During the 1920s and 1930s, the school's enrollment increased substantially as professional art, design photography, and fashion programs were added to the curriculum.

When Ruth Wade Ray assumed the presidency in 1945, Ray-Vogue had become recognized throughout the country as a leader in professional art and fashion education.

In 1985, the president of the college, Wade Ray, opened a branch campus near Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg, which later became The Illinois Institute of Art—Schaumburg.

One year later, the college was granted authority to award Bachelor of Arts degrees by the Illinois Board of Higher Education.

The Illinois Institute of Art – Chicago achieved regional re-accreditation by The Higher Learning Commission for the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools for ten years in 2008.

Also, in June, 2008, Argosy University moved out of the spaces at the Mart Center Campus allowing The Illinois Institute of Art – Chicago to grow its programs that serve the fashion and the interior design industries further there.