Savannah College of Art and Design

About Savannah College of Art and Design

SCAD began in 1978 with the dual purpose of expanding degree opportunities in southeast Georgia and providing professionally oriented art education. Its first academic building, the former Savannah Volunteer Guard Armory, opened after renovation in 1979 and remains in use as Poetter Hall. The institution is now accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award baccalaureate and master’s degrees. Although the database record is centered on Savannah, SCAD functions as one university across Savannah, Atlanta, and SCADnow online, with study-abroad opportunities in Lacoste and elsewhere. Prospective students should therefore check the catalog’s location designation for every program: availability in Savannah does not automatically mean that the same degree or concentration is offered at every location. Movement among locations may be possible, but course sequencing and availability should be confirmed before planning a transfer between them. SCAD’s identity is unusually specialized. Its schools cover animation and motion, business innovation, building arts, creative technology, design, fashion, film and acting, fine arts, liberal arts, and visual communication. This concentrated creative environment can encourage collaboration across related fields, such as film, production design, sound, visual effects, and acting. At the same time, it is not a conventional comprehensive university with the full range of unrelated academic departments suggested by the record’s legacy program metadata. Students should base program comparisons on the official 2026–2027 catalog rather than that metadata.

SCAD accepts first-year applications throughout the year and states that there is no application deadline. New students may begin in fall, winter, spring, or summer quarter. The university says admission results typically take two to four weeks and advises applying at least 30 days before the intended entry term. Applicants should not interpret that flexibility as a reason to delay: housing, visa processing, scholarship resources, and course preparation can impose practical timelines even when the admission application has no fixed deadline. First-year applicants submit the online application and then provide required documents through their assigned admission adviser. The official first-year page identifies a high-school credential and, where applicable, evidence of English proficiency, along with supporting materials. Portfolios and auditions are not required for undergraduate admission, although SCAD strongly encourages a portfolio or audition for achievement-scholarship consideration. Requirements differ for graduate and international applicants. International graduate applicants must hold a bachelor’s degree or equivalent and provide a portfolio, recommendations, résumé, statement of purpose, and English-proficiency evidence; an interview or GRE score may apply in some cases. International transfer applicants submit official postsecondary transcripts and English-proficiency evidence. Students needing an F-1 visa must also supply visa documentation and proof of financial support. International applicants are not eligible for U.S. federal or state aid, although SCAD says admitted students are considered for institutional scholarships. Every applicant should verify requirements for the intended level, program, and entry quarter directly with admissions.

The 2026–2027 catalog organizes SCAD’s curriculum into ten creative and professional schools. Savannah-listed undergraduate options include established studio fields such as animation, fashion, fibers, illustration, industrial design, interior design, jewelry, painting, photography, and sequential art. The catalog also identifies programs in architecture, film and television, game development, production design, service design, sound design, themed entertainment design, user-experience design, visual effects, writing, robotics, and applied AI. Degree designations and locations vary: undergraduate awards include BA, BFA, and BDes programs, while graduate offerings include MA, MFA, MArch, and other named master’s credentials. Location is an important academic planning variable. Some programs are available in Savannah and Atlanta, some add SCADnow, and others are confined to one delivery location. For example, the current catalog lists applied AI in Savannah, while several animation, graphic-design, and game-development pathways span multiple locations. Students should examine the exact catalog entry for their intended degree, concentration, and start location rather than relying on a university-wide program total. SCAD describes its undergraduate approach as combining field fundamentals, specialization, and development of an individual creative vision in a professional context. The surrounding academic ecosystem includes purpose-built or rehabilitated facilities and opportunities to connect adjacent disciplines. This may be particularly useful for students whose work depends on collaborative production. Applicants should nevertheless compare curriculum maps carefully, including foundation courses, liberal-arts requirements, electives, sequencing, and portfolio expectations. SCAD does not award doctorates, and its official accreditation statement supports only bachelor’s and master’s levels for this profile.

Key Highlights

• Private nonprofit institution founded in Savannah in 1978
• Accredited to award bachelor’s and master’s degrees
• One university offering degrees in Savannah, Atlanta, and through SCADnow
• Savannah is SCAD’s largest location

Student Life & Environment

Student life in Savannah is shaped by an urban, distributed campus. Academic buildings, residence halls, dining venues, galleries, theaters, fitness spaces, and student services are located across different parts of the city, so daily routines can involve traveling between facilities rather than remaining within a traditional campus boundary. SCAD’s Bee Line buses connect university buildings and continue after class hours. SafeRide provides late-night drop-offs from open SCAD buildings to residences within designated Savannah areas, and students may use SCAD Bike Share without charge. SCADhome manages residence life and housing. Residential communities are intended to support learning and social connection, but housing is subject to availability. The 2026–2027 fee schedule lists multiple Savannah residence-hall configurations, ranging from shared suites and studios to private bedrooms in apartment-style units. Meal plans vary substantially in the number of meals and dining dollars included, so students should match a plan to both their residence and expected habits. Beyond housing, SCAD reports organized opportunities involving student interaction, leadership, community service, wellness, and student organizations. Savannah students also have access to university health and mental-health support, dining, athletics, exhibitions, and institutional events. Because facilities are dispersed, prospective students should consider transportation routes, evening schedules, and the distance between their likely residence and major-specific buildings when evaluating fit.

Location & Surroundings

SCAD Savannah is integrated into the fabric of Savannah rather than concentrated behind campus gates. The university reports nearly 70 historic and renovated facilities across its largest location. This arrangement gives students direct access to the city’s architecture, public spaces, galleries, cultural events, and tourism economy, but it also makes route planning part of everyday student life. Many facilities sit in or near the historic downtown area, while some specialized spaces, residences, and athletic facilities are farther away. SCAD’s Bee Line bus network, SafeRide service, bike-share program, and registered student parking help connect these locations. Students bringing a car must register it with the university, while those relying on buses should examine current routes and operating times in relation to their class schedules. Savannah is a coastal Georgia city with a warm climate and a visually distinctive historic district. For creative students, the urban setting can function as subject matter and professional context, particularly in architecture, preservation, film, photography, and design. The tradeoff is that this is a city-based experience: noise, tourism, weather, transportation time, and off-campus living costs may matter more than at a compact residential campus. A visit should include both academic buildings and likely housing areas.

Costs & Career Outcomes

For 2026–2027, SCAD lists full-time undergraduate tuition of $42,975 for three quarters and 45 credit hours. Its estimated undergraduate cost of attendance for a student in SCAD housing is $67,386, including estimated food and housing, transportation, books and supplies, miscellaneous personal expenses, and federal loan fees. The corresponding graduate estimate is $68,526, with $43,965 in tuition. These are planning estimates rather than a guaranteed bill, and studio materials, equipment choices, travel, health coverage, and housing selection can change actual spending. SCAD publishes institutional scholarships based on academic achievement, overall achievement, and other qualifications. Portfolios may strengthen scholarship consideration even though they are not required for undergraduate admission. U.S. citizens and eligible noncitizens seeking federal aid should follow the 2026–2027 FAFSA process; international students must plan without U.S. federal or state aid. Students should compare grants and scholarships with the full multiyear cost, renewal conditions, and any effect of moving out of SCAD housing. Career support includes an assigned career adviser, résumé and portfolio guidance, interview preparation, job and internship listings, workshops, and recruitment events. SCAD reports that a 2026 institutional study found 99% of recent graduates were employed, pursuing further education, or both within 12 months. This is a combined outcome produced by SCAD, not a salary measure or a guarantee of field-specific employment. Prospective students should request the underlying report and seek program-level outcomes, internship access, debt estimates, and starting-pay evidence when judging return on investment.