Before you sign up

It’s important to read through our policies and guidelines so that we can provide the best environment for our students, faculty, and staff. 

Refunds

To obtain a tuition refund, please send written notification to ce@cia.edu. There is a $50 non-refundable processing fee for all refunds not initiated by the Institute. Processing of refunds may take up to three weeks.

Refund Schedule

Written notification received seven days or more prior to class start date will receive 100% tuition refund minus the non-refundable processing fee of $50.

Notification received four to six days prior to the start of the class will receive a 50% tuition refund minus the processing fee of $50.

There will be no refunds for notifications received less than four days prior to the start of the class.

Cancellations

Courses may be canceled due to low enrollment. If you are registered for a course that is canceled you will be offered the opportunity to enroll in another available course or have your full tuition refunded. Decisions on course cancellations are at least one week before courses begin. Early registrations lead to more courses that run, so we encourage you to register early. In the event that your instructor needs to cancel a class for any reason, students will be notified and a make-up class will be held in the week following the end of your course: you should tentatively block off this week, in case it is needed.

Missed Classes

If you are unable to attend a scheduled class, we regret that we will not be able to prorate any tuition or reimburse you for the missed class. We encourage you to contact your instructor via their information in the syllabus to discuss any material you may have missed if you were unable to attend a class. CIA cannot offer any individual make up time for missed classes.

Online Privacy

The information we collect is used to communicate with past, present, current and potential students. It is not shared with other organizations for commercial purposes. We do not record your credit card number after the payment is complete.

In-Person COVID Policies

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in spring 2020, the Cleveland Institute of Art has continued to plan for maintaining a healthy environment when our community is on campus. We continue to work in partnership and consultation with the office of Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, University Hospitals of Cleveland, Case Western Reserve University, the Cuyahoga County Health Department, the City of Cleveland, and the Centers for Disease Control.

Please refer to CIA's Smart Return to Campus for more information on how CIA reopened to undergraduate students for the 2021-2022 school year, and for continuous updates.

All COVID protocols outlined below—vaccination/booster requirements, masking requirements, testing policies and more—will remain in place until further notice. If/when policies change, this page will be updated accordingly.

Visitors are encouraged to be vaccinated and boosted against COVID but are not required to be. As such, proof of vaccination need not be shown upon entry. Visitors include all non-CIA employees and non-degree-seeking students, public-programming patrons, visiting artists, guest speakers, parents, alumni, Board members, community partners, and others. Examples of public-programming patrons include but are not limited to families attending Open House or taking part in campus tours; visitors to Reinberger Gallery and the Ann and Norman Roulet Student + Alumni Gallery; Cinematheque filmgoers; Lunch on Fridays attendees; and visitors to the Jessica R. Gund Memorial Library.

Effective October 17, 2022, face coverings at CIA are optional but encouraged.

Please note that if you have classes or appointments at Case Western Reserve University, you must still adhere to its masking policy. CWRU's current prevention measures (including masking) can be reviewed here.

Exceptions: The COVID Task Force will reinstate masking requirements when necessary. Examples of when this might happen include when our community returns from a holiday or semester break—when COVID cases at CIA typically spike—or when CIA is advised by local government and health officials to take action. In such instances, communications will be sent in advance.

Types of masks: CIA encourages the use of N-95 masks, which are considered top-of-the-line for filtering out airborne particles. Also encouraged are KN-95 and KF-94 masks, but keep in mind many counterfeit KN-95 and KF-94 masks are on the market. The CDC offers guidance for identifying counterfeits. If surgical or cloth masks are all that are available to you, CIA encourages you to wear both simultaneously, placing the cloth mask over the surgical mask. The more snug the fit, the better your face covering(s) will protect you and those around you.

Spring 2023 classes: Those participating in spring classes for Adults and Young Artists are considered visitors to CIA and must adhere to the visitor protocols outlined on this page related to masking. As visitors, participants in fall classes are not required to be vaccinated.

Residential programs: Those enrolled in Pre-College or Summer Teacher Residency—programs that result in living and learning on campus for extending periods of time—are required to be fully vaccinated. Instructions on how to comply with that requirement will be communicated prior to classes starting. Exemptions will not be granted.