Since the 1970s, the museum has given free admission to art students at eight colleges, but that perk is no more.
In a statement, the museum said it wasn't fair to allow students at those eight art schools in for free, while other college students had to pay. So now, it's offering a discounted $14 admission, or a $20 annual membership, to all college students.
Kendyl Boyd, a junior art education major at Moore College of Art & Design, said the change will have an impact in the classroom.
"We often have to go to the museum for our classes. Instructors, professors, young teachers like me, we use the museum as a resource."
Boyd noted museum visits are essential for art students.
"They learn about artwork and different history. They learn about literature in class and then they come to the art and use the Art Museum as another resource to kind of circle back to what they're learning in class."
And, she said, having to pay the $14 student admission fee or the discounted membership may mean some students won't be able to go to the museum as often.
"As a peer mentor here, I can see how some of the students will grow frustrated when they see that they need to go for an art history class and they just can't afford to go," Boyd said.