Good College for Design?

<p>I'm in Texas, and I'm looking at UT Austin's Design program
but I'd like to know of any other good Design schools, especially in Texas.</p>

<p>I've heard about Carnegie Mellon and RISD, but those are just way out of my league.</p>

<p>I'd also like to know more about Parsons New School of Design and
New York's School of Visual Arts.
They seem expensive to me.
Are they affordable, as in how hard is it to get aid for these schools,
and are they worth going out of state for? </p>

<p>Thanks.</p>

<p>Parsons is definitely worth going out-of-state for. The programs there are really rigorous and everyone I know who goes there loves it. That said, it is very very expensive, and from what I hear financial aid isn't exactly generous. I don't know of anyone who's getting better than tuition (as in, full tuition covered through grants and loans but nothing else, leaving a 15-20K gap for housing, supplies, transport, etc.), and even that seems somewhat rare.</p>

<p>Parsons has an awesome reputation; I have several graphic design friends who went there. </p>

<p>I think the above poster is correct; financial aid is sort of a joke. And living in NYC is kind of insane. Last week I spent $6 on a cup of frozen yogurt. </p>

<p>That being said, I work with many, many graphic designers. (I work in magazine publishing.) (I'm not sure what kind of designer you want to be; I'm using this as an example.) </p>

<p>Here's a list of where, off the top of my head, designers past and present in my department went:
Parsons
Arizona State
Ithaca (film major; learned design on his own)
SUNY Albany
Mason Gross (really good art school at Rutgers, the State U. of New Jersey)
Syracuse
SVA</p>

<p>So only some of those are even known for design schools; what I'm saying is, you don't have to go to a big expensive art school to be a designer. Get a decent education, and if you're talented and motivated, you'll find work. </p>

<p>If you want to be in NY after you graduate, then Parsons/SVA might give you something of a heads-up thanks to better networking opportunities, but it's not a dealbreaker.</p>

<p>Whoa sorry for the late response, but I really appreciate your inputs!
Those prestigious art schools look so tempting!</p>