what art schools are going to give the most merit scholarships ?
I’m looking for a masters in art therapy also
gpa uw: 3.9
act:29
classes are most rigorous
Are you a current HS senior? Are you currently applying for a single degree that culminates in a masters? Or are you applying for an undergraduate program and then planning to go to a separate school/program for your masters? if so, what undergraduate program are you looking for? For most stand-alone art schools the merit/talent-based undergraduate scholarships will be based on your portfolio. When my S applied a as Painting major few years ago, his scholarships ranged from very generous $10-20,000 per year (SAIC, MICA, AAC) to $0 (SVA). Your degree choice is much more specific and you will need to see what schools offer that field. Your GPA and ACT may get you some significant merit aid at a public school, but again, you will need to see which ones offer your major. Good luck.
Your stats are excellent so you will definitely be eligible for any merit aid that depends in part on high academics (which some do). We found that our D1 did very well on the scholarship front due to her 33 ACT and her AP classes. She received very good merit aid from MICA, Pratt and MCAD (in Minneapolis). For Pratt and MCAD she received a presidential scholarship that was 1/3 to 1/2 of tuition. MICA offered her around $11,500 per year from several different scholarships that she qualified for. Most of the national programs will have money available for top students, assuming that your portfolio is accepted for admission as well.
SAIC specifically offers an MAT in art therapy. There must be others out there as well but that’s one that I’ve heard about.
thanks for the feedback !! I’m a high school senior and I want a single degree in either art of psychology would you recommend just going to a public university for art instead of the art school undergrad ? how do they differ ?
If you are thinking you might like to major in something that is not Fine Arts related I would suggest going to a university that offers a wider range of options - whether public or private. Go to an Art school if you LOVE art and can’t imagine doing anything else. Usually - but of course not always - the focus at an Art school is on providing an environment and training that helps its graduates launch into a career centered around some kind of “creating” of art and other areas that support those types of endeavors - or study those endeavors (like Art History, Art Criticism, Creative Writing, Film Studies, Social aspects of Art, etc.). At Art schools you can get classes like Psychology, Math, English, etc., but they are usually not particularly deep and would tend to have a focus on some aspect of “Art” - perhaps just what you are looking for. For most Art schools, you would need a portfolio to gain admission to any of the “creative” majors - Painting, Sculpture, Graphic Design, Creative Writing, Scenic Design, etc. - but depending on the school, you may not need a portfolio to get into one of the “non-creative” majors. Don’t quote me on that. I am not sure how Art Therapy would work in a school like this.
At a university or Liberal Arts college, you can major in a “creative” field, but you also have the option of delving deeper into other areas that may, or may not, be related to “creating”. There you could have a deeper “academic” focus if you desired. The best of both words may be a larger university with a “set-contained” Art school that operates like an Art academy/conservatory, but allows access to a wider range of academic possibilities. Something like DAAP at the University of Cincinnati comes to mind. At places like that you would still need to submit a portfolio to gain admittance to the “Art School”, but you also go through the “regular” college admission process to get into the university. There may also be some schools where you do not need a portfolio for admission to be an “Art major”, but I am not familiar with how they work. Theoretically, a student who is a general admission to the University of Cincinnati (for instance) can take Art classes in DAAP, but in practicality the classes are nearly impossible to get into if you are not an Art major. Things may be different at other types of colleges/universities. Not every college/university is going to offer Art Therapy, so that is something you will need to look into individually. It’s possible that Art Therapy MIGHT be more closely associated with the Psychology Department, or have some kind of affiliation with Medical programs, or even Physical Therapy. I’ve probably just raised more questions for you, but that’s OK, too. Perhaps other with more familiarity with Art Therapy can chime in.
thank you so much for your information and input ! another thing that my family has to look at is cost. Art school is never cheap ;( I talked to an art therapist this weekend and she enlightened me on many different aspects of the art therapy world. I accel in art but I hate being tied down and not have my options open. so u think the university route is better but I want to know more about the practice and what all the different routes could be for grad school and being prepared for that.
mica offered my d $88000 over four years in merit.
Very generous
With small Stanford loan, the tuition would only be around $16,000 a year
Awesome @calicogirl - is your D going to choose MICA, then?
Not sure, but we are going back this weekend to visit. Saic was just not a match for her, but I loved it!
Yes! It’s Mica!