Art Institute of Austin shutters Bastrop campus as college closes schools nationwide

Keri Heath, Austin American-Statesman
·2 min read
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The Art Institute of Austin's campus at 921 Main St. in downtown Bastrop is closing along with all the institute's other campuses.
The Art Institute of Austin's campus at 921 Main St. in downtown Bastrop is closing along with all the institute's other campuses.

The Art Institute of Austin, located in downtown Bastrop, will close abruptly Saturday, along with all other campuses nationwide for the arts college.

The announced closures came as a shock to many students and comes as Art Institute enrollment declined nationwide. The institute announced over the weekend it planned to close its doors as of Saturday.

A message on its website announces the permanent closure applies to all of the Art Institute's eight locations, including campuses in Bastrop, Houston, Dallas and San Antonio.

The institute didn’t return several requests for comment Tuesday.

The New York Times reported Monday that the system had struggled with enrollment since the COVID-19 pandemic and that 1,700 students would be affected by the closure.

A U.S. Education Department listing for the Bastrop location estimated there were only about 127 students at that campus.

The Austin institute opened its doors in Bastrop in 2020 after relocating from Round Rock. The college moved into a newly revitalized 10,000-square-foot building at 921 Main St., which the Bastrop Economic Development Corp. purchased and refurbished.

After recruiting the institute and signing it up for a 10-year lease, the corporation sold the Main Street building, Bastrop Economic Development Corp. Chairman Ron Spencer said.

At the time, it was exciting to bring an art program to Bastrop, he said.

“We thought it was a fantastic idea,” Spencer said.

The Austin location was a branch of the main campus in Houston. San Antonio also has an Art Institute branch.

The institute offered classes in baking, graphic design, fashion design, audio production and filmmaking, among other things, according to a course catalogue.

The company will send transcripts to all students and is encouraging them to transfer to another college to complete their studies, according to the Art Institutes’ closure announcement.

The college has faced setbacks in the last decade. In 2015, the college settled with the U.S Justice Department over claims of illegal recruiting and consumer fraud. The college also faced a class-action lawsuit over claims the company misled students into believing it was an accredited institution.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Austin Art Institute shutters Bastrop site; college closes all schools