<p>I'm really interested in going to an art school (in California only!), but I'd need a lot of financial aid, and from what I've heard and read, basically all of them are extremely stingy with that. Is this true? Any advice on actually getting a good aid package from one of these schools, or any other ways around it? Thanks!</p>
<p>Art schools are as expensive as many liberal arts and universities. I don’t know about CA schools, but many schools on the east coast and midwest give generous merit scholarships (amounting to more than half of the tuition), if you have the talent. Try attending National Portfolio Days in the fall. You will have an opportunity to meet admissions people from schools across the country who will review your artwork and give you constructive comments about it. Entering contests, such as the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards and Young Arts can also reap you more money, if you win.</p>
<p>One of the more reasonably priced schools we found was in California, the Laguna College of Art and Design. It is a very small school, but it has a solid reputation. The campus is also very small, but this year they did finally put in a small amount of campus housing. Even so, I think the cost was still around 30k/year. If you are a resident, you can use CalGrant funds to help with the cost of art school (works just the same as for ‘regular’ college).
Financial Aid really depends on your portfolio and your grades in HS and SAT scores.
Good luck!</p>