Is applying out of state worth it for me? Georgia Resident

UF isn’t significantly harder for OOS applicants, the acceptance rate is about the same, but it is more expensive. OOS tuition is $28K+ a year, while in-state is $6.5K a year. They do offer three levels of OOS scholarships.

Alumni = $8K a year (52 awarded last year)
Sunshine=$16K a year (47 awarded last year)
Gator Nation = $20K a year (38 awarded last year)

Last year UF enrolled 821 OOS students.

UGA seems to be the best option for you, by far. As @MYOS1634 says, it’s not a safety, but a match. GCSU, Georgia State University, and Kennesaw State are a significant step down. But they are OK and you can choose one of them as your safeties.

the OP should consider VCUARTS. It’s one of the top art and design schools in the nation and with the stated grades merit $ is available. Further it has unique programs crossing art, business and engineering. Worth a look. USNWR ranks it as the #2 grad fine arts in the nation behind Yale. Good luck. Oh and Richmond VA is really cool town.

“Can y’all think of any other good private schools for me nationwide (because somehow when doing this I completely forgot they existed) (also I know there will be like COUNTLESS private school options, just, are there any that scream at you)?”

If you want to stay in the Southeast (and you can get your SATs up a bit, some excellent schools are American U, URichmond, Washington and Lee, Elon, Wake Forest, Davidson, Furman, and UMiami. There are also a bunch of smaller private schools in Florida (Eckerd, Flagler) but I don’t know much about the Florida schools. Good luck.