17146: Miami Ad School Of Hard Knocks.

 

Adweek reported Miami Ad School is shuttering its Atlanta campus in six months, following the elimination of its Toronto satellite in March.

 

The closings inadvertently provide relevant, real-life lessons for those seeking a career in Adland.

 

That is, White advertising agencies—as well as White advertising schools—are fraught with uncertainty, routinely vanishing with no warning.

 

One day, you’re a diligent, hard-working staffer or student. Then you suddenly find yourself cast off, as your company or campus is entirely erased.

 

Atlanta will be the third casualty since Miami Ad School was acquired in 2023 by a French higher education group. Sound familiar?

 

Oh, and things are even worse—in terms of obstacles impeding acceptance and advancement—if you’re a person of color.

 

Welcome to the rat race, where race matters.

 

EXCLUSIVE: Miami Ad School to Close Atlanta Campus Amid Enrollment Decline 

 

Following closure of its Toronto franchise, the school will shut down Atlanta in six months

 

By Brittaney Kiefer

 

Miami Ad School, considered one of the world’s top advertising and design schools, is closing one of its campuses. 

 

The Atlanta campus will shut down in six months due to declining enrollment in the region, Rebecca Rovirosa, chief creative officer and academic director of Miami Ad School, told ADWEEK. 

 

The current students in Atlanta will continue their Miami Ad School studies in Miami, New York, or online, Rovirosa said.

 

Miami Ad School has more than 150 students enrolled across its campuses with the majority in Miami and New York, Rovirosa said. The Atlanta campus, opened in 2015, “had a small cohort, and unfortunately, the campus was no longer sustainable,” she said.

 

The news comes after Miami Ad School’s Toronto location shut down in March. Toronto was a franchised and independently operated location, and Miami Ad School’s U.S. headquarters had no advance notice of its closure, Rovirosa said. 

 

Some students there have not been reimbursed for their tuition, the Toronto Star reported.  

 

“We care deeply about all students and alumni, and never stand behind the mistreatment of students in any way,” she said, adding that one affected Toronto student has since transferred to Miami Ad School’s online course.

 

“If you or someone you know was impacted, we’d love to help, whether that’s access to our online program at a reduced cost or other support options.”

 

The Atlanta campus shuts down two years after Miami Ad School closed its San Francisco campus in May 2023. The school was acquired by Groupe EDH, a French higher education group, in the same year. 

 

Like other ad schools, Miami Ad School has faced challenges since the Covid-19 pandemic temporarily halted in-person education and amid the industry’s ongoing digital disruption, as ADWEEK previously reported. Atlanta’s Creative Circus closed in 2023, and the U.K.’s Watford Course shuttered in 2021.

 

Miami Ad School’s remaining North American campuses are Miami and New York. It also has partnerships with international schools in cities such as Berlin, Buenos Aires, Madrid, and Mexico City.

 

Since its founding in 1993, Miami Ad School has gained international recognition, winning the Future Lions School of the Year award at Cannes Lions seven times, including 2025. 

 

“Miami Ad School remains strong and growing,” Rovirosa said, adding it has launched an AI for Creatives course and will relocate its New York campus to a new facility in Manhattan in 2026.