Frequently asked questions

Access the online application at scad.edu/apply.

SCAD is a test-optional university, meaning students may choose to submit test scores for the SAT/ACT if available, but applications from students without test scores will also be considered. The lack of test scores will not impact the university’s evaluation of a student’s application or scholarship consideration. For students who choose to send scores, applications should use SAT code 5631 or ACT code 0855 on the test forms.

Students may also choose to submit AP test scores for college credit. The code to have AP scores sent to SCAD is 5631.

Transfer students have the opportunity to bring up to two years of college credit from another institution to SCAD. Once a student applies, he or she should send official transcripts from every college attended to his or her admission adviser. The adviser will have the transcripts evaluated, and a transfer credit report will be made within two weeks after an admission decision has been made. In addition, the transfer adviser will work with the applicants to decide which classes to take at their local college that will transfer to SCAD. Transfer evaluations are done on a course-by-course basis.

After a student is accepted, transfer advisers review transcripts to determine which classes have the potential to transfer to SCAD. Once the review is complete, students are emailed the transcript evaluation. A maximum of 90 quarter hours of undergraduate credit for a bachelor's degree may be given for courses appropriate to respective curriculum. Only grades of 2.0 (C) or better for undergraduate credit may be transferred.

SCAD offers rolling admission and accepts applications year-round for all quarters, so there are no firm deadlines to apply. However, students should apply at least six months in advance and no later than 30 days prior to the start of the quarter they wish to start. New students may begin study at the beginning of any quarter. Fall quarter is the most popular starting quarter, as it has the most new students and course offerings. Early application is encouraged if you wish to enroll in fall quarter. An I-20 application for a student visa to SCAD Savannah and SCAD Atlanta may be issued only after a student has been accepted and has provided the required certification of financial documentation.

The GRE code is 5631.

Upon acceptance, transfer students work with transfer advisers in the admission department to determine how earned college credit may apply toward degree requirements at SCAD and to register for first-quarter classes. Enrolled transfer students are assigned a student success adviser and a faculty adviser appropriate to their chosen major. They are required to meet with their student success adviser their first quarter of enrollment and once a year thereafter. Transfer students also should meet with their faculty adviser on a quarterly basis.

We do not have a language/math course requirement. Whatever the student's high school requires of them to graduate, we will accept.

Once you have applied, a team of admission advisers is available to assist you and answer questions about financial aid and scholarships. Transfer advisers are available to address questions regarding transfer credit.

Students commit to attend the university by paying their US$500 nonrefundable enrollment fee. This fee can be paid online, by check or money order. Students who have paid this fee will automatically be assigned classes prior to their enrollment term. Students are strongly encouraged to have a financial plan in place to cover the cost of attendance at SCAD before committing to enrollment.

Students can be admitted to multiple graduate degree or major programs that could be considered a double major or dual major. In order to be admitted to multiple degree programs or multiple majors, students must submit the application materials appropriate to both programs; however, only one admission application is required. Students who don't apply for both programs through admission may do so after enrollment through the graduate studies office. Admission to multiple programs will lengthen your time at SCAD. Admission to multiple programs is not guaranteed.

Yes. A certificate of General Educational Development from the American Council of Education is considered equivalent to a diploma from a U.S. high school.

Students who have dual citizenship are considered U.S. citizens regardless of where they live or what their other legal citizenship is. They should apply as domestic students.

Yes. The International Student Services Office (ISSO) staff addresses questions concerning academics, university life, cross-cultural issues, employment, health care, housing, safety, immigration, insurance, scholarships, taxes, travel, and personal matters. Learn more about international student life. 

All applicants may submit supplementary materials to enhance their admission files. Applicants whose high school or secondary school grade-point average is below 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) or who did not score at least 1080 on the SAT (math and reading only) or at least 21 on the ACT are strongly encouraged to submit supplementary materials, such as a portfolio, audition or writing submission, recommendations, statement of purpose, résumé/list of achievements and awards, and personal or telephone interview. These items will enhance your application and give the committee a better understanding of what type of student you will be if accepted to SCAD.

The Master of Arts is a minimum of 45 hours of study. It does not usually include a field internship or a thesis. The Master of Fine Arts, a minimum of 90 hours of study, is often a terminal degree for that program. This means that there is not a degree that goes higher than an M.F.A. within this specific program of study. Students will be completing a thesis and internship; plus, they will have more classes concentrated within that program. With the M.F.A. they will also have the ability to teach at the college level.

You may pay the enrollment fee online or through your MyAdmission portal.

Transfer credit at SCAD is evaluated on a course-by-course basis, so associate's degrees may or may not fulfill the first two years of a student's course of study at SCAD.

Yes. You can find the Common App at scad.edu/apply. Students submitting the Common App will still have to pay the $100 application fee. Additionally, the Common App is also integrated with SlideRoom. If students choose to submit a portfolio, they are redirected to SlideRoom, where they can submit the portfolio through the Common App Undergraduate Portfolio category. The SlideRoom fee (whether they go through the Common App or the SCAD website) is $10.

SCAD automatically registers incoming students for first-quarter classes after the enrollment fee has been paid. Class schedules can be viewed in MySCAD prior to the start of the quarter. Schedules are tentative and subject to change. Students will have the opportunity to make changes if needed.

A typical first-term first-year schedule includes three classes and usually consists of a general education lecture course (such as English, Communication, Art History etc.) and two foundation studies studio courses (such as Drawing, 2-D or 3-D Design, Color Theory, etc.) All first-term first-year students will also be registered for First Year Experience, a course designed to assist students in becoming acclimated to university life at SCAD.

If you are admitted to an M.F.A. program and have earned a prior M.A. at SCAD, the office of graduate studies will consult with your department to determine if any prior coursework can be used as transfer credit in a new program. A maximum of 20 credits may be considered.

View a detailed itemization of SCAD tuition and fees. A budget planning guide is also available to review the total cost of attendance.

Review upcoming payment schedule dates.

Incoming undergraduate students, including international students, are automatically reviewed for academic scholarships after they have been accepted to SCAD. Academic scholarships are based upon a student's GPA. Admitted students who have submitted a résumé/list of achievements and/or a portfolio are also reviewed for achievement scholarships. Students are highly encouraged to submit both. U.S. students who submit a FAFSA and complete the financial aid process with SCAD will be considered for need­-based grants and scholarships.

Graduate students do not need to apply for new student scholarships from SCAD. Graduate students are automatically reviewed for merit­based scholarships at the time of admission.

Review SCAD scholarship opportunities for additional information. If you have questions about a specific scholarship listed, please contact your admission adviser. We also encourage all students to apply for scholarships from sources outside the university. There are many ways to find opportunities; SCAD also provides resources to help you in your search for outside scholarships.

Students without a valid credit or debit card may mail a check, money order, or wire transfer for US$100 to SCAD Admission Department, P.O. Box 2072, Savannah, GA, 31402-2072 USA.

While not required of most applicants, submission of GRE scores is strongly encouraged for applicants to architectural history, art history, and creative business leadership. Additionally, if your undergraduate program doesn't meet certain requirements regarding accreditation and/or approval by the U.S. Department of Education, GRE scores may be required. Discuss this with your admission adviser to undertand the requirements you must meet.

Transfer students are eligible for scholarships based on academic and/or artistic achievements. SCAD also offers a limited number of need-based scholarships.

In addition, transfer students may qualify for the transfer scholarship, a $20,000-per-year scholarship awarded to a limited number of accepted transfer students who demonstrate outstanding academic achievement and have excelled in the areas of art, design, riding, or writing. Minimum requirements include 45 quarter hours or 27 semester hours of college-level coursework with a cumulative grade-point average of 3.75 or better on a 4.0 scale, demonstration of outstanding leadership potential, and documentation of extracurricular activities, honors, and awards. In addition, a portfolio, audition, riding, or writing submission is required and must be judged to be of excellent quality by the Admission Review Committee.

Yes, SCAD welcomes home-schooled students. Review our first-year admission information for more details about this admission option and to apply as an incoming first-year student.

A portfolio review may be required for transfer of specific studio courses during the student's first quarter of enrollment and for final determination of transfer credit. To receive specific studio course credit, students must follow the portfolio submission criteria and guidelines available from the admission office. Guidelines and criteria are also included with transfer credit evaluations. While the scholarship portfolio can be used, it may not necessarily prove competency in a specific studio course. Applicants should contact a transfer adviser in the admission department if they are planning to use a scholarship portfolio for transfer credit.

Transfer credit may be awarded to students who have already completed college-level courses. Credit is awarded only from accredited institutions or institutions recognized by the ministry of education or equivalent agency in the student's home country.

The university awards a maximum of two years worth of transfer credits to a student pursuing an undergraduate four-year bachelor's degree. Students must submit official transcripts from all prior universities in order to receive a transfer credit review. To ensure that the maximum amount is awarded, students should include course descriptions and syllabi from all classes they wish to transfer. Additionally, a portfolio review may be required to award transfer credit for drawing, painting, or other studio coursework.

While your bachelor's degree may be in an unrelated field, your portfolio should be specific to the intended course of graduate study. The portfolio guidelines are specific to each graduate program. If you are not sure you can put together an appropriate body of work for a graduate program, you may want to consider applying as a nondegree-seeking student or a transfer student. Learn more about graduate portfolio submissions at scad.edu/admission/portfolio-and-writing-guidelines/graduate-portfolios.

Students with credits that may be transferable to SCAD (such as AP or IB exam results, dual­enrolled college courses, CLEP, etc.), should submit their official transcripts and/or scores to SCAD for evaluation. Scores should be submitted as soon as possible to ensure appropriate course registration.

SCAD uses the standards established by the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers to determine the equivalent academic achievement of a bachelor's degree. Transcripts are evaluated to determine the conferment of bachelor's degrees from institutions that are recognized by the ministry of education or equivalent agency in the applicant's home country. Course content is evaluated by comparing the curricula of other institutions with that of SCAD and assessing whether or not foundation studies, general education and major discipline courses are comparable to those offered at SCAD. Level of instruction is evaluated by comparing the percentage of faculty at other institutions who hold graduate and terminal degrees with the percentage of faculty at SCAD who hold graduate and terminal degrees.

Information regarding these examinations, including testing dates and fees, is available online. When you take the test, request that your score be sent directly to SCAD. SCAD's TOEFL institution code is 5631.

• TOEFL
• IELTS
• ACTFL
• PTE Academic

TOEFL scores can be up to two years old. If you have scores older than that, you must retake the test or provide alternate proof of English proficiency.

Applicants who don't have a major specific portfolio would have to apply as a transfer student or nondegree-seeking student. A major-specific portfolio is a requirement to be considered for graduate admission. If a student has a major-specific portfolio that would not qualify for regular graduate acceptance, then the faculty does have a limited number of undergraduate conditional courses that can be assigned instead of or in addition to any intensive course requirements.

If you start the application but do not complete it, it will not be saved and you will have to start over from the beginning. If you complete the application and submit without paying the $100 application fee, you will receive an email with portal instructions, but you will not be assigned to an admission adviser. The only way to get an admission adviser is to complete the application in its entirety and pay the $100 fee.

A maximum of 20 quarter hours of graduate academic credit toward a 90-­quarter-­hour graduate degree may be given for courses appropriate to the SCAD curriculum. Only graduate courses with grades of at least a 3.0 (B) taken at institutions with a level of graduate instruction comparable to that of SCAD may be transferred. Prior to the end of the first quarter of enrollment, students must submit to the admission office official transcripts, course descriptions, a portfolio or, in the case of a lecture class, projects and papers, and a written request for transfer credit review for the course(s) under consideration for transfer. Materials are reviewed to determine if the work is comparable to that which would earn at least a 3.0 in a SCAD graduate­-level class. Transfer credit appears on the transcript as such and is not calculated in the student's grade point average.

For the 45-hour M.A. graduate degree, we can accept a maximum of ten hours of academic credit for courses appropriate to the SCAD curriculum. For the 90-hour M.F.A. graduate degree, however, a maximum of 20 quarters hours of graduate academic credit may be given for courses appropriate to the SCAD curriculum. Only graduate courses with grades of at least a 3.0 (B) taken at institutions with a level of graduate course content and level of instruction comparable to that of SCAD may be transferred. Graduate transfer credit can only be considered after a student has been accepted to a SCAD graduate program.

Because of U.S. government restrictions, international students are not eligible for U.S. financial aid in the form of personal grants, loans, or work-study funds, but university-funded work-study jobs are available at some locations. SCAD offers some scholarships for international students; however, these do not fully cover the cost of tuition or living expenses. International students must have sufficient financial resources for the full course of study.

Find step-by-step instructions on how to apply for financial aid.

Undergraduate students who are Georgia residents may also apply for Georgia aid. Complete information is available at gafutures.org.

SCADnow courses stream in real-time and are accessible anytime, allowing students to digitally connect to their studies according to their own distinct schedules. Like eLearning, SCADnow allows for asynchronous engagement, but it also delivers real-time, virtual class sessions via Zoom that are filled with dynamic lectures, demonstrations, critiques, collaborations, professional guests, and more. Students who are unable to join live may continue to log in based on their availability to watch the recorded lectures, engage with academic content, fulfill the grading requirements, and earn attendance as they did in eLearning courses. 

All SCADnow classes follow the same academic calendar as the Savannah and Atlanta locations. The program of study is the same, and many of the same faculty who teach at the Savannah and Atlanta locations also teach online. Learn more about SCADnow online.

Learn more about your financial aid options including scholarships, loans, grants and alternative funding.

A portfolio is not required for undergraduate admission, but you are encouraged to submit one for scholarship consideration. It does not have to be related to your intended major and should consist of your very best work. Learn more about portfolio guidelines.  

The SCAD Language Studio provides English as a second language instruction appropriate to varied student needs, levels, and proficiencies. Learn more by visiting the SCAD Language Studio.  

At the graduate level we offer graduate and dean's fellowships. To be considered for a graduate fellowship, applicants must present a cumulative undergraduate grade-point average of at least 3.3 (on a four-point scale), and must submit a superior-quality portfolio and statement of purpose. To be considered for a dean's fellowship, applicants must present a cumulative undergraduate grade-point average of at least 3.5 (on a four-point scale), and must submit a superior-quality portfolio and statement of purpose. Teaching and field internships are available for college credit. For more details, visit scad.edu/admission/financial-aid-and-scholarships/scholarships/incoming-students.

Although a portfolio is not required for undergraduate admission, a portfolio and/or a résumé/list of achievements is required for achievement scholarship consideration. SCAD accepts several types of portfolios, including visual art, time-based media, writing, equestrian, and acting. Undergraduate portfolios do not have to be specific to an intended program of study at SCAD; students may select the type of portfolio that they feel will allow them to present their best work.

Learn more about portfolio types, tips on how to prepare a portfolio, and submission guidelines. Students should submit their portfolios online via SlideRoom. A fee of US$10 is charged by SlideRoom for each portfolio submission.

Once you have paid the nonrefundable US$500 enrollment fee, SCAD will create your MySCAD student account. MySCAD is a web portal that allows you to access your courses, resources and other important enrollment information. Upon account creation, SCAD will send you instructions on how to log in to your MySCAD account with your personal identification number.

In Savannah, winter temperatures average 49 degrees Fahrenheit, summer temperatures average 82 degrees, and average rainfall is 49 inches. In Atlanta, winter temperatures average 41 degrees Fahrenheit, summer temperatures average 79 degrees, and average rainfall is 51 inches.

Find complete information about the incoming student housing application process.

Review the user guide on setting housing preferences in the incoming student housing application.

Applicants can access the online application checklist by logging into MyAdmission at myadmission.scad.edu. Here, applicants can also contact their admission adviser with specific questions.

Housing costs vary depending on the type of residence hall you live in. You can see a breakdown of housing costs at scad.edu/tuition or within each residence hall description available at scad.edu/life/residence-life/residence-halls.

Find step-by-step instructions about the incoming student housing application process.

There are a variety of meal plans to choose from at a range of costs. You can view your options and pricing at scad.edu/life/dining/meal-plans.

Applicants may submit the writing section of the SAT as part of their application file; however, at this time, we do not consider the writing score when reviewing for admission.

We give admission preference to students with a grade-point average of 3.0 or above. We encourage all students to apply, however. If your grade-point average falls below the recommended SCAD average, you can submit supplemental items to help strengthen your overall file, such as a résumé, letters of recommendation, and a statement of purpose.

SCAD is a test-optional university, meaning students may choose to submit test scores for the SAT/ACT if available, but applications from students without test scores will also be considered. The lack of test scores will not impact the university’s evaluation of a student’s application or scholarship consideration. Review the admission requirements for first-year students.

Many of the undergraduate majors offered at SCAD complement each other, and students may choose to earn a double major. With careful course selection and financial planning, students can double-major without substantially prolonging their programs of study. Students who put forth that extra effort gain credentials and expertise that may be invaluable to their careers.

Visual portfolios should include between 10 to 20 pieces of a student's best work. See the full list of visual portfolio guidelines at scad.edu/admission/portfolio-and-writing-guidelines.

Applicants may submit a visual portfolio, a writing portfolio, a riding portfolio or an audition. Portfolios should be uploaded to scad.slideroom.com. Please review the portfolio guidelines for additional information at scad.edu/portfolio.

Yes, we accept dual-enrollment credits. If the student hasn't graduated from high school but has taken college coursework, he or she will still apply as a first-year student, but the college transcripts will be reviewed for credit after he or she has applied and has been assigned to an adviser.

Acceptance into graduate programs at SCAD is based heavily on the portfolio. Unlike undergraduate portfolios, graduate program portfolios are required for acceptance and must be program-specific. Each program has its preferred types of portfolios. To learn more, visit scad.edu/admission/portfolio-and-writing-guidelines/graduate-portfolios.

SCAD does not grant experiential credit; however, the university may recognize the following exams for credit: Advanced Placement (AP), A-level (including British A-level/AS-level and Hong Kong A-level/AS-level), Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination, College-Level Examination Program, Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support/DANTES Subject Standardized Tests, International Baccalaureate (IB), French Baccalaureate and German Abitur. Credit is awarded on a selective basis.

Undergraduate and graduate courses are taught on the quarter system, with each course carrying five hours of college credit. Students normally enroll in three courses each quarter, spending 15 to 20 hours per week in class and at least 15 to 20 hours per week working on assignments outside class. The normal academic year includes three quarters. Students may enroll in the summer quarter as well; however, course offerings may be limited.