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I attended Ai Tucson in 2013 and should've graduated in 2014-****. I applied for the Digital Photography program (which they swore they were prepared for).

The adviser at the time sold me on promises of a brand new studio filled with accessible equipment available to photo students (including photo paper, color printers, studio lights, etc). He explained all the opportunities that would be open to me during my schooling such as internships and various hands-on projects with local photographers and studios that they supposedly had connections with (not the case at all). Of course everything sounded promising and well worth the money that would be spent there. During the tour, the photo studio was still a work in progress that was promised to be ready when I was enrolled....this should've been my first red flag.

I started school taking mediocre classes and received equipment belonging to the graphic design students (luckily I received a camera, no complaints there). My first photo class...I was the ONLY student...just my instructor and myself. This went on for a couple semesters. When I questioned my classes, admissions responded with 'oh, we aren't ready for photo students yet, that's why".

Okay...so why not tell me to start when the program was ready? Why take my money now? Why have me pay for classes I did not need? Which includes an incident where the school had us sign a fishy document (not well explained) "okaying" the payment of a class taken during that time of no-photo-classes that was not needed and agreeing to no refund.

Aside from the classes, the red flags should've also been in the countless amounts of staff that came and left...especially when it came to direct staff in the photo department! I received classes in which teachers would literally have us open you-tube and learn off that. $4,000+ per class to learn off you-tube! Don't get me wrong there were about 2 instructors the whole time I was there who I cherish with a passion, mainly because they were completely honest about the education we were receiving.

Two years and then some in, I started to feel the financial strain this school was putting me through. All those promised supplies, books, photo paper, prints, frames etc, all of that came out of my pocket...not including the 3 digit monthly payments I was making and the fed loan that was being taken out. I must've spent about $1,000 and maybe some a month to this school not including my loans. Every semester, my financial adviser had some new reason why my payments had gone up causing me at one point having to get a Parent-Plus loan that helped no one but the school itself.

By the time I realized what this school was doing and after numerous complaints by myself and other students, it was too late, the hole was deep enough already. Towards my senior year I took a semester off; the financial stress was unbearable and I had been offered a job in which I swore would help me with these extreme monthly payments. My financial adviser swore to me coming back would be no problems and my payments would continue once I came back as is. When I was ready to come back to graduate, in a better state emotionally and financially, with only four classes left, the advised me to come up with 5 grand in order for me to come back.

I asked if my loan was to cover it and could be deferred until I completed the classes but they assured me there was no way and that amount was a direct charge from the school. "Ask a family member" he said, because it's been that easy. I just had four classes to graduate.

Thousands of dollars down the drain straight into their pockets and worthless education. I made the mistake of believing and trusting these educators with their promises but in the end they fooled us all.

Reason of review: Bad quality.

Monetary Loss: $100000.

Preferred solution: Full refund.

The Art Institute Pros: People that you meet in the school.

The Art Institute Cons: Quality of education, Administration.

Location: Tucson, Arizona

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