Best value NYC school for Illustration

I’m interested in studying illustration in NYC, but the debt that will come from that is enough to keep me up at night. Because of this FIT catches my eye, but I don’t want to chase after a lower cost if that means a significantly lower pool of opportunities. What program has the best value, meaning that the price justifies the opportunities it can give the average student?

Here is some information that may help you form an answer:

  1. I live out of state.
  2. I’m currently a high school junior, but I’ve only gotten into art a few months ago. I doubt my portfolio will be competitive enough for any huge scholarships.
  3. My family will not be contributing any significant amount but I probably won’t qualify for very much need based aid.
  4. My expected GPA by the time of consideration is 3.5-3.8 and my ACT score is 27-30
  5. I would prefer not to, but I am willing to look outside of NYC for the right school.

While FIT, SVA, Parsons and Pratt are all NYC based they all run roughly the same amount of money and are generally considered expensive for colleges (as most specifically art based colleges are).

While there’s nothing wrong with pursuing admission to these schools, you might want to categorize them as ‘reach’ schools financially since their aid generally comes from merit/grades &/or portfolio performance and that will be very competitive. And if you are admitted, the cost (and also living expenses in NYC) could still be a major factor in whether you can afford to attend.

What state do you live in? Sometimes your state schools have some great art departments where you can pursue Illustration with a lot less debt. There might be schools in-state or regionally (example MassArts) that are a much better financial deal. And you can also use that time to save money and possibly transfer to a school in NYC when you’ve built up more of a portfolio.

Sorry if this doesn’t exactly answer your questions, but more looking at it from another angle.

@ArtAngst @gekaia The info given above that states all NYC schools cost about the same is incorrect. FIT is about $15,000 a year for of out-of-state tuition. It is a state school, not a private university and, therefore, considerably less money than the other schools in NYC. Pratt, for example, is $47,000 a year for tuition and fees. Even though SVA is private, it is about $35,000 for tuition and fees. So as you can see, there is a range of costs. In the end, it will also depend on the amount of financial aid and scholarship money you would receive.

Absolutely.

SInce finances are a concern, you’ll want to look at either SUNY or CUNY (State University/ City University of NY). Even as an out of state applicant, you’ll probably do better financially than you would with a private school.

Here’s an old thread on the issue: http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/visual-arts-film-majors/1245204-best-cuny-or-suny-for-art.html

Just be sure, of course, that your choice has dorms. http://www.collegesimply.com/colleges/new-york/colleges-with-dorms/

. And beware when you look at SUNY-- you’ll NEED to see where in NY they are if you want to be in or near NYC. Many are 8-10 hours away from NYC.

Also, take a look at schools in NJ-- some are just a few minutes by train from NYC.

Consider:
Borough of Manhattan Community College: http://www.bmcc.cuny.edu/media-arts/ani_program.jsp

Here’s a list of CUNY majors you may want to look at:
Borough of Manhattan CC Animation and Motion Graphics AS Associate in Science
Borough of Manhattan CC Geographic Information Science AS Associate in Science
Kingsborough CC Graphic Design & Illustration AAS Associate in Applied Science
Kingsborough CC Polysomnographic Technology AAS Associate in Applied Science
Lehman College Computer Graphics & Imaging BS Bachelor of Science
Queens College Graphic Design BS Bachelor of Science

from http://www2.cuny.edu/admissions/undergraduate/explore/programs/

http://www2.cuny.edu/current-students/student-affairs/student-life/housing-residence-life/fun-facts/

and a rundown of Art majors at SUNY:
https://www.suny.edu/media/suny/content-assets/documents/guides-to-majors/Arts-printer-friendly.pdf

Thanks for cost updates @uskoolfish - I’d totally forgotten FIT was state. And colored by our personal experience as an OS applicant to a state school (in this example MassArts) is that state schools had so little aid to give, as opposed to the other acceptances, that it didn’t make any financial sense.

I live in Alabama, so I will be looking out of state. @ArtAngst

@bjkmom Thanks for the list! there are definitely more options than I thought. I had only really looked into the Queens option.