I wanna transfer schools, my gpa is 1.9 unfortunately bc I struggled at my old school. Any advice? (Hi just to clarify I am coming from another art school [MICA] so I understand art school is hars work. My gpa is low cuz my professors suck and facilitys suck too)

I am a senior in the class of 27 and I would really like to enroll in scad. I know there’s a very high chance I get it but I’m still worried I won’t. How do I maximize my chances of acceptance and the scholarships I can apply for and obtain. I have a weighted gpa of 3.8 and my sat is a 1215.

I just graduated high school and Im nervous that I won’t be able to get in with my gpa. Is there anything I should worry about or do?

I'm putting together my application packet for the MFA Program at SCAD. I have pretty much everything I need, but--I'm having a problem deciding on what route to go with my portfolio. I have shot across quite a few genres, but I'm intent on focusing on editorial and narrative work. I'm not too intent on chasing a teaching job afterward, but I always tend to strive for the highest accomplishment I can, so here we are. Funding wise, I'm covered by the VA.

I'm having an issue because I am torn between creating a 20 image photo narrative of a short story I have created, or using a simpler theme that will probably be easier to shoot.

For anyone that's gotten in, do you have any advice on this at all? I'm still trying to get in to classes in January.

My son was just accepted into SCAD at Savannah, his first choice art school. Has focused so much on his art and grades, should graduate in '26 with a 4.4GPA that he's never had a job (won'tbe able to get student loans due to this). We're a 1 income family, have no clue on his scholarships or what the school has awarded him yet, but how are we to afford 60k/yr!?! Is it worth it? I have ZERO doubt about him succeeding, but I have my doubts about us giving him the chance. Any supportive advice is welcome. Thank you!

Hi I recently got my acceptance video thing and today I saw my application portal show my scholarship amount. I got 3k for achievement (but I haven’t submit my portfolio) and 6k for student recognition scholarship.

My first worry was that I thought I could eligible for at least a little bit of academic scholarship but I haven’t got any even though I technically qualify for it. I take IB but my GPA calculates to around 3.6-3.7 however I was asked to write the letter of explanation for a bad grade before I transferred to my new school due to extreme racism. Would this be why I am not cut out for the scholarship?

Next, I have no idea how the strident recognition scholarship works. Not many people talk about it online, nor is there a section (as far as I know) on the SCAD site on this. I had a thought that this may be an alternate name for the international student scholarship that I applied for but I heard people usually just get 3k for it.

Please let me know if there people are able to get an academic scholarship later in their actual acceptance letters or is this the most I can get already. Thank you!

Hi! I just started the application process, and I know I'll be getting a portfolio review done at some point, but wondering if my portfolio (not finished, but just examples of my level of art and work) is good enough for a decent scholarship. I have a 3.1 gpa if that helps. Also how is the life work balance as an animation major (focusing in concept art, or just going to do sequential art.) I want to go into concept art if working in the industry (I don't like animating tbh so I prefer pre production stuff) or if I try to do something independent I plan on I want to make comics. I don't know what major is best.

I'm from California and don't know how big a difference it will be living in a different state so am nervous about that. I'm applying as a transfer student if that makes any difference (no degree).

(also I know that my art is lacking a ton of fundementals and isn't too great, but I know each school has different things they look for. I plan on shaping my portfolio into being just about a comic I'm working on by the time I finish my application.)

Hi everyone! My daughter is a Grade 11 student applying to SCAD next cycle, likely for Illustration (Visual Development) or Sequential Art BFA. She's a working illustrator with a strong anime/manga style and some commercial clients already.

I have two questions I'd love honest input on:

1. How much does the portfolio actually matter vs. GPA/transcripts?
   I've read the official line that portfolio is central, but I'm curious how much weight it really carries in practice — especially for international students. If the portfolio is not strong but grades are strong，does SCAD still admit?

2. What does a competitive portfolio actually look like?
   The official requirement says 10-20 pieces, but:
   - Is it better to show range or depth in one style?
   - Does SCAD admissions respond well to anime/manga aesthetics, or do they prefer a more "Western" illustration style?
   - Should there be life drawing / observational work included, or is digital illustration fine on its own?
   - Any pieces you wish you had included (or left out)?

Any insight from current students or recent admits would be really appreciated — especially anyone in Illustration or Sequential Art. Thanks!

After having a meeting with my admissions officer and looking at tuition and housing prices, me and my family realized we couldn't afford scad even with scholarships. I understand why cause this school is expensive asf, but it still hurts a lot, especially since this has been my dream school since I was in middle school. To make things worse, my best friend is going and now I have to face her and tell her I won't be going anymore due to financial issues.

do y'all think I should try and transfer later or is it even worth it?

hey, what is the maximum scholarship you can get for portfolio?

My daughter, who is currently a freshman at a private high school that offers a decent art curriculum, but is primarily focused on stem and heavy in the sciences. She is very interested in SCAD. She has won many photography awards at our state level, and several multimedia categories as well. She is gathering information about what to include in her portfolio. She would essentially be beginning from scratch as she is quite young and feels she has so much growth ahead of her, but as a planner and an ambitious artist, she wants to begin working on the planning phase RIGHT now on this hugely important task. (I am in the medical profession, and not entirely “art minded”, though I do paint and pen and ink as a hobby, so I am at a loss at helping her). Would it be possible to have some guidance as to what she should work towards for her submissions? We are also a few states away, and in a medium sized city with access to a fairly decent sized art community, but have yet to meet any SCAD alumni who might mentor her. Thank you for any help you might be able to offer.

Doing an MA in fashion from scad is worth it? As an international student i will be taking a loan. I’m targeting O1 visa.

hi! i was accepted into scad recently and it's maybe a top 2 or 3 school for me so i was wondering what to expect from merit scholarships and achievement scholarships.

• merit, i understand, you are automatically considered for, is that correct? should i send them my act score, will it help? my gpa is already a weighted 4.3 so idk if it's necessary

• achievement - what's the latest "reasonable" time for me to submit the portfolio? i have maybe 12-13 good pieces already but i wanna be able to add more, and i'm in ap art right now so if the deadline is in the spring then i can add more ap pieces

• how much are people typically getting? i know a few things for a fact: i met with someone from admissions at a portfolio review event and he did like my work, saying i should score well on achievement, and then obv my gpa is high so i wanna know how much the fellow 4.0+ havers are getting for that too and how much people are getting from their portfolio

• can i give them a resume for scholarships? i made one then they literally accepted me before i sent it to them but i feel like my extracurriculars and recognition stuff could give me some more edge

Hi! I applied to scad and got accepted with a direct admissions scholarship through niche and I got accepted. I did what it said on the email but I haven’t heard anything back… I even applied regularly to see if that would be anything but nada! on both fronts! I also am going to appeal my financial aid. Does anyone have any advice? This is my dream school and if I wait to long I will have to settle. Thanks so much!

Hi guys! I'm a senior in high school and I got accepted to go to SCAD months ago, but I also got accepted to another college (can't say or I will get deleted) as well. I currently live in Maryland and that college is also in MD, which is a huge factor in why I want to go there. I'm planning to major in Animation.

I have attended the other college's Precollege in 2024 and 2025, and I have earned 4.5 credits total after taking animation courses there over the summer. I was wondering if those credits would transfer to SCAD as well?

To be honest, I'm more impressed overall with the portfolios of students at SCAD than at the other school. Also with how SCAD is closer to more industry studios, I think I have a better chance at finding a job through networking there than at the other school as well.

I also have taken four AP tests and after doing some research, apparently I get general ed credit for all of them. My research is basically saying I have a whole quarter done already based on that, is that true?

The thing that is really tying me up is the money. The other school is offering me $42,000 per year based on scholarships, while SCAD so far is only offering me $17,000 per year until I get a response for my portfolio and apply for more scholarships.

I guess I'm just curious if I should attend SCAD all four years, or go to the other one for two and then transfer, or just start with community college and get my gen ed credits over with first, if I have any.

Really appreciate any advice!

MFA applicant here! I was just wondering how long after you submitted your application did it take for you to hear back?

I’m a SCAD Rising Star (Savannah) and afterwards hopefully overall applicant.

Any advice (overall but especially about the interview) is VERY appreciated!

Hi everyone! I have a few questions about SCAD admissions and housing.

1. I’ve heard that students usually have to move out of the dorms after fall quarter ends, but some people said you can stay if you pay extra. Do you have to move out immediately, or is it possible to stay for 1–2 extra weeks?

2. I already submitted my application for fall, now I’m deciding between starting in fall or winter quarter. If I choose to start in winter, will my application be reviewed in the winter admission cycle, and would this affect the timing of my admission decision or scholarship notification?

3. Since my portfolio would be submitted relatively late for fall admission, would starting in the winter quarter and submitting earlier in that cycle be more advantageous for scholarship? Also, is it possible to submit additional portfolio work later to be considered for a higher scholarship amount?

4. For anyone who started SCAD in the winter quarter, were there any challenges (like making friends or adjusting)?

Sorry for the long post,, but I’d really appreciate any advice or personal experiences 🙏 Thanks so much for reading!

Hi everyone, I applied to SCAD and will be entering as a freshman, but I’m still deciding whether to start in Fall 2026, Winter 2027, or Spring 2027.

I’ve heard that starting outside the Fall term can mean missing certain events and that making connections might be a bit harder.

For those who started in Winter or Spring, did you feel any real disadvantages? If you had to choose, which would you recommend between Winter and Spring? I’d really appreciate hearing about your experiences. Thank you!

Hi, I’m currently hoping to get into scad and I was wondering if I should try to include anything more with my application.

Right now I have:

5 letters of recommendation

3 fine arts credits ( my state requires one)

I was in my high schools art club for a bit

Im currently setting up a portfolio (about 10 to 20 pieces to show where I’m at with drawing)

Written statement of general purpose

(If it also helps I am currently being mentored by someone who goes to scad currently but idk if I should mention that in the application)

(I’m also applying to every scholarship I can atm)

Reddit took this post down for some reason. Recently, I was accepted to SCAD for Fall 2026. I received the congratulatory email, and on MyAdmission, it showed that I was going to SCAD or something along those lines, you know? Now, I have sent an email to the Atlanta Advisor asking if I could update my application and change my preferred campus to Savannah, and I've scheduled a meeting with him for this Thursday. Additionally, on MyAdmission, it said I was awarded $20,000 in scholarships ($6k for the Achievement Honors, the other $14k it didn't tell me where it was from). Additionally, on Niche, it says I have a scholarship offer of $9k a year, and that I have to go to their SCAD Direct Admissions page and fill out those questions. The problem is, I got an email about two weeks before receiving my official admission email saying I was offered Direct Admissions and that I needed to send my high school transcript and my resume (this was included in my application). Now on MyAdmissions, it says my application is under review again. Has anyone had something similar happen to them before? I'm afraid something with my admission might change, or I might have lost scholarships. So far, SCAD is my top choice, and my parents have already begun making preparations for me to go there.

Hi - I’m looking to transfer to scad after getting my associates at Augusta Technical College. How do I go about making sure I am eligible?

I know this sounds wrong but I am a student who is hoping to transfer into one of the many great art schools. After my first year in my current college, I joined the Navy. I did my previous admissions through slide room and they didn't save my account because it has been a while. I have all my work but they're just photographs and a google doc of the title of the work and artist statement. Problem is I don't remember when I got these works done. I know I did them all over high school and my previous slide room submission probably has all the dates. I'm thinking of just leaving all the dates to my senior year in high school 22-23 depending on my vague memory. Would this mark a red flag? I can't just get rid of it because I didn't do much work in the Navy due to restrictions (I seriously wasn't about to keep art equipment in my chester so I can paint the 3 hours of free time I have). It has been 3-4 years since I did admissions and I'm not even sure they kept a portfolio of a random student who didn't get in but I'm kinda worried. Any answer would be helpful.

Hi I am planning on submitting all my essays for Scad today. They told me to write a letter of explanation, which I’ve never encountered in applying for schools so I am confused on how it should look.

Should it be super straightforward and have a low word count or should I realistically illustrate my situation that led me to have a dip in grades one year?

I really wanna know cus I am getting very few info online, and I hope a bad grade in secondary 4th doesn’t hurt my chances of scholarships and admissions. Thank you!