Top Art Schools - Corcoran College of Art
Help For Art Students Choosing a Top US Art School
Jul 22, 2009
So you want to go to art school? The Corcoran College of Art and Design is one of the top art schools in the United States. The Corcoran's Washington DC location and its top notch museum all contribute to the uniqueness of this art institution.
Can you briefly describe the flavor and feel of your campus?
Located in downtown Washington, D.C., that nation's cultural capital, the Corcoran emphasizes individual attention and career opportunity in a vibrant and active creative community.
How many students do you have?
Our total student body is 595, which includes students pursuing Associate, Bachelor of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Arts, Master of Arts, and Master of Arts in Teaching degrees.
What is your largest major?
Our largest major is Fine Art, with 122 students in the AFA, BFA, and BFA/MAT programs.
Can you briefly describe your financial aid?
The Corcoran College of Art + Design considers affordability and value essential elements of the Corcoran education, and aims to provide students and families with accessible, comprehensive merit scholarships and need-based financial aid packages.
Our merit scholarship program is committed to recognizing past academic and artistic achievements as well as promise for future success. Students are automatically considered for merit aid on a rolling basis upon their acceptance to the Corcoran, and no additional application forms are required.
In recent academic years, new students received more than $800,000 in merit recognition for their first year of studies at the Corcoran. Merit awards average $8,200 per student. Award amounts are determined by a review of a student's academic and artistic application materials. These include all official transcripts, test scores, and final portfolio materials. Awards are made for multi-year commitments, enabling total amounts to equal up to $48,000 over four years of study.
The College also awards financial aid through federal, state, private, and institutional sources. You must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for automatic consideration to receive assistance from all federal programs and Corcoran need-based aid. Additional grants and scholarships are often available through clubs, churches, employers and other private organizations.
Can you provide the number of scholarship programs?
The Corcoran offers 20 scholarship programs.
What percentage of your student body has some kind of financial aid?
Approximately 71% of our student body receives financial aid.
Of that percentage receiving financial aid, what is the average percentage of their tuition being covered?
The average percentage of tuition coverage received by students with financial aid is 45%.
Besides learning the nuts and bolts of creating art, how do you prepare your students business-wise for a career in the arts?
The Corcoran's curriculum is designed to support career development, with a credit internship program and career services department that have helped students acquire internships at National Geographic, American Red Cross, National Public Radio, The Washington Post, and other corporation headquarters, government agencies, advocacy organizations, and cultural institutions based in Washington, D.C.
Through general and major-specific required courses, and a choice of electives designed to provide exposure to a wide range of skills and experiences, students find themselves prepared to succeed not only at the Corcoran, but in the years beyond.
Additionally, the Corcoran exposes students to all aspects of the arts, with public programs that feature inspiring speakers like Annie Leibovitz, David Yurman, and Tim Gunn, along with visiting artists, musicians, journalists, and other creative professionals.
How is your college involved in the community in which it is located?
Student life at the Corcoran is closely linked to Washington, D.C. itself. The city becomes an extended campus and offers limitless opportunities for cultural, social, artistic, academic, and professional growth. With numerous internships and jobs for college students available in the metropolitan area, this community is a magnet for young people from across the country and the world. Corcoran students have engaged in community partnerships across the city, which allow them to showcase their work to a wide variety of audiences.
For students who live on campus, what features are there in the community for them to engage in?
From the National Gallery at the Smithsonian Institution to the political protests on the National Mall, the Corcoran's campuses are located at the center of the city's diverse range of museums, monuments, and other cultural resources; most of which are free. Corcoran housing is conveniently located between the downtown and Georgetown campuses, with both campuses within easy walking distance of several desirable Washington neighborhoods. that contain more than 100 galleries.
Students are actively involved with the expanding contemporary arts presence on Fourteenth Street and the U Street corridor, D.C. is home to one of the most dynamic contemporary art scenes in the country.
What is unique about your college that makes it the best choice for attending?
Students the Corcoran have the unique opportunity to show their work in a major gallery by participating in the undergraduate Senior Thesis Exhibitions. The series of week-long, rotating exhibitions in the Corcoran Gallery of Art features photojournalism, photography, graphic design, digital media design, and fine art produced by members of the graduating class.
Students are responsible for all aspects of their thesis exhibitions, from exhibition design to installation-an experience vital to their professional and artistic development. The individual shows culminate in May in the All-Senior Exhibition, a dynamic exhibition installed in the Corcoran's museum galleries, representing all disciplines and featuring work by every student in the Bachelor's degree programs.
The Corcoran's location in Washington, D.C. gives students a distinctive global perspective on art and design. In addition to the 35 international students on campus, more than 150 embassies and international organizations put the city at the focus on the world. Additionally, the city's atmosphere is rich with social change, public service issues, and more lobbying firms, nonprofits, and associations than anywhere else in the country.
Find out more about The Corcoran here,
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