Our graphic design school rankings are published in response to myriad emails from aspiring graphic design students, their parents, as well as representatives from graphic design school programs requesting that we add graphic design rankings in addition to our existing rankings for animation and game design.
In preparing the rankings, we considered hundreds of schools in the US that offer graphic design programs. In the end, our goal is to give students access to ample information so they can make an informed decision about the school they choose to attend and the program they pursue.
The criteria we used in making this list consists, in no particular order, of the following:
- Academic reputation
- Admissions selectivity
- Depth and breadth of the program and faculty
- Value as it relates to tuition and indebtedness
For these rankings we incorporated school surveys into the information gathering and evaluation process. In doing so we reached out to every school under consideration requesting information about their specific program, as well as their perspective regarding which programs they considered to be the most impressive, both nationally and regionally. In the instance where we could not obtain information directly from a school, we obtained the necessary information from the school's web site or from other reputable publications.
Like any list, ours is not perfect and is open for debate. There is no single opinion that trumps all when it comes to which school is the “best”. Ultimately every student has different needs regarding the type and academic rigor of a program, campus culture, as well as cost, lifestyle, and career focus. Our hope is that this list is a starting point for students to discover the schools that are the best fit for them and that the lists not be used as a deciding factor.
For more info about Animation Career Review please check out our Frequently Asked Questions.