<p>I've been searching for the right animation college for months now, and have created a decent list, however, it is still very small and I still can't find exactly what I am looking for. Many of the art teachers and mentors of the area say I have a strong portfolio, however, I can't rely on it 100% to get me scholarships. </p>
<p>I originally wanted a private college like Ringling, LMU, or SCAD, but since I am a middle class white person, I doubt I will get enough financial aid. If you know any private colleges with good money that they give away, let me know. </p>
<p>I'm looking mainly for a medium to large public school that has a great animation program. I want it to be safe and decent food/housing in a warm area. Is this merely a dream or could this be a reality? </p>
<p>My List:
University of Southern California
University of Central Florida
University of Texas of Dallas
Brigham Young - (This program application process seems weird to me, it was three prerequisite courses?)
SCAD
Ringling</p>
<p>Your primary concern seems to be financial aid but we don’t know your high school academic stats. USC is actually a school where need based aid goes relatively deep. The school offers a number of generous merit based scholarships but you need to be in the 3.75+ GPA and 33+ ACT range.</p>
<p>How much can you afford, what is your family income, and what are your stats?</p>
<p>I have a 3.7 GPA, and my ACT cumulative is 23 and my SAT was low, with a 1060. </p>
<p>As of household income, I am unsure. If I had to guess I’d say about 90k with both parents salaries combined, but I could be wrong. All I know is the max amount my parents would be able to contribute would be 20k a year. </p>
<p>At USC you will probably not qualify for merit aid but need based aid is a possibility at that income level. With Stafford loans, work-study, summer job, and a 20-25k USC grant the school might be do-able. I’m assuming your parents do not have savings or other assets.</p>
<p>The ACT/SAT is a problem though. Unless your portfolio is extraordinary your chances are slim.</p>
<p>I can only speak to schools with which I have experience.</p>
<p>One of my kids recently graduated from USC from one of the two computer gaming departments. His best friend from high school graduated from SCAD with a film major - his stats were probably similar to yours but he did have a portfolio which reflected his passion for film and industrious nature as well as his model UN activities which he went all in for (at the expense of regular schoolwork). The problem with SCAD is that, although many students receive aid, very few have “full need met”. So a student who is 20K short might be offered a 5K grant. Compare that with USC where “full need met” is fairly standard when financial need is established.</p>
<p>Temple is beginning to offer some digital art/animation classes in its Tyler School of Art program, it is a great art school and less expensive than most. Not a totally warm climate in Philly but not as bad New York/New England. Florida State might also be an option for you (it has an animation concentration in its film program.) SCAD is actually one of the least expensive prestige art schools out there and does offer some scholarships - a girl from my D’s school got a full scholarship there last year based on her portfolio alone. A friend’s son is there now studying film and loves it. My D did a one-week animation workshop there this past summer and liked it too, but didn’t like Savannah and won’t apply there. (She’s a cold-weather gal.)</p>
<p>You do have time to take the SAT/ACT again and try to raise your scores. Temple has an option to apply without test scores. </p>
<p>Wow, thank you both so much! I’ll have to look into Temple.</p>
<p>honestmom- I did look into Florida State before and I absolutely loved it. However, after I found the school I saw this: </p>
<p>“The deadline to submit all materials, including three letter of recommendation, was October 15th, 2014 at 11:59pm EST. The application is now closed.”</p>
<p>So there goes one choice I actually really liked. :(</p>
<p>Have you looked into the Calif State U’s? They are warm climate publics and have some solid animation programs available. You might want to check out (in no particular order): Cal State Long Beach, Fullerton, Northridge, San Jose. You’d be paying out of state tuition, but I recall that it’s quite affordable and might be within reach with your stated resources.
As an aside, it’s a small private, but Laguna College of Art and Design has an excellent animation program with strong industry ties, passionate and dedicated teachers (Disney guys!) and it offers a solid general/liberal arts education, to boot. It’s in Laguna Beach and surprisingly affordable (for a private). LCAD also offers generous merit aid. Son is there and he’s getting a very strong animation education. He will graduate with the skills needed for industry work. </p>
<p>Lastly–the type of animation emphasized in the various programs differs. You might want to explore what the various programs offer in terms of 3D, 2D, story boarding, visual FX, etc</p>
<p>My son is an animation student at SCAD and loves it. He received both a academic and merit scholarship. If you apply as soon as possible they will let you know about the academic scholarship and will accept portfolios for review in January. At least then you will know exactly what you are looking at for costs.</p>
<p>Thank you everyone for your replies! I seem to have a solid list now but will be willing to take ANY suggestions/advice.</p>
<p>Ringling
SCAD
University Central Florida
University of Texas at Dallas
CSU - Fullerton
San Jose State University
University of Southern California</p>
<p>Have you checked out SVA or Pratt? Both schools have strong animation training with individual emphasis in both 3d and 2d work. Even better , both schools offer strong contacts with major studios and other agencies for internships and contacts. Pratt, in particular, has been known to give good financial aid.</p>
<p>We did check out USC’s grad program. However, have you seen the student work at USC? Despite their ranking, we didn’t like most of their work to our surprise. Check it out for yourself.</p>
<p>I also like Laguna College of Art and Design since they not only offer strong animation training but also strong liberal arts. Finally, check out RIT. It has a relatively new program designed by both faculty and students that is surprisingly strong and interesting. I don’t know about their contacts though. </p>
<p>NOTE: all of these schools are also not as difficult to get into as RISD or even Ringling,but may offer more options in both 2d and 3d. </p>
<p>@hawkeye,
I thought this sounded wrong, so I looked it up…</p>
<p>" “The deadline to submit all materials, including three letter of recommendation, was October 15th, 2014 at 11:59pm EST. The application is now closed.”</p>
<p>So there goes one choice I actually really liked"</p>
<p>Op, that was the deadline for summer 2015. Deadline for Fall 2015 is 1/14/15. Go apply for it.</p>