International Students

At CIA, you won’t sit in large lecture halls, you’ll learn in small studio classes where you’ll get to know your faculty, and they’ll get to know you. Through one-on-one guidance, mentorship and feedback, your professors will support your growth and help you develop your unique artistic voice.

The Writing + Learning Center (WLC) is dedicated to supporting students with coursework, communication, and practices for college success. Our peer tutors can help you understand assignments and texts, review grammar and written work, practice speaking skills, adapt to CIA and local culture, and more. For more information, please contact us at writingcenter@cia.edu.

Through our partnership with Case Western Reserve University, you’ll have access to expanded resources, including health services, student organizations, club sports and more. Plus, the opportunity to take one class at CWRU each semester!

With a large international student community nearby, it’s easy to make connections and feel at home in Cleveland.

At CIA, you’ll be part of a welcoming and inclusive community that values different perspectives, backgrounds, and creative voices. Through student organizations like the Latinx Club, Black Scholars and Artists and many other groups and events, you’ll find spaces to connect, celebrate your identity and build community.

You’ll spend your first year taking risks and experimenting with unfamiliar materials and concepts while building the “core” for your education.

Explore processes, connect ideas, develop compelling visual narratives, and approach your work with confidence and originality. And the best part is you get to work with your peers across a variety of disciplines and majors.

CIA offers Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees in 13 majors in art, design, craft, and digital arts.

• Animation
• Craft + Design
• Drawing
• Game Design
• Graphic Design
• Illustration
• Industrial Design
• Interior Architecture
• Life Sciences Illustration 
• Painting
• Photography
• Printmaking
• Sculpture + Expanded Media

Minors are optional but perfectly compliment your other course work. And they are designed to easily fit into your schedule.

• Arts Management
• Craft + Design
• Creative Writing
• Media Studies
• Photography
• Printmaking
• Publishing
• Social Issues, Identity, and Culture
• Virtual + Augmented Reality
• Visual Culture

Liberal Arts provide a foundation for art and design. Art history, writing, philosophy, anthropology and professional practices are woven throughout each semester right next to your art and design classes. You’ll become a creative and critical thinker who has a deep understanding of the world around you.

Through our academic partnership, you’ll have the unique opportunity to take one class per semester at Case Western Reserve University. Whether you’re looking to explore subjects outside your major, deepen your academic experience, or collaborate across disciplines, this cross-registration program opens doors to new ideas, resources and inspiration, just steps away from campus.

Cleveland Institute of Art (CIA) is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), one of seven institutional accreditation agencies recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. As an independent agency founded in 1895, HLC accredits degree-granting colleges and universities in the United States.

CIA has been continuously accredited by the Higher Learning Commission since 1970 and participates in the Open Pathway review cycle to maintain accreditation. CIA received its most recent reaffirmation of accreditation from HLC in 2021. The college will undergo its next 10-year comprehensive review in 2030 – 2031.