<p>Art schools take students that are outside the norm, after all they are artists. This means often the academic requirements differ from entry into the non-fine arts fields. Short story, your grades are fantastic for any art school. But there is a catch…</p>
<p>You’re targeting pure art and design schools. Here, with the exception of mixed engineering or business and art majors, your portfolio is king. Don’t get me wrong, they will look at your scores with awe, and immediately put you down as “serious,” a quality sometimes murky in the art world. All good, but the portfolio rules. </p>
<p>If your portfolio does not receive the attention you want, make it better (cheap answer but it is the first step). You can also opt to go to an academic university with a great art department. Here your grades will count more for entry, and often you enter these schools as a BA student and then spend your first two years creating a portfolio for entrance into their BFA program, or for transfer. So your portfolio can be a bit weaker.</p>
<p>For tuition, I just don’t know about the pure art schools. They are almost always willing to do loans but be very careful going this route. Lots of folks go deep in debt, and art is not know to pay very well short-term upon exit. </p>
<p>On the academic university side your scores, your financial background, and your father’s military history should pay dividends when looking for aid. Also ask your father to see if the military has any programs that can help. Then start researching schools with strong art programs. Your background should get aid at most schools.</p>
<p>You are in good shape here just start your search early, and by all means, contact the schools directly and ask these questions. They have whole departments waiting to help you.</p>
<p>From another post with a similar question, a responder recommended [QuestBridge</a> Home Page](<a href=“http://www.questbridge.org/]QuestBridge”>http://www.questbridge.org/)</p>
<p>Never tried it, but looks like it’s worth a once over.</p>