SCAD had a pretty quick turnaround when my D16 applied two years ago. She got her app. in early - late Aug I think and was accepted (as expected) within a week or two after that. Can’t recall when scholarship info. came out but thinking late fall or December? She submitted a portfolio sometime in January and had a bit more from that. She heard via e-mail and regular mail for everything. My impression is that they are pretty prompt.
My D applied to SCAD on Nov. 1st (including portfolio) and got her acceptance (via email) today! So…about 8 days?
@KCHWriter Congrats to your D! I’m encouraged that the turn-around time is quick. Did you get a scholarship offer or did they indicate that offers will be made at a different time?
My daughter heard fairly quickly from SCAD as well -2/3 weeks? Academic scholarship was included, then later (maybe January?) merit for portfolio. Then they added much more later, gold key scholarship money, governors school money… all that to say, they were the best at stacking scholarships! So dont be concerned if it’s not enough at first!!
@KCHWriter Wonderful news for your D! Update us as additional news come in.
A little over a year ago I decided to seriously look into art schools for my high school rising-Junior daughter. As many creative kids are, she was always creating, inventing, drawing from a very young age. I kept a continuous supply of things around so that she could “create” and discover along the way. We all saw she had a creative streak that we lacked. In an effort to encourage her to dabble in a “practical” profession, I encouraged her to take summer programs in graphic design, architecture or animation in her middle school and high school years, so that she could discover what some creative professions were like. In her heart she knew what she wanted, but my brain just hadn’t caught up yet.
After following along on her older sister’s college tours two years ago, she knew she didn’t want to go to a traditional 4-year college. She had hinted that art school was what she wanted, but I was totally unfamiliar with them, and like others, a little scared. I spent an embarrassing amount of time on College Confidential and every other online art-related forum trying to wrap my brain around art schools vs traditional colleges. Thanks to the many generous people who have posted their experiences, I gained a comfort level. It’s nice to know others have followed the same path, with the same concerns.
After viewing the online videos about their majors at Art Center College of Design (ACCD) in Pasadena, fireworks went off and my daughter “found her calling”. So, on one long weekend in August 2016 we took a tour of ACCD. We were both completely blown away by the quality and professionalism of work produced by the students. After the tour, we KNEW art school was perfect for her and she would feel like a fish out of water at a traditional college. An admissions rep kindly met with us on a whim and told her what skills she needed to build over her Junior year in order to create an acceptable portfolio for the major she wanted (Illustration, Entertainment Arts) – focus on figure drawing and sketchbook work. I then proceeded to research all the colleges nationwide that could provide the right training. We toured a few of them in our state to give us more perspective.
To help build her skills, over the next year she took many classes at California College of the Arts (on weekends) and Otis College of Art and Design (4-week pre-college residential summer program - a great way to try the art school experience). Through those and her own personal work, she finally had the skills and pieces to build a portfolio this fall. I encouraged her to apply really early to her one favorite college (ACCD), so that if she got in, she was done with applications. The admission rep at ACCD worked with her, providing encouraging feedback during the portfolio process so that she would put her best work forward for the head of the illustration department to review and decide. Three weeks ago she submitted her application and just yesterday received her acceptance!! She’s over the moon – and so are we!!
Thank you to everyone here who posted their experiences over the years to help guide yet another family. Through this process I’ve learned that, at least or my child, she wouldn’t be happy unless she followed a creative profession. She thrives off of being surrounded by other creatives. She was just born to do what she has talents for, and would feel trapped doing otherwise. (She knew this, and in effect, had been demonstrating this all along, but I just wasn’t paying enough attention or was in denial.) There are indeed many viable opportunities for creative people. You know your child better than anyone else, listen to them, do your research, and guide them to the best individual solution.
Good luck everyone!!
@animal1096 Thank you for sharing your story. You daughter is so lucky to have found her niche. I think the opposite will be true for my son - he will feel more comfortable at a traditional 4-year university than an art school, as he loves all-things sports. I can see him being in the stands of every football and basketball game, cheering on his school.
DS got his official acceptance email to SCAD today. He is happy about it but is also wondering if it will be the right fit. We have already toured the school but we are going to tour other colleges once we hear from all of the schools. He is 8/8 in acceptances so he is very happy about his options.
National Portfolio day…need advice. We are going tomorrow and wondering how early before doors open should we arrive? Any tips would be greatly appreciated
If you are going to a major draw with all the top schools etc. then the earlier the better. See if the website says anything about large crowds. And drop off your kid to hold the place before you park of course. Just as important is going to be the strategy for order of schools and acting as a placeholder. I had some great conversations with other parents while holding my D’s place for some school or other. Everyone’s pretty much doing the same thing and it’s a great opportunity to get advice and bounce ideas off one another. Kind of like College Confidential only with real live people LOL.
@JBStillFlying we are going to the NYC NPD at the Javits Ctr. It doesn’t say anything about the crowd but 7 out of the 8 schools she’s applying to will be there. She’s shown her Portfolio to her top pick and a few more schools…so I’m hoping she can get to see at least four schools.
I keep reading when some say their child had their “Portfolio accepted”. What does that mean?
Whether your portfolio is “accepted” might have to do with the individual school’s policy than anything else. Some schools will accept portfolios on the spot or by letter a short time after NPD. Could be very wrong here but I’ve always viewed that as a marketing ploy more than anything else. Fact is, any admissions rep there to give you advice would be capable of judging a portfolio on the spot. Some schools choose to do that, while others prefer to have the complete application go to committee before judging the portfolio. Neither strategy is likely to be better than the other.
Just my opinion but if this is the primo NPD for NYC then you are best off getting there super early. If no one is lined up, go get coffee and b-fast 
@JBStillFlying thanks!!! Yes this is the big NPD in NYC. It starts at 12pm and we will be arriving about an hour or more before doors open to wait in line. I’m wearing my sneakers!!
Years ago my Ds portfolio was “accepted” by Syracuse at NPD in her senior year. She was told to upload her portfolio with her applicatio, but to let the department head know when her application was submitted. I’m sure from that point on the talent side of her application would have been fast tracked. I’m fairly certain that in a school like Syracuse , she would still have needed to meet academic requirements.
She had first shown her portfolio junior year at NPD and when we visited the school that spring the department head recognized my D and actually asked to meet with her privately to answer questions. Her application was already submitted ED to NYU when she attended NPD senior year. When she was accepted at NYU ED, we never completed her application to Syracuse. But we felt it was a strong back up to have as we knew that her grades met their benchmarks, but how a portfolio is seen is so much more subjective.
When my D and I went to NPD in October of her senior year we were complete novices and had only decided to attend a couple of days earlier. Her “portfolio” was really not much more than a bunch of her work stuffed into a carrier and some of pictures of her special effects makeup work. She wasn’t applying to “art school” but rather a STEM school with a well regarded design program (she was applying as an Industrial Design major).
Anyway, there wasn’t a long line for the school she was interested in so she got to spend a good amount of time with the reviewer. It turned out she teaches a prosthetics course and was impressed by her make up work. She suggested some things my D should work on but that her portfolio was “accepted”. D had to clarify about 3 times before she realized she did not have to even resubmit her portfolio with her application. She did follow up to make make the acceptance was linked to her application. It was and she was accepted ED about a month later.
She’s athird year ID major and loves everything about her shool and her major.
@NYCMomof3 My junior D went to her first NPD in Chicago last month. It started at 10 am, but we got in line at 8:15 am. There were about 8 other students there before us. Within the next hour the line snaked around the building. My D showed her portfolio to 7 schools until closing at 2 pm. I was a line holder and my mom came along as well to be a line holder which I thought was going to be an overkill. However, I’m glad she came with us bc RISD line had a 2 hour wait; Cooper Union and Laguna were about 1 hour wait each. RISD had numerous reps at NPD, however Cooper Union and Laguna each had one rep and they talked to each student for a really long time. It was an exhausting day for all of us but very worthwhile. My D was super glad that we got there early and use the whole time there. Good luck!
We toured SCAD in mid September. My son applied in late September and I think we heard within 2 weeks. Then we got his first scholarship offer within a week or so after that. He took his time getting his portfolio in, and we just heard what scholarship he is getting for that. Now we are waiting for one more they said he will get.
Oh, and he is going this January, in just 7-8 weeks or so!
One reason he was sold is the mid-year admissions. The other schools he looked at required him to wait until next school year. He is so DONE with community college, we weren’t sure if he could survive one more semester. And, since SCAD is quarters, he can pretty much get most of this year in and finish with the remainder of this year and two more years, graduating on time (4 years out of high school.)
It still is expensive, even with scholarships, but he is agreeing to take out his subsidized amount and that will bring it down to NC state school costs, which is what we are comfortable with.
He is VERY excited!
My son wanted to go to Laguna. We toured there for their open house this past summer. However, we are from CA and intended to move back this year. It isn’t working out as we had hoped (DH’s job situation) so we are staying in NC for now and he will go to SCAD instead. He loved Laguna though and it would have been a great option for him had we moved. He doesn’t drive so it would be difficult for him without us there and without a car.
And he is a transfer student and SCAD took more credits than Laguna said they would.
@CalGal17 Thanks for sharing. It sounds like you and your son did your homework; it’s wonderful that SCAD offered aid and gave transfer credits. My D is a junior so we are just beginning the process; NPD was her first step! We plan to visit Laguna in February; the program looks interesting. It sounds like having a car is a necessity if attending Laguna. If so, that may be an issue. My D does not like to drive; she turned 16 over the summer and she still does not have her license. We also do not want her to have a car as a freshman; too worrisome and too costly, etc for us.
They do have a dorm like place for freshman. I think there is only room for 40 of them? My son is not a freshman, so he wouldn’t qualify.
There are shuttles to an apt complex a couple of miles down the road.
The problem is, neither place has any dining facilities. All students are responsible for their own food. They encourage working out a cooking plan and cost/food with your roommates.
That wouldn’t have worked well for my son right now. He would have been fine to commute with either public transportation or one of us driving him, but he is happy to have found a place with dorms now.