of our process:

1. We estimate the total cost of your education. Your total costs are broken down into direct and indirect costs.
   
   • Examples of "direct" costs include tuition, fees, and some supplies. Click here for details on tuition and fees. NOTE - We have chosen to show you, up front, an estimate of the entire tuition and fee charges for your program of study because we believe it is in your best interest to have this information prior to starting any classes. We hope that helps you make an informed decision. The school actually charges tuition, fees, and school sponsored housing for each quarter separately and a student is never obligated to pay for charges beyond the quarter they have started.
     
   • "Indirect" costs include food, transportation, personal expenses, and some supplies. Standard budget figures (available for review in the Financial Aid Department) are used to estimate indirect costs, based on where you will live when you attend The Art Institute of Philadelphia. These budget standards may be adjusted to meet unusual personal circumstances.
     
   • Housing expenses can be considered direct or indirect costs, depending on your living arrangements. The Housing Services Office can provide you with information on school-sponsored as well as independent apartments. Click here for more information on housing. 
2. We add up all available resources that can be used to pay educational costs. This can include scholarships, veteran's benefits, federal and state aid for which you are eligible, private loans, etc.
   
3. We subtract all of the available resources from the total estimated cost of your education. The difference is the amount that can be covered through the Student Financial Planning process.