Hi again, just saw this reddit post on r/gradschool that answers my question. Though I would repost here because there is a lot of, unusual, information on it.
To help those of you in application season: here is a frank list of MFA Fine Art degrees ranked by tuition and semi-informed opinion
Putting together some first-hand information gathered through the years on MFA in Fine Art programs in the US (in order of tuition expense, otherwise unscientific methods.)
University of Texas School of Art, Austin, MFA Fine Art, Austin, Texas. https://art.utexas.edu/graduate/studio-art Flagship state school means great resources and low tuition. Excellent student body, drawing particularly from the region due to cheap cost of attendance for Texas residents. Excellent facilities, and accomplished international faculty. Overall focus of department is pretty mainstream, not super innovative, but not overly conservative either. Very fun, big university campus in a great little city filled with fantastic food. Austin is pretty chill, but Texas is a very extreme state - the Saudi Arabia of the US - with very problematic politics, so if you are different in any way, not even Austin is safe. Weather is almost perfect, just a little too hot in summer, but moderate year around. The location is far from other centers, isolated, and limited in culture generally. Cheap tuition (particularly if you live in Texas) with TA and scholarship possibilities. Currently: $12,000 for Texas residents and $22,957 for out-of-state students.
University of Michigan Stamps School of Art and Design, Ann Arbor, MI, MFA in Art https://stamps.umich.edu/graduate-programs/mfaFlagship state school means great resources and low tuition. Emphasis on technically accomplished but conservative work from faculty, and thus students: art as glossy and unchallenging appeals to mainstream culture. If you wish to join this track, then here it is. Michigan is very pretty, winters are brutal, and Ann Arbor is a great little city, if you can avoid the endless tailgating and profoundly annoying Go Blue garbage. Detroit is not far, but not convenient for close contact with the growing art scene there. Cheap tuition (particularly if you live in Michigan) with TA and scholarship possibilities. Currently: $12,000 for Michigan residents and $24,591 for out-of-state students.
Virginia Commonwealth University School of Art, MFA Fine Art, Richmond, Virginia. https://arts.vcu.edu/programs/graduate/Extraordinary art department housed in a mediocre public university in a somewhat reasonable little city in the northernmost deep south. This department has resources, connections, and a mildly radical reputation. Art faculty are very well connected professionally, and alumni are visible across the artworld. General atmosphere of production is high degree of experimentation and mildly political. Like many schools, the department and degrees are divided by fairly conservative media traditions, painting, sculpture, photo, etc, rather than anything post-media, post-studio, or interdisciplinary. (This is a pity because most artists work across several disciplines these days.) This department is well-supported, well-funded and beloved, a particular achievement for a public school. Students are highly supported by nurturing faculty. Isolated little region, but not too far from DC. Richmond itself is building a Portland/Brooklyn-like reputation with craft stuff, etc, but still mostly a de-industrialized southern capital city with an ok quality of life overall. Scholarship and TA opportunities, and a reasonable tuition rate. The MFA in sculpture is currently fully funded. Currently: Virginia residents: $12,134 out of state: $24,741
University of Tennessee, Knoxville, MFA Studio Art, Knoxville, Tennessee https://art.utk.edu/mfa/A solid, growing department in a well-funded but underperforming state school. This department has decent resources, brand new facilities, and are hiring new faculty, so is is one to watch. General atmosphere of production is craft-based, reclusive studio productions. Like many schools, the department and degrees are divided by fairly conservative media traditions, painting, sculpture, photo, etc, rather than anything post-media, post-studio, or interdisciplinary. This department is well-ranked on several lists, well-supported, well-funded and growing in reputation, a particular achievement for a US public school. Students are supported by nurturing faculty who are not art stars, but have solid careers. Knoxville is an isolated little region in a deeply conservative state, next to the Smoky Mountains, a day drive from DC, Atlanta, Memphis, St Louis, etc. Knoxville is a mostly de-industrialized, southern regional city with a mild climate, and an ok quality of life overall. Scholarship and TA opportunities, and a reasonable tuition rate. Currently: Tennessee residents: $12,724 out of state: $31,144
University of Oregon, MFA Fine Arts, Eugene, Oregon https://artdesign.uoregon.edu/art/grad/mfaA solid, growing department in a well-funded and growing state school. This department has decent resources, and generous facilities. Interdisciplinary emphasis, supported by practicing artists. Students are supported by nurturing faculty who are not art stars, but have solid careers. Eugene is a funny little former hippy town of people who have been coming here to drop out for a century, but it became hipster crafty like Portland. Scholarship and TA opportunities, and a reasonable tuition rate. Big funding available, some spots fully funded. Currently: Oregon residents: $16,659 out of state: $28,161
UCLA MFA Fine Art, Los Angeles, California. https://www.sca.ucla.edu/graduate/index.htmlUC system is Ivy League quality (of endowment anyway) and high degree of resources, resulting notable research, but in a public school. Excellent student body, drawing particularly from the state due to discount for California residents. Excellent facilities, and accomplished international faculty with a few youngish up-and-coming artists. Weather is LA perfect, that is, too hot and smoggy mostly, but blue skies. LA is one of the world’s art powerhouses along with NY, London, Berlin, and Beijing in terms of galleries, museums, audience and artists. This means that any recognition will be amplified to distortion levels. UCLA used to be cheap, 11k a few years ago, but it has increased quickly. TA and scholarship possibilities. Currently: $17,272 for California residents and $32,374 for out-of-state students.
Pacific Northwest College of Art Hallie Ford School of Graduate Studies. MFA Visual Studies. Portland, Oregon https://pnca.edu/academics/graduate/vsUrban campus setting with great studios, and fantastic facilities. Motivated students who prefer alternatives to the NY-LA vortex. Strong visiting faculty, committed department heads, and mentor-based teaching that is very student-centric. This is an interdisciplinary degree of study, students choose to work across media. Notable is MFA is in Visual Studies and includes a written thesis, emphasis on content, and opportunity for dual major in Critical Studies leading to both an MA and an MFA. Oregon is absolutely stunning, with the windy coast and volcanic mountain ranges an hour drive from the city. It rains a lot, but in fact has less precipitation than some cities in the East coast. Portland has great food, is cheaper and less busy than other big cities, but has enough on offer to keep anyone busy for years. This is an up-and-coming school and degree program, gaining in reputation and prestige of the faculty, and starting to see alumni turn up in shows around the world. Students come from a range of backgrounds, but the common feeling is the willingness to create new tracks to success off the beaten paths. There are TA possibilities, and generous funding available for accepted students, but not fully-funded. Currently $34,279 per year
Cranbrook School of Art, MFA Fine Art. Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. https://cranbrookart.edu/departments/Storied history of US modernism in gorgeous campus setting. Great studios, and fantastic facilities. Very highly motivated students who go on to professional activities. Strong visiting faculty, and committed department heads. Like many schools, the department and degrees are divided by fairly conservative media traditions, painting, sculpture, photo, etc, rather than anything post-media, post-studio, or interdisciplinary. (This is a pity because most artists work across several disciplines these days.) Student results are highly accomplished, but perhaps because of the price-tag and lack of funding opportunities, the emphasis is on conservative and obviously “nice” art. Has been financially unstable for a few years, long-term faculty in other departments have been leaving. Potential for more cuts and instability that will affect educational experience. Inconvenient distance from nearest major city, Detroit, very boring and inactive, car-centric, suburban setting (a cloistered existence). Michigan has 4 distinct seasons, winter is too long, and summer is humid. Low risk for extreme weather events. Very expensive, not many scholarship opportunities. No TA possibility since only grad school. Currently $37,828 per year
Yale School of Art, MFA Fine Art, New Haven Connecticut https://www.art.yale.edu/aboutIts the ivy league, so this is privilege and power. New Haven is sort of sweet when you get to know it, but actually terrible when you stop and think about the weather, expense and depressing conditions of living. "Cohesive, investigative body of work" and an overall conceptual practice is emphasized, appealing to the top cultural sectors of the US and the world. Graduates have direct access to power in the form of top curators and galleries. Great facilities, and access to top resources across Yale. Top practitioners pass through, and highly accomplished artists as teachers. Downside to having successful artists as teachers as that they are usually too busy and self-occupied to teach much. Very connected to New York City via high-end professional tracks, although the commute is tedious. Very, very motivated students, but also demonstrating ugly entitlement that does not always match student abilities. Furthermore, even at the top, the funnel into conventional art career success is defined by scarcity, thus the majority of students even here at Yale are guaranteed failure (of the conventional career variety). The kicker and reason why people hustle to get in at Yale is the 5%-10% who win the artworld lottery, and make it big, unlike most other schools where the percentage is more like .01% or less. Extraordinarily expensive, but this rich school can hand out grants. Great if you can get in, and get funding, and win the lottery. Currently: $43,230 per year
CalArts, MFA Fine Art, Santa Clarita California https://art.calarts.edu/programs/art/mfaThis school, founded by Disney, has been connected to LA money since the beginning. It has a sky-high reputation, but the reality is somewhat less ideal with an absurd cost of tuition with negligible comparative results. The facilities are good, but not the best, even some state schools are better equipped. Faculty are shooting stars (how many burn out?). CalArts has made an obvious effort to hire a younger, more politically engaged, more diverse faculty. This should have the result of improving the relations with students, but since most students are among the most privileged in the world, there is a strange and slightly hostile disconnect between the newish faculty and the students. Nevertheless, students enter an extremely competitive environment, that claims to be meritocratic, but students are accepted into the art world power system via more privilege, and somewhat arbitrary trends. (Percentage of success vs failure situation is similar to Yale). Santa Clarita is a nasty little exit off the highway in the lost hills above LA. Traffic is hell on earth, but the recently functional train is functional if you are going somewhere near the stops. Weather is perfect except when there are fires burning in all directions. Outrageously, Prince of Monaco expensive. Currently $50,850
RISD, MFA Fine Art, Providence Rhode Island. https://www.risd.edu/academics/graduate-study/ This is the top ranked, and obviously a good choice, but only for certain people. Hard to get in, expensive, emphasizing making over thinking, direct paths into the art system (Whitney curators drop in, etc.) Skills are emphasized. Top facilities, studios, and faculty. Providence is cute, lots of flowing water and colonial era buildings, but also bleak, far too expensive, and cold (weather and people). Can actually walk around the city if you can afford to live somewhere in the center. There are some scholarship and TA possibilities, but cannot offset the absolutely stratospheric tuition costs. Currently: $50,960 per year
