What a friend would tell you
What SCAD is looking for
Portfolio strength and creative ambition matter more than grades. SCAD accepts most applicants (75%), so the actual differentiation happens in merit scholarship competition. Submit your strongest work and tailor it to your intended program. Animation and film applicants should show sequential storytelling ability. Applying to the Honors program with a strong portfolio unlocks serious merit money.
What students wish they'd known
The 62% graduation rate reflects high attrition, partly because students discover art school isn't what they expected. Savannah is beautiful but small, and the social scene gets repetitive after two years. SCAD's for-profit ownership structure means tuition is high and the school prioritizes enrollment growth. Career outcomes vary wildly by program: animation grads do well, while fine arts grads face a tougher market.
SCAD might be a fit if...
- You want to study animation, film, or sequential art at one of the largest dedicated programs in the country
- You'd rather learn your craft in a historic Southern city than a sterile campus studio
- You need generous merit aid to make art school financially viable
SCAD Admissions Strategy
Application Info
Plans: Rolling
Deadlines: Rolling RD
Deadlines: Rolling RD
Test Policy
Test-optional
You choose whether to send scores. A strong score helps your case; a weak one is better left off.
Demonstrated Interest
Not Tracked
Not tracked. Skip the info-session circuit and put those hours into the application itself.
Interview
Optional
Yield Rate
44%
44% of admits enroll, which is typical for a selective school. Waitlists here move every year.
Want the strongest possible application to SCAD, plus better odds and merit offers everywhere else you apply?
Join the free one-hour workshop from two Harvard grads who have helped 3,000+ students get in. Parents welcome.
Cost & Financial Aid at SCAD
$72,500
Sticker Price
$15,000
Avg Merit Aid
Need-aware admissions. 75% receive financial aid.
What you get for it: SCAD spends about $25,000 per student per year on instruction and student resources, roughly 2x the $15K national average. You see it in class sizes, faculty access, and research budgets.
What SCAD Graduates Get
$48,000
Avg Starting Salary
87%
Employed or in Grad School
52%
Graduate in 4 Years
The 4-year number is the on-time rate; the 6-year rate (69%) is the one schools usually advertise. A wide gap means many students pay for extra semesters.
SCAD Campus & Culture
The Campus
SCAD doesn't have a traditional campus. Its buildings are scattered across Savannah's historic district, occupying restored 19th-century warehouses, theaters, and mansions amid cobblestone streets and moss-draped squares. Jen Library occupies a former department store on Broughton Street. The Gulfstream/SCAD Museum of Art sits in a converted railroad depot. Students move between buildings through one of America's most photographed cities.
The Social Scene
Savannah historic district, large international student body, creative culture
SCAD Traditions & Trivia
Sidewalk Arts Festival
Every spring, SCAD students chalk more than 800 squares around historic Forsyth Park with original compositions, turning the park into an open-air gallery judged for prizes.
Sand Arts Festival
In early May, students take over Tybee Island's South Beach and sculpt the shoreline into sand castles, reliefs, and wind sculptures competing for top honors.
Academics at SCAD
What SCAD is known for
Animation and film, Savannah location, fashion design, large art school
Most popular majors at SCAD
Standout programs
Animation, Film, Graphic Design, Interior Design
How the curriculum works
General Education (18 credits), studio work (90+ credits), major
Recommended high school courses
4 years English, 3 Math, 3 Science, 2 Social Studies, Portfolio required
Notable SCAD Alumni
India Arie
Grammy-winning singer-songwriter, attended SCAD
Alex Pardee
Artist and designer known for album covers for The Used and other bands
Kehinde Wiley
Studied at SCAD before painting Obama's official presidential portrait
Chris Ayers
Award-winning concept artist for film and animation
If you like SCAD, also consider
Rhode Island School of Design
More prestigious, tighter community, New England setting
School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC)
Comparable scale with Chicago's art world access
Pratt Institute
Brooklyn-based alternative with stronger architecture and industrial design
Ringling College of Art and Design
Smaller Florida art school with even stronger animation focus