There are a few threads generally on this topic, which may or may not be helpful. Here’s one I started a while ago: Studio/Visual Art at Elite LACs?
Here’s my take, right or wrong.
Art schools: Our reasoning for D24 was that art schools like RISD, SVA, or Pratt were too expensive and limited. And by limited, I mean too focused on art and not enough opportunity for general exploration of other subjects. While my D24 has been serious about art all of high school, she still really enjoys other subjects. My great fear is, for example, having already spent $100k for my kid to go to SVA for two years only for the kid to decide that she’d rather pursue a different career. On the flip side, art schools are great for kids who are 100% want to pursue a career in art and are great at setting up kids with job opportunities straight out of college. Art schools can also be great where a student is pursuing more niche forms of art, like animation, as opposed to general drawing and painting.
Really good college BFA programs: There are a handful of “normal” colleges that seem to offer a very well-regarded art-school level of art instruction. This isn’t an exhaustive list, but schools like CMU, VCU, WashU, BU, Tufts, and Temple (Tyler) all come to mind. Mind you, if your kid is doing a BFA at these schools, they are still going to get a rigorous “foundation” freshman year that is strongly focused on art. Unlike most BA or BS degrees, BFAs are more rigorous and focused and it would be extremely difficult to to double major or get a separate degree in another subject in 4 years. The adage is that a BFA will require 2/3rds art classes; a BA will only require 1/3 art classes. That said, these schools still offer a more mainstream college experience and exploration is easier. And if your kid decides studio art isn’t for them their sophomore year, it probably won’t be too difficult to transfer departments and pursue a degree in, say, communications. And I think such schools have strong career placement.
Very good college BA programs: There are a number of schools that have strong art programs but don’t offer BFAs. Yale and UCLA, which happen to be the two top MFA schools, come to mind. And there are also a number of liberal arts schools that have reputedly strong art programs, like Williams, Skidmore, Smith, Bard, etc. As one might imagine, a BA offers a lot of flexibility to pursue other topics or double-major. But I reckon, if a student were so inclined, they could also take a BFA number of art courses only they still get a BA. (BTW, Skidmore is a little different in that its studio art majors get BS degrees due to the number of courses required.) Anyhow, I think these programs are well regarded and have strong career counseling given the strength of their programs and number of students majoring in art.
Good, but perhaps lesser known BA programs: Such schools may have strong art programs, but they’re less well known and may have fewer students than the schools above. This also translates into fewer classes offered and probably less career counseling. If a kid wants a career in art, they may have to seek a MFA afterward. That said, some of these schools have terrific art facilities and professors. For example, Dartmouth’s art facilities were among the nicest and well-resourced we saw. And I suspect that the smaller pool of dedicated art students means closer bonds with the professors, who probably take a more active role in career counseling advising. Oh, and a lot of schools offer study abroad programs at esteemed foreign art schools, which seems like a good opportunity to try “the art school experience” without the full commitment.
Cost: We found that art schools all offered generous merit aid but paltry financial aid. As for the other colleges listed above, it naturally varies from school to school. We need financial aid, so we’ve strategically applied to schools with great financial aid, which unfortunately tend to be extremely competitive.
Anyhow, D24’s process is still playing out. So I reserve the right to retract all the foregoing advice in four years and recommend that your kid apply exclusively to art schools or air-conditioning-repair programs, whatever the case may be. 