(PITTSBURGH - September 12, 2005) The Art Institutes announced today that it will assist both domestic and international students from universities in New Orleans, southern Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama universities, which have been closed for the foreseeable future due to the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina.

The Art Institutes will make available both on-campus and online courses that might be able to permit dislocated students to progress in their academic careers during this semester of disruption. Students at a university forced to close by Hurricane Katrina may register at any of The Art Institutes 31 locations across the nation for courses, on a space-available basis, for the fall semester.

The Art Institutes will waive tuition for dislocated students who have already registered and paid tuition at their home institution for the fall 2005 semester. If dislocated students have not yet paid their tuition at their home institution, they will be assessed the lesser of the current published tuition and fees at the home institution, or The Art Institutes' published tuition and fees for the fall semester, as determined by the school president.

"The Art Institutes strives to assist college students who have been affected by Hurricane Katrina," says Dave Pauldine, president of The Art Institutes. "The Art Institutes offers this initiative as a way to reach out to the students in the Gulf Coast region whose lives and education have been impacted by Hurricane Katrina and do what we can to assist those students."
The Art Institutes is a group of 31educational institutions located throughout North America. Offering a broad range of programs including: audio production, culinary arts, culinary management, fashion design, fashion marketing, graphic design, industrial design technology, interior design, media arts & animation, multimedia & Web design,

The Art Institutes operate in Atlanta, Arlington, VA (as The Art Institute of Washington), Boston (as The New England Institute of Art), Charlotte, Chicago and Schaumburg, IL, Cincinnati (as The Art Institute of Ohio - Cincinnati), Dallas, Denver, Fort Lauderdale, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles (as The Art Institute of California - Los Angeles and California Design College), Miami (as Miami International University of Art & Design), Minneapolis, New York, Orange County, CA, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Portland, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Tampa, Toronto , Vancouver (as The Art Institute of Vancouver, York, PA (as Bradley Academy of the Visual Arts) and The Art Institute Online, a division of The Art Institute of Pittsburgh.

Students seeking additional information about The Art Institutes' initiative can view the policy in its entirety at (www.artinstitutes.edu/katrina) or call the National Admissions Information Center at 1-888-328-7900.
The Art Institutes (www.artinstitutes.edu), with 31 education institutions located throughout North America, provide an important source of design, media arts, fashion and culinary professionals. The parent company of The Art Institutes, Education Management Corporation (www.edmc.com) is among the largest providers of private post-secondary education in North America, based on student enrollment and revenue. Student enrollment exceeded 66,000 as of fall 2004. EDMC has 71 primary campus locations in 24 states and two Canadian provinces. EDMC's education institutions offer a broad range of academic programs concentrated in the media arts, design, fashion, culinary arts, behavioral sciences, health sciences, education, information technology and business fields, culminating in the award of associate's through doctoral degrees. EDMC has provided career-oriented education for over 40 years.

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