How to Choose an Art School

There is no single best art school, and this site does not rank them. What exists is a set of programs that differ in level, focus, format, cost and the way they assess applicants. This guide gives you a sequence of questions to work through, so that the schools you shortlist are comparable on the points that matter to you. It does not predict whether you will be admitted, funded or employed.

Start with the level and the title

Art study is offered at several levels, and the names are not interchangeable. A BFA (Bachelor of Fine Arts) and a BA (Bachelor of Arts) are different degrees at the same level; so are an MFA and an MA, and a PhD is a research doctorate with its own expectations. Design schools may use titles such as BDes or MDes. Our page on BFA versus BA and the guide to MFA versus MA explain the distinctions. Before comparing schools, decide which level you are applying for, then compare only within that level on our BFA programs, MFA programs and PhD programs listings.

Real schools show how varied the titles are. RISD's academics page lists many departments with different degree titles: painting, sculpture and photography with a BFA and MFA, industrial design with a BFA and a Master of Industrial Design, interior architecture with a BFA and an MDes, and a separate MA in Global Arts and Cultures. The same school, in other words, offers several different kinds of degree.

Decide what you want to do all day

The most important difference between programs is what the daily work is. Three broad types:

• Studio-centred programs, where most credit comes from making work, critique and studio time.
• Mixed programs, where studio work is balanced with art history, theory or general education. Florida Atlantic University, for example, describes its BFA as a professional degree for concentrating on one area of studio art and its BA as broader, with room for electives, a second major or a minor.
• Research-centred programs, where the main output is a written thesis or a thesis accompanied by a body of work. See practice-based research.

If you are unsure whether to follow studio or scholarship, read studio practice versus art history.

Compare the specialization, not only the school

Schools carve the field differently. UAL lists twenty subject areas on one page, from fine art and illustration to fashion communication and creative computing. A school's strength in one area tells you little about another area. Browse our subjects pages, and see comparing art and design specializations if you are choosing between related fields.

Read how applicants are assessed

Admissions processes differ more than most applicants expect. UAL asks for a digital portfolio uploaded through its own tool after you apply, with a deadline set by the university. Other schools use a portfolio review once you are on campus; Northern Kentucky University, for instance, describes a portfolio review that students go through after completing a set number of credits to enter its BFA, with a minimum GPA. Always find the school's own page on how the portfolio is assessed and read preparing an art portfolio.

Add up what the program really costs

Tuition is only one line. MassArt's cost page, for example, separates tuition from fees, an estimated books and supplies figure, living expenses, transportation and personal expenses, and notes that some programs charge extra for materials or lab space. Those estimates are examples from one school, not typical figures. Use costs beyond tuition as a checklist and, for graduate study, MFA funding.

Check the format honestly

Some programs are fully on campus, some are hybrid and some involve required residencies. Do not assume that a program with online coursework lets you stay at home. Online versus low-residency study defines the terms.

Questions worth asking each school

1. Which degree title and level is awarded, and who awards it?
2. How many credits or terms are studio work, and how many are history, theory or electives?
3. How are applicants assessed (portfolio, interview, written task, test)?
4. What does the school say about costs for materials, studio space and equipment?
5. For graduate programs, is funding guaranteed, competitive or absent, and on what terms?
6. If the program leads toward a profession such as teaching, does it say what additional steps are required? See art education degrees and teaching requirements.
7. If you would study abroad, what do visa and fee rules say for your nationality? See studying art abroad.

What this guide does not do

We do not rank schools, rate faculty or tell you which program will suit your work. We do not promise admission, funding or any career result from any degree. Program details change, so confirm everything on the school's own pages and with its admissions office. Our methodology page explains how we record what schools publish.