A lot of good advice has been given so far. As a person in her late 50s, I have a slightly different perspective to offer - that of the former artsy kid whose parents discouraged her from applying to art school or studying art and who STILL strongly regrets not going for it. I also have a young adult son with a degree in music who is gainfully (if not especially lucratively) employed in his field so I’ve seen this issue from both sides. I don’t know if my story will help but it might give you more to think about.
In high school I was an “average excellent” student, which back then was enough to get into many top colleges. I was an intellectual kid and enjoyed learning about all sorts of subjects (though not a fan of science or math). But my true love was art. When I brought up studying art in college my parents strongly discouraged it, saying I’d never be able to make a living. While disappointed, I was not the type of kid to push back against my parents’ wishes, especially since I also enjoyed many other subjects, and I was looking forward to the general college experience. I think if I’d been 10 years younger I might have pushed for studying graphic design or something like that, but back in the mid-80s computer graphics were not yet a thing.
My acceptances were at so called “Ivy+” colleges, I went in as “undecided,” picked one and had a fantastic 4 years. BUT, I chose two majors both of which are arguably even less career-ready than art. So it took me quite a few years to find my footing, career wise. A series of opportunities at one of the entry level jobs I had, and some luck, led me into a career in a field that didn’t exist when I was in college, and the liberal arts education has helped me pivot, repeatedly.
That said, almost EVERYTHING I have enjoyed in my life, from the best jobs I have had to all my hobbies and things I enjoy doing in my free time, all would have been enriched had I had solid training in drawing, painting, color, lettering, typography, graphic design, all those sorts of creative things.
I probably would have gone further in my career, also. As it was, my self-taught creative side and abilities were a reason why I got certain opportunities at work, and any time a brochure or flyer or program or graphic or photography was needed and there was no pro in house to do it, I was called upon because I was the artsy one who knew how to use Photoshop and Lightroom and such. I did ok, but often regretted not having more of an art background because it would take me ten times longer to do things by trial and error and the end result was usually not as good as I’d envisioned (yet still much better than what my colleagues could have come up with).
I have continued to teach myself creative skills and to pursue artistic things for fun and I plan to take actual classes in the arts in retirement. But yes, almost every day at some point I regret not having studied art.
So what would I have done if I were the parent of a child like I was? I would have supported the art study but also would have strongly encouraged “regular” colleges with good art programs over art schools (some of that opinion is informed by seeing my kid start at a conservatory and transfer to a “regular” university). If a stand alone art school was being seriously considered, I’d make sure that we talked through all the down sides, like what would happen if the student wanted to change majors, and the realities of transferring (e.g. many specialized credits not transferring and probably an extra year of schooling being needed to complete Gen Eds and less $ for transfers). I would talk about my belief that being around people on campus with vastly different career aspirations and skill sets is important for envisioning and taking advantage of a variety of professional opportunities that may not be quite what you originally envisioned.
Once at college, I would have advised that child to get a part time job, and to be a regular visitor at the career center, and to apply for internships during college, both art-related and not, to get good work experience for the resume. I would have encouraged that child to apply for all sorts of jobs after college, not just art-related, and to think about how those artistic and creative skills could be applied to any entry level job that was attainable post-graduation, as well as to hobbies and volunteer work. And I would point out that often making art is more fun and freeing when it isn’t your job and you don’t have the time pressure to complete a project.
Good luck with this process! I know it isn’t easy.