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The best art schools worldwide

27 January - 2023
by Vincent Moleveld
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Choosing the right art school to attend can be a challenging task, as there are many excellent institutions worldwide that offer top-notch education in the arts. To help make the decision easier, I have compiled a list of well-known and reputable art schools from around the world. These schools are known for their high-quality education, diverse program offerings, and notable alumni. 


Africa

Michaelis School of Fine Art, Cape Town, South Africa - Founded in 1871

The school's website is: https://www.michaelis.uct.ac.za/

The University of Witwatersrand School of Arts, Johannesburg, South Africa - Founded in 1922

The school's website is: https://www.wits.ac.za/faculties/humanities/schools/arts/

The Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa - Founded in 1902

The school's website is: https://www.dut.ac.za/faculties/arts/

The ENSBA (Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts) Algiers, Algeria - Founded in 1843

The school's website is: https://www.ensba-alger.dz/

The Faculty of Fine Arts, Alexandria University, Egypt - Founded in 1942

The school's website is: http://finearts.alexu.edu.eg/

The School of Fine Arts and Design, Tunis, Tunisia - Founded in 1968

The school's website is: https://www.fsed.rnu.tn/

Asia

Tokyo University of the Arts, Japan - Founded in 1887

The school's website is: https://www.geidai.ac.jp/

Central Academy of Fine Arts, China - Founded in 1949

The school's website is: http://www.cafa.edu.cn/

Seoul National University of Arts, South Korea - Founded in 1941

The school's website is: https://www.snua.ac.kr/

National Taiwan University of Arts, Taiwan - Founded in 1951

The school's website is: https://www.ntua.edu.tw/

Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, India - Founded in 1985

The school's website is: http://ignca.nic.in/

Faculty of Fine Arts, Chiang Mai University, Thailand - Founded in 1967

The school's website is: https://www.faf.cmu.ac.th/

Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Indonesia, Indonesia - Founded in 1950

The school's website is: https://www.fibui.ac.id/

Oceania

National Art School, Sydney, Australia - Founded in 1835

The school's website is: https://www.nas.edu.au/

Victorian College of the Arts, Melbourne, Australia - Founded in 1856

The school's website is: https://vca.unimelb.edu.au/

Elam School of Fine Arts, New Zealand - Founded in 1882

The school's website is: https://www.elam.ac.nz/

Europe

We have divided the school in Europe per country, because the list is long.

United Kingdom 

Royal Academy of Arts, London - Founded in 1768

The school's website is: https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/

Slade School of Fine Art, London - Founded in 1871

The school's website is: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/slade

Goldsmiths, University of London - Founded in 1891 

The school's website is: https://www.gold.ac.uk/

Royal College of Art, London - Founded in 1837

The school's website is: https://www.rca.ac.uk/

Glasgow School of Art, Glasgow - Founded in 1845

The school's website is: https://www.gsa.ac.uk/

Germany 

Städelschule, Frankfurt - Founded in 1817

The school's website is: https://www.staedelschule.de/

Berlin University of the Arts (UdK), Berlin - Founded in 1848

The school's website is: https://www.udk-berlin.de/

Academy of Fine Arts, Munich (Akademie der Bildenden Künste München) - Founded in 1808

The school's website is: https://www.adbk.de/

Hochschule für bildende Künste Hamburg (HFBK Hamburg) - Founded in 1817

The school's website is: https://www.hfbk-hamburg.de/

Düsseldorf Academy of Fine Arts (Kunstakademie Düsseldorf) - Founded in 1762

The school's website is: https://www.kunstakademie-duesseldorf.de/

France

École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs (ENSAD), Paris - Founded in 1766

The school's website is: https://www.ensad.fr/

École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts (ENSBA), Paris - Founded in 1793

The school's website is: https://www.ensba.fr/

École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Visuels de La Cambre (ENSAV), Brussels - Founded in 1843

The school's website is: https://www.lacambre.be/

École Nationale Supérieure des Arts et Techniques du Théâtre (ENSATT), Lyon - Founded in 1827

The school's website is: https://www.ensatt.fr/

École Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs (ESAD), Strasbourg - Founded in 1875

The school's website is: https://www.esad-strasbourg.fr/

Italy 

Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze  -Founded in 1563

The school's website is: https://www.accademia.org/

Scuola Normale di Pisa - Founded in 1810

The school's website is: https://www.sns.it/

Accademia di Belle Arti di Napoli - Founded in 1752

The school's website is: https://www.accademiabelleartinapoli.it/

Accademia di Belle Arti di Bologna - Founded in 1803

The school's website is: https://www.accademiabelleartibologna.it/

Accademia di Belle Arti di Roma - Founded in 1803

The school's website is: https://www.accademiabelleartiroma.it/

The Netherlands 

Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten - Founded in 1870

The school's website is: https://www.rijksakademie.nl/en

Gerrit Rietveld Academie - Founded in 1924

The school's website is: https://www.gerritrietveldacademie.nl/en

Royal Academy of Art, The Hague - Founded in 1682

The school's website is: https://www.kabk.nl/en

Utrecht School of the Arts - Founded in 1636

The school's website is: https://www.hku.nl/english

ArtEZ University of the Arts - Founded in 1875

The school's website is: https://www.artez.nl/en

Belgium

Koninklijke Academie voor Schone Kunsten van België (Royal Academy of Fine Arts of Belgium) - Founded in 1711

The school's website is: https://www.kask.be/en

LUCA School of Arts - Founded in 1752

The school's website is: https://www.luca-arts.be/en

École Supérieure des Arts Saint-Luc de Liège - Founded in 1868

The school's website is: https://www.saintluc.be/en

Austria 

University of Applied Arts Vienna (Die Angewandte) - Founded in 1867

The school's website is: https://www.dieangewandte.at/en/

Academy of Fine Arts Vienna (Akademie der bildenden Künste Wien) - Founded in 1867

The school's website is: https://www.akbild.ac.at/en/

Linz School of Arts (Arts University Linz) - Founded in 1867

The school's website is: https://www.ufg.at/

Scandinavia

Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Stockholm, Sweden - Founded in 1735

The school's website is: https://www.konstfack.se/en/

The Academy of Fine Arts, Helsinki, Finland - Founded in 1848

The school's website is: https://www.kuva.fi/en

The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, Copenhagen, Denmark - Founded in 1754

The school's website is: https://www.kadk.dk/en

Bergen Academy of Art and Design, Bergen, Norway - Founded in 1844

The school's website is: https://www.khib.no/en/

Iceland Academy of the Arts, Reykjavik, Iceland - Founded in 1980

The school's website is: https://www.lhi.is/en/

Russia

St. Petersburg State Academic Institute of Fine Arts, Sculpture and Architecture - Founded in 1757

The school's website is: https://www.spbgasu.ru/

Moscow State Academic Art Institute - Founded in 1757

The school's website is: https://www.mgshi.ru/

Surikov Moscow State Academy Art Institute - Founded in 1832

The school's website is: https://surikov-art.ru/

United states

Parsons School of Design, New York

Parsons School of Design, New York - Founded in 1896, Parsons is a leading art and design school with a strong focus on fashion, graphic design, and interior design. The school offers undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as a variety of continuing education classes. Parsons has a diverse student body and is known for its innovative approach to art and design education.

The school's website is: https://www.newschool.edu/parsons/

Yale School of Art, New Haven

Yale School of Art, New Haven - Established in 1869, Yale School of Art is one of the oldest and most prestigious art schools in the United States. The school offers programs in graphic design, painting/printmaking, photography, and sculpture, as well as a joint program with the School of Architecture. Yale has a strong focus on studio work and critical studies, and its alumni include many notable artists and designers.

The school's website is: https://art.yale.edu/

Rhode Island School of Design, Providence

Rhode Island School of Design, Providence - Founded in 1877, RISD is a top-ranked art and design school known for its strong programs in fine arts, graphic design, and industrial design. The school has a diverse student body and a rigorous curriculum that emphasizes both traditional and new media. RISD has a strong reputation for preparing students for professional careers in the art and design fields.

The school's website is: https://www.risd.edu/

School of the Art Institute of Chicago 

School of the Art Institute of Chicago - Founded in 1866, SAIC is a world-renowned art and design school that offers programs in fine arts, architecture, design, and art education. The school has a diverse student body and is known for its interdisciplinary approach to art and design education. SAIC is also home to a museum and galleries that showcase the work of students, faculty, and other artists.

The school's website is: https://www.saic.edu/

California Institute of the Arts, Valencia

California Institute of the Arts, Valencia - Founded in 1961 by Walt Disney, CalArts is a leading art and design school that offers programs in fine arts, film, animation, and theater. The school has a diverse student body and is known for its interdisciplinary approach to art and design education. CalArts has produced many notable alumni in the entertainment industry.

The school's website is: https://calarts.edu/

Art Center College of Design, Pasadena 

Art Center College of Design, Pasadena - Founded in 1930, Art Center is a top-ranked art and design school that offers programs in fine arts, graphic design, industrial design, and transportation design. The school has a diverse student body and a rigorous curriculum that emphasizes both traditional and new media. Art Center is known for its strong industry connections and preparing students for professional careers in the art and design fields.

The school's website is: https://www.artcenter.edu/

Cooper Union, New York

Cooper Union, New York - Founded in 1859, Cooper Union is a prestigious art, architecture and engineering school in New York City. It offers programs in fine arts, architecture, and engineering. The school is known for its rigorous curriculum and its commitment to providing a merit-based education to its students.

The school's website is: https://www.cooper.edu/

Pratt Institute, New York

Pratt Institute, New York - Founded in 1887, Pratt is a leading art and design school with a strong focus on architecture, interior design, and industrial design. The school offers undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as a variety of continuing education classes. Pratt has a diverse student body and is known for its innovative approach to art and design education.

The school's website is: https://www.pratt.edu/

Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore

Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore - Founded in 1826, MICA is one of the oldest art colleges in the United States. The school offers programs in fine arts, graphic design, and illustration. MICA has a strong focus on studio work and critical studies, and its alumni include many notable artists and designers.

The school's website is: https://www.mica.edu/

Columbia University School of the Arts, New York

Columbia University School of the Arts, New York - Founded in 1965, Columbia University School of the Arts is a graduate school that offers programs in film, visual arts, writing, and theatre. The school is known for its interdisciplinary approach to art and design education, and its students have access to the resources of one of the top universities in the world. The school also has a strong emphasis on critical studies and theory. Graduates of the school have gone on to successful careers in various fields including film, theatre, writing, and art.

The school's website is: https://arts.columbia.edu/

South America

Faculdade de Belas Artes, Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil - Founded in 1937

The school's website is: http://www.fba.usp.br/

Universidad de Chile, Chile - Founded in 1842

The school's website is: https://www.uchile.cl/

Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Colombia - Founded in 1867

The school's website is: https://www.unal.edu.co/

Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Ecuador - Founded in 1946

The school's website is: https://www.puce.edu.ec/

Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina - Founded in 1821

The school's website is: https://www.uba.ar/

Universidad de los Andes, Venezuela - Founded in 1785

The school's website is: https://www.ula.ve/

Universidad de Chile, Chile - Founded in 1842

The school's website is: https://www.uchile.cl/

Universidad de la República, Uruguay - Founded in 1849

The school's website is: https://www.udelar.edu.uy/

Universidad Nacional de la Plata, Argentina - Founded in 1876

The school's website is: https://www.unlp.edu.ar/

Universidad de Costa Rica, Costa Rica - Founded in 1843

The school's website is: https://www.ucr.ac.cr/


Please note that this list is not a comprehensive or definitive ranking of the best art schools worldwide. There are many other excellent art schools in the region that are not included here. Also, It is always recommended to check the school's website for the most accurate and up-to-date information!