20 Best Art Schools in the World – in Best Destinations and Ranking

Best Art Schools in Mind? You may also want to learn more than tuition to Best Destinations in the world. This article tries to point at some of the very best art schools around you.

This is created from feedback, observations, and various metrics but does not intend to place one school above another.

On a subsequent basis, however, we will keep making updates to contain some of the opportunities for international students (such as scholarships, learning atmosphere, programs capacity, tuition waiver, etc.)

But here are some of the basic information you will need to learn about these art schools, that are selected from countries around the world.

Best Art Schools?

The question now is what actually makes a school good enough for art students.

First, we believe that for a school to feature in this list of best art schools in the world, it must have been proven worthy of helping students and graduates creatively across disciplines and provide them with the instruction and resources that will enable them to fulfill their artistic potentials.


These are factors that reward institutions with international recognition and a strong reputation that are backed up with the success stories and life of their alumni.


These universities offer a variety of majors in artistic disciplines that will lead to fulfilling careers. An emphasis was made on such facilities that allow for student growth in creativity and innovation that are sellable in current civilization.

List of Best Art Schools in the World

Here is the list of best art schools in the world, with their peculiarities and stronghold. You can also check out the details that follow, and use the school websites for more findings.

  • Rhoda island school of design- province, Rhoda (US)
  • School of the art institute of Chicago-Chicago, Illinois (US) 
  • California Institute of the Arts—Valencia, California (US)
  • Central Saint Martin’s College of Art and Design—London, England
  • Berlin University of the Arts—Berlin, Germany
  • Glasgow School of Art—Glasgow, Scotland
  • China Central Academy of Fine Arts—Beijing, China
  • National School of Fine Arts—Paris, France
  • Tokyo University of the Arts—Tokyo, Japan
  • Pratt Institute—New York City, New York (US)

Rhoda island school of design- province, Rhoda (US)

The Rhoda Island school of design (RISD) is considered by many to be the best art and design out there.

With distinguished faculty members, extensive resources for students, and a strong career services department, RISD offers pretty much anything you could want in art and design education.

RISD also has an associated museum with thousands of works in its collection that span different time periods, cultures, and media.

The school offers an undergraduate enrollment of about 2,009 and 20% acceptance. visit the official website: https://www.risd.edu/

School of the art institute of Chicago-Chicago, Illinois (US) 

Boasts a strong global reputation; its alumni include Georgia O’Keeffe, David Sedaris, and Edward Gorey (who is one of my favorite artists!).

SAIC has an interdisciplinary curriculum, meaning that students are encouraged to experiment widely across artistic disciplines before deciding on the best medium for their ideas.

The education at SAIC is highly customizable, encouraging students to be creative in combining different types of art.

The offers an undergraduate enrollment of about 2,893 and a 58% acceptance rate. visit the official website:https://www.saic.edu/

California Institute of the Arts—Valencia, California (US)

CalArts is an internationally recognized art school that encourages students to go beyond the boundaries of traditional media. It has a strong focus on individualized attention for each student. 

Students are also given a high level of creative freedom and independence in their studies—an artistic promise is the number one criterion for admission. 

CalArts also participates in the Community Arts Partnership, which allows students to teach art to youth in Los Angeles while gaining experience and earning an income.

The Institute provides resources such as internships and mentoring programs for students to help them translate their artistic skills into a career after college.

The institution offers about 997 undergraduate enrollment and a 23% acceptance rate. visit the official website: calarts.edu

Central Saint Martin’s College of Art and Design—London, England

Central Saint Martins is a constituent college of the University of the Arts in London. It is considered one of the world’s leading institutions in art and design education.

The college offers nine different areas of study to students, including Graphic Communication Design, Fine Art, and Jewelry, and Textiles. 

Students are encouraged to develop their ideas beyond the accepted boundaries of each artistic discipline and to always be open to new approaches and ideas. 

Facilities include digital fabrication studios, letterpress studios, a digital media lab, an animation lab, and more. Undergraduate enrollment is about 3,000 while the acceptance rate is not reported.  visit the official website: http://www.arts.ac.uk ›

Berlin University of the Arts—Berlin, Germany

The Berlin University of the Art is the largest art school in Europe. Its faculty includes some of the well-respected contemporary artists in the world, including Chinese artist and social activist Ai Weiwei (watch the documentary Ai Weiwei: never say sorry) about his work—it’s super interesting).

There are four colleges within the University system that specialize in Fine Arts, Music, Design, and Performing Arts.

Berlin University of the Arts has more than 170 international partnerships with other universities. The university hosts over 500 events every year and is a key cultural venue in the city. 

Students present their work to the public in exhibitions, concerts, dramatic productions, and evenings of song, readings, and lectures.

Undergraduate enrollment of about 3,541 and acceptance rate of about 20%. visit the official website: www.udk-berlin.de ›


Very Important Related Posts

Previously, we made a post that focused on the 9 Best Arts Schools in Canada with Scholarships. Canada, for some years not has become one of the best student destinations in the world, and lucky enough the tuition and work chances are relatively favorable for international students.

Aalto University—Espoo, Finland

The Aalto University is a relatively new public university: it was created in 2010 after three universities (the Helsinki University of Technology, the Helsinki School of Economics, and the University of Art and Design Helsinki) merged into one.

The goal was to create a university that fosters innovation across a number of disciplines, including engineering and business! Despite being newer, the school has 90 different degree programs offered at the bachelor’s, master’s, and Ph.D. levels.

Students have the opportunity to explore the intersection of technology, science, and art through interdisciplinary programs like Human-Centered Living Environments and Health and Wellbeing, which brings together neuroscience and design! Aalto University offers programs in three languages, too: Finnish, English, and Swedish, too.

Undergraduate enrollment is 12,113, the acceptance rate is not reported. visit the official website: Aalto Universitywww.aalto.fi 

Glasgow School of Art—Glasgow, Scotland

Glasgow School of Art is Scotland’s only public self-governing art school.

It is divided into two campuses: the School of Fine Arts and the School of Design. GSA is at the head of research in creative disciplines, with research centers including the Digital Design Studio, the Institute of Design Innovation, the Mackintosh Environmental Architectural Research Institute, and the Glasgow Urban Lab. 

Glasgow School of Art also has an extensive student and staff exchange program with about 75 of the world’s leading Art, Design and Architecture schools.

Numerous alumni have won the Turner Prize, the most prestigious award in the British art scene given to one artist under 50 every year.

Undergraduate enrollment: 1,620 and the acceptance rate is under 20%. visit the official website: www.gsa.ac.uk

China Central Academy of Fine Arts—Beijing, China

The China Central Academy of Fine Arts is one of the most selective schools in China and is considered China’s most prestigious art academy.

It is made up of six specialty schools: the School of Fine Art, the School of Chinese Painting, the School of Design, the School of Architecture, the School of Humanities, and the School of Urban Design. 

The School of Design has been heavily involved with national Chinese design projects, including designs for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

The Academy is also home to a huge museum that includes over 2,000 Chinese scroll paintings that date back to the Ming Dynasty.

Enrollment is 4,700 while the acceptance rate is not reported. visit the official website: www.cafa.edu.cn

National School of Fine Arts—Paris, France

The National School of Fine Arts holds 450,000 items in its collections in the form of books and artworks; this is one of the largest public collections in France.

Faculty and alumni include many internationally recognized artists. The five-year curriculum is made up of two consecutive “cycles,” the first lasting three years and the second two years, in which students learn the fundamental practical and theoretical components of artistic creation.

Both undergraduate enrollment and acceptance rates are not reported. visit the website: Free-Apply.comfree-apply.com › university

Tokyo University of the Arts—Tokyo, Japan

As the only national arts university in Japan, Tokyo University of the Arts seeks to develop Japanese art and culture and emphasize a spirit of artistic freedom and creativity. 

Through collaboration with other universities and institutions, TUA works to create new forms of artistic expression and demonstrate the power of art to influence global trends. 

TUA also runs an exchange program with the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Undergraduate enrollment is about 3,300 while the acceptance rate is about 20%-30%. visit the official website: www.geidai.ac.jp ›

University of Oxford

The Ruskin School of Art offers a three-year studio-based BFA course in which students work alongside each other in collaboratively organized studios.

Whereas many fine art courses run in an environment devoted exclusively to art and design, Ruskin students, as members of a collegiate university, have the advantage of contact with their contemporaries on all of Oxford’s other courses.

The Ruskin course aims to develop strong independent points of view and a mature grasp of the range of critical debate surrounding contemporary art and its many international histories.

The admission rate range is 20-30%. visit the official website: www.ox.ac.uk

Parsons School of Design at The New School—New York City, New York (US)

 The New School emphasizes a design thinking approach to solving problems on a global scale.

Parsons is dedicated to remaining on the cutting edge of arts education; it strives to continually embrace new trends and interdisciplinary approaches to the arts.

It also has a community service and social justice focus, encouraging design projects that have tangible outcomes in the world.

Parsons provides one-on-one career counseling to students as well as connections to jobs and internships through the Center for Student Success.

Undergraduate enrollment: about 6,600, and the acceptance rate is 35%. visit the official website: www.newschool.edu › parsons

Pratt Institute—New York City, New York (US)

Pratt is at the center of the New York art scene and is consistently ranked among the top art and design colleges in the world.

A highly distinguished faculty made up of leaders in artistic fields means that students will make meaningful connections to the art world during their time at Pratt. 

Career Counseling services are excellent and have a high job placement rate after graduation. 

Pratt also sits on a beautiful enclosed campus that gives students a sanctuary apart from the hectic city life.

Undergraduate enrollment: 3,435, while the acceptance rate is about 51%. visit the official website: www.pratt.edu

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