radredhead

Go with SFAI in my opinion. SVA is a good program (I work there), but it is expensive, you will have tons of debt and from what i understand the curatorial job market is extremely oversaturated. With SFAI you will have less debt and a more academic background. Also, that musuem/gallery experience is vital in being able to get a job. 
 
Both programs are good though! And you will get a similar experience at either. 

So I received my funding info from my top choice MA program, Bard CCS, and they are only offering 10k a year. I have a fully funded offer at UC Irvine, by far a less known program, but the faculty is great. I didn't like the feel of UCI when I visited, would probably have to be a commuter student, and I don't really want to live in Los Angeles/SoCal anymore. However, I already have debt from undergrad and I think taking out the loans to attend Bard would be very irresponsible. I'm trying to follow up with them on any kind of appeals or discretionary funding, but I know their endowment is really bad and anticipated this being an issue (though I was hoping to receive about 20k since I've heard people have sometimes received about 50% of tuition.)
What would be your advice in this situation? Another possibility was turning down every offer and apply to CUNY Hunter or Williams. Unfortunately, I have not taken the GRE (no one required it?) and I'm an extremely poor standardized test-taker. I also am not fluent in any foreign languages and fear my Spanish isn't good enough to pass the language requirement, and it has little relevance to the type of art I want to work with (contemporary new media & performance.) There's the risk I wouldn't get accepted at all, even though I know I am a good candidate apart from these snags.
 

Decent FAQ on the federal website:
http://loanconsolidation.ed.gov/help/faq.html
But this is especially good information for graduate students:
4. Can I consolidate a PLUS Loan?
Yes, PLUS Loans can be consolidated into a Direct Consolidation Loan. However, if you consolidate a parent PLUS loan, your new Direct Consolidation Loan cannot be repaid under the IBR Plan.
It's hard to afford an MA without the PLUS loan. Hopefully PhD candidates are luckier!
 

Decent FAQ on the federal website:
http://loanconsolidation.ed.gov/help/faq.html
But this is especially good information for graduate students:
4. Can I consolidate a PLUS Loan?
Yes, PLUS Loans can be consolidated into a Direct Consolidation Loan. However, if you consolidate a parent PLUS loan, your new Direct Consolidation Loan cannot be repaid under the IBR Plan.
It's hard to afford an MA without the PLUS loan. Hopefully PhD candidates are luckier!
 

Again, just airing it out into the world, here's an official calculator.  You can even log into the website, and it'll automatically import your loan numbers in.
https://studentloans.gov/myDirectLoan/mobile/repayment/repaymentEstimator.action
 

I have no stake in this conversation, but I thought it might be worth airing that there is an easier-to-gain repayment plan (at least easier than PAYE) called REPAYE.
https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/about/announcements/repaye
It's not quite as good as PAYE, but it's probably better than IBR.

I'm sorry, but I REALLY disagree with this advice. From first hand experience coming from a low-income family (I did undergrad on the max. amount pell grant & other forms of aid,) banking on IBR and PAYE is not a fail-safe for your future. Your income tax bracket determines if you qualify for IBR, and if you get married & file jointly it will be an even lower threshold of income to qualify for this payment plan. Some private companies do not allow forbearance or deferment even in the event of unemployment. Graduated payment plans are only a temporary relief. The 10 year forgiveness for working at a non-profit requires consecutive payments. Qualifying for this is very uncommon and realistically, you will not be consistently employed for this period of time. It is also much more likely for government sectors than an "typical" non-profit. Student loans are real shit. They are not something to ignore now and figure out down the road. I would call your financial aid office and potential lender and get all the facts before trusting someone on a message forum, even me.

I'm sorry, but I REALLY disagree with this advice. From first hand experience coming from a low-income family (I did undergrad on the max. amount pell grant & other forms of aid,) banking on IBR and PAYE is not a fail-safe for your future. Your income tax bracket determines if you qualify for IBR, and if you get married & file jointly it will be an even lower threshold of income to qualify for this payment plan. Some private companies do not allow forbearance or deferment even in the event of unemployment. Graduated payment plans are only a temporary relief. The 10 year forgiveness for working at a non-profit requires consecutive payments. Qualifying for this is very uncommon and realistically, you will not be consistently employed for this period of time. It is also much more likely for government sectors than an "typical" non-profit. Student loans are real shit. They are not something to ignore now and figure out down the road. I would call your financial aid office and potential lender and get all the facts before trusting someone on a message forum, even me.

I have nothing to say about the IFA MA itself, but I just want to correct some assumptions about the way IBR works. After the forgiveness period, when your loan is "forgiven," every dollar that is forgiven counts as "income" for that year's tax bill. If you are paying IBR rates, you are barely making a dent in the interest, and hardly touching the principal at all, so you can expect your $100,000 loan amount (if you took out loans for the $32-something-k a year tuition, plus living expenses in NY) to be significantly more than that. So if you're paying let's say a tax rate of 20%, all of a sudden you are expected to fork over $20,000 when you go to pay taxes when the debt is forgiven. I guess you can make a repayment deal with the IRS, and I suppose that's easier than trying to negotiate with collections, but idk man, it really seems irresponsible to say "you practically don't have to worry about your loan at all." 

I attended IFA, NYU as an MA student. 

They accept around 35% of applicants, including a sizeable degree of PhD rejects. There are about 40-45 MA students who attend per cohort, including the 6 conservation program admits, which have free tuition and a generous stipend, which is larger than most PhD  stipends each year, and the 2-4 library science students who earn a dual degree with Long Island University.
Yes, all unfunded MA programs are cash cows for PhD students and it's no surprise but that does not mean it's not worth attending this top tier program. This rings especially true if you're interested in museum work. If you are financially independent and by federal standards poor, you practically don't have to worry about your loan at all, especially for all the benefits you will gain attending this program. Through IBR and PAYE you'll be paying back the price of an expensive cellphone bill each month and if you work in non-profit upon graduating, your loan will be completely forgiven in ten years. On the flip side, if your family is forking over the money and your goals can be met by attending this program, by all means attend.
First of all, it’s clear upon the first day of classes that IFA thought very carefully about who they were accepting, even MAs. The concentrations in which people want to specialize are shockingly diverse. Furthermore, out of the 40 students, these students have very different goals. And keep in mind, at least 6 of them are going to take conservation jobs, 2-4 are interested in art libraries, and a surprising chunk are interested in art education. 
Once you really narrow it down to your interests and who shares them, the competition suddenly seems less scary. You realize by attending IFA you are automatically THE national, if not international competition, in comparison with so many programs.
I never had trouble getting into a seminar or colloquium I applied to and neither did anyone in my cohort that I ever spoke to.
If you are passionate, well-versed in, and love what you do, you will get those internships, jobs, conference spots, and fellowships. I’m living proof. You’ll get some job e-mails from NYU every once in awhile looking for part-time professors, which are only reserved for PhD students but who cares? If you think you’re not the type of person to achieve these things, then spend some time with yourself and make sure you have the drive to stand out or that your interests are niche enough to make what you do truly worthwhile.
You can go to Stony Brook, Tufts, or UT Austin but good luck getting the networking opportunities and job offers that an IFA MA graduate gets.
 

There's nothing wrong with disagreeing with someone or contradicting their point, but when you use their application status - a subject that could already be a source of dejection - as a means to personally attack them, that is when you've crossed the line. Let's all keep a civil tone here. Yes, there are many purposes to this forum, but overall, this should be a place of respectful dialogue and sharing - not shameless bickering that tears others down.

From my experience with V&CS and what admissions told me, they will offer you your merit scholarship upon acceptance. People who were called most likely received that funding. If you were accepted via email/post without any mention of scholarship, you probably didn't receive one. There may be grants or work study in your FAFSA breakdown, though. And yes, most programs offer at least 1 full-ride. Hope this helps!

!!!!!!!! 
I just got an email from SAIC Visual & Critical Studies - Accepted !!!! Letter will come in the mail
So follow up with your school if you haven't heard yet and it's been a while - sounds like they are still making moves! 

!!!!!!!! 
I just got an email from SAIC Visual & Critical Studies - Accepted !!!! Letter will come in the mail
So follow up with your school if you haven't heard yet and it's been a while - sounds like they are still making moves! 

!!!!!!!! 
I just got an email from SAIC Visual & Critical Studies - Accepted !!!! Letter will come in the mail
So follow up with your school if you haven't heard yet and it's been a while - sounds like they are still making moves! 

Updates on SAIC & UC Irvine:
SAIC - Visual and Critical Studies - decisions will be out within the next 2 weeks
UC Irvine - MFA studio art is in their interview process & notifications going out soon. MFA Critical & Curatorial Studies (what I applied to) had a deadline extended to March 1 and the graduate committee still needs to meet.