The Savannah Art School Field Guide
The questions you didn't know you needed to ask.
Choosing a creative college is only the beginning. From understanding the cost and finding your direction to navigating classes, Savannah, internships, and life after graduation, this guide helps students and families ask better questions—and find useful answers.
Start with the questions that matter
There is no single SCAD experience. The Field Guide brings together practical research and, as it grows, perspectives from students, families, alumni, and people who know the creative professions. Start with a question below or explore a full topic.
Nine ways into the SCAD experience
Follow your own questions, from your first college decision through the start of your creative career.
Ten questions worth asking first
Open a question for a starting answer, then follow its topic link for the deeper guide.
1. Is SCAD really the right college for me?
SCAD may be a strong fit if you want an education centered on making, critique, revision, and sustained creative work. The question is not simply whether you enjoy art or design; it is whether you want to develop that interest through demanding projects, collaboration, deadlines, and professional expectations. Compare programs and student work, investigate your intended major, talk with current students, and consider the financial commitment alongside your other options.
2. What will SCAD actually cost my family—and is it worth it?
Begin with the full cost of attendance, not just published tuition. Housing, meals, supplies, technology, transportation, and personal spending can materially change the budget. Then subtract only aid you can reasonably expect to receive, distinguishing grants and scholarships from loans. The value question is personal: assess the quality of your program, likely debt, family resources, and the professional experiences you will actively pursue.
3. How hard is SCAD, and what is the workload really like?
SCAD operates on a quarter system, so classes and projects move quickly. Studio work can require many hours outside scheduled meetings, particularly when several deadlines arrive together. Expect critique, revision, research, and production—not just attendance. Before registering, look at course requirements, build a weekly work plan, and ask experienced students how they manage overlapping studio commitments.
4. What if I'm creative but don't know what I want to major in?
You do not need to have every professional ambition settled before exploring SCAD, but you do need a plan for investigating your options. Foundation work, introductory courses, student projects, faculty conversations, and exposure to other disciplines can help reveal what you enjoy doing repeatedly—not merely what looks exciting from the outside. Pay attention to portfolio requirements and course sequencing before changing direction.
5. Where should I live, and what is life in SCAD housing really like?
Housing decisions affect your daily schedule, social life, transportation, and budget. Compare residence halls and off-campus options using total cost, proximity to classes, roommate arrangements, meal access, and the practical realities of getting around Savannah. A convenient location can matter more than it first appears when you are carrying materials or working late on a project.
6. What do students wish they'd known before their first quarter?
The first quarter often involves learning several systems at once: registration, building locations, transportation, supplies, software, and the rhythm of critiques and deadlines. Students benefit from asking for help early, locating academic and personal support, and budgeting time before projects become urgent. Make a short list of essential contacts and logistics before classes begin, then refine it as you learn what your own routine requires.
7. Will I find friends, fit in, and feel like I belong?
Creative schools bring together people with different backgrounds, disciplines, and personalities. Finding your people may take more than the first week. Classes, clubs, collaborative projects, residence communities, and shared interests offer multiple ways to build connections. If you feel isolated or overwhelmed, campus support services are part of the experience, not a last resort. Belonging usually grows through repeated participation.
8. What's it really like to live in Savannah as a SCAD student?
Savannah can be an inspiring setting for a creative education, but it is also a working city with weather, transportation, housing, and safety considerations. Think about how far you will travel between classes, where you will shop and eat, and how you will move around at night or in heavy rain. Exploring neighborhoods and everyday routines will tell you more than a weekend visit alone.
9. How do SCAD students actually find internships and professional opportunities?
Internships rarely appear simply because a student is enrolled. A useful search combines faculty guidance, career resources, portfolio preparation, alumni conversations, professional events, direct outreach, and persistent follow-up. Opportunities may be paid or unpaid, for credit or not, and available during different parts of the year. Start researching early so you understand deadlines and can build relevant work before applying.
10. Will SCAD help me build a successful creative career?
SCAD can provide instruction, feedback, facilities, peers, and connections, but no school can guarantee a particular career outcome. What matters is how you use the experience: developing strong work, seeking critique, learning to collaborate, pursuing real-world projects, and making relationships in your field. Evaluate the career path for your specific major, not a generalized promise about creative success.
Built to be useful. Designed to keep learning.
Independent by design
The Savannah Art School Field Guide is an independent resource, not an official publication of the Savannah College of Art and Design and not affiliated with or endorsed by SCAD. Information can change; verify deadlines, policies, fees, and requirements with the college before making important decisions.
Our goal is to make complicated choices easier to understand, with clear questions, substantive answers, and practical paths to deeper information.
Help make the guide better
Students, parents, alumni, faculty, and creative professionals can all contribute useful experience. Firsthand perspectives, corrections, and missing questions help the guide become more accurate and more valuable over time.
Specialists & Local Partners
We also welcome relevant professionals and Savannah-area organizations that serve the SCAD community. Paid participation and professional visibility are distinct from independent editorial answers; they do not purchase editorial conclusions.