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AlmaSpire

Sarasota, FL · Private · 1,662 undergraduates · urban

Ringling College of Art and Design

Moderately selective

A nationally visible computer animation and entertainment-art pipeline within a focused art-and-design college.

Campus image / Publicly hosted campus image

Institutional profile

Established Solid in student experience, and solid in academic standing.
Academic Solid Affordability Emerging Career Steady Mobility Steady Experience Solid
Academic standing Solid
Affordability Emerging
Career outcomes Steady
Mobility Steady
Student experience Solid
Admission
67.4% admitted

2,685 applicants in the reported year

Price by income
Varies across five income ranges

Compare recent average annual costs by household income

Completion
77.5%

$43,325 median earnings 10 years after enrollment

What sets Ringling College of Art and Design apart

Academic design

Students move from foundation and technical training into major-specific studio sequences, with substantial emphasis on critique, software, storytelling, visual development, and polished final work.

Campus pattern

The Sarasota campus revolves around studios, labs, production facilities, screenings, exhibitions, and creative clubs, with a smaller residential setting than art schools in major metropolitan centers.

Defining feature

A nationally visible computer animation and entertainment-art pipeline within a focused art-and-design college.

Can I get in?

67.4% admitted

Most BFA applicants must submit a portfolio, and portfolio expectations differ by major; applicants should follow program-specific requirements closely.

Recent applicant pool

2,685

About 67 in every 100 applicants were admitted.

Admission rate 67.4%
Entering class

Record over scores

No score range is published for the entering class, so the transcript, the course rigor, and the required materials carry the file.

Testingoptional
Return for a second year85.4%
Finish the degree77.5%

In the season card

Where your GPA sits in the entering class

The full entering-class GPA distribution for Ringling College of Art and Design, in nine bands from 4.0 down, with your own record marked on it.

See where I land

In the season card

What Ringling College of Art and Design weighs when it reads a file

See how this college describes the role of grades, testing, essays, recommendations, activities, and demonstrated interest.

  • Course rigor  
  • GPA  
  • Test scores  
  • Essay  
  • Recommendations  
  • Extracurriculars  
  • Demonstrated interest  
See what counts here

What moves the application

The evidence that separates a strong file

01

Show preparation for this curriculum

Students move from foundation and technical training into major-specific studio sequences, with substantial emphasis on critique, software, storytelling, visual development, and polished final work.

02

Make the fit specific

A nationally visible computer animation and entertainment-art pipeline within a focused art-and-design college.

03

Account for the tradeoff

Most BFA applicants must submit a portfolio, and portfolio expectations differ by major; applicants should follow program-specific requirements closely.

How to apply

Rounds, route, and required materials

Most BFA applicants must submit a portfolio, and portfolio expectations differ by major; applicants should follow program-specific requirements closely.

Early DecisionNov 1
Early ActionDec 1
Regular Decisionrolling
Fee and waiver$70 application fee

Fee waiver: accepted

Major and program admission

Some fields have their own entry path.

The college admit rate above covers the university as a whole. These requirements apply only to the named program.

Performing and visual artsAdmits separately

What this program asks for, and when it closes.

Can I afford it?

Compare annual cost by household income.

Start with the average net price for your income range, then set that estimate beside your other realistic options.

Published annual cost$88,740
Average annual cost after aid$58,000
Affordability profileEmerging

In the season card

Average annual cost by household income at Ringling College of Art and Design

Compare recent average net prices across five federal income ranges and estimate a 4-year cost for yours.

  • $0–30k 
  • $30–48k 
  • $48–75k 
  • $75–110k 
  • $110k+ 
Open the price by income

Is it worth it?

Completion, debt, and earnings

A nationally visible computer animation and entertainment-art pipeline within a focused art-and-design college.

Complete within 8 years77.5%

Degree completion across the reported entering cohort

Return after year one85.4%

First-year students who return for year two

Median federal debtWhat students owe on the way out

And what that comes to against what they earn.

Median earnings$43,325

Reported 10 years after enrollment

Academic portfolio

Largest bachelor’s fields

How many students finish in each field, and median earnings four years after completing the program.

Graphic Communications

Recent graduates124
Median earnings$75,213

What is campus life like?

Ringling College of Art and Design beyond the classroom

The Sarasota campus revolves around studios, labs, production facilities, screenings, exhibitions, and creative clubs, with a smaller residential setting than art schools in major metropolitan centers.

Academics

A defining academic feature

Students move from foundation and technical training into major-specific studio sequences, with substantial emphasis on critique, software, storytelling, visual development, and polished final work.

Campus setting

What shapes an ordinary week

The Sarasota campus revolves around studios, labs, production facilities, screenings, exhibitions, and creative clubs, with a smaller residential setting than art schools in major metropolitan centers.

Distinctive edge

What changes the experience

A nationally visible computer animation and entertainment-art pipeline within a focused art-and-design college.

1,662 undergraduatesSoutheasturban settingCampus housing available