became the College of Performing Arts of the University of the Arts.
In 1985, the Philadelphia College of Art and the Philadelphia College of the Performing Arts merged to become the Philadelphia Colleges of the Arts, and gained university status as the University of the Arts in 1987.
In 1996, the university added a third academic division, the College of Media and Communication. In 2011, the College of Media and Communication merged with the College of Art and Design to become the College of Art, Media & Design. Then, there were just two colleges and two divisions: the College of Art, Media & Design; the College of Performing Arts; the Division of Liberal Arts; and the Division of Continuing Studies. The College of Art, Media and Design was accredited at the time by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design.
The Philadelphia Art Alliance became a part of the university in 2017.
=== Financial and enrollment challenges ===
In the late 2010s and 2020s, the university faced declining enrollment and …
