mmav

$40k in the grand scheme of how much crazy debt some of these schools basically expect their grads to take out to be able to attend is not insurmountable, but it definitely is not small (especially with the way you broke it down). Do you have savings? Any family support? Do you plan to work during grad school to offset some costs? If no to these questions, then I personally would recommend against it. The state of federal student loans and how that program is administered is also chaotic right now with the move to defund/dismantle the Dept of Ed. so that's also something to consider. Of course, no one can really speak with finality about what the future state of grad programs will look like (even the departments themselves can't), but I do not think that arts programs are going to be affected to the same extent as STEM grad programs since they're typically not reliant on federal grants/funding. Their money usually comes from just general department budget the larger university gives them (at least for state schools), as well as donations. Just consider some of the lifestyle and opportunity cost you might have to sacrifice during and post MFA if you do decide to take out the loan. If you decide to try again next cycle, look at more fully funded programs too.

^^^ Hyperallergic just reported a few days ago that there's a growing movement of artist scholars and professors who are boycotting Columbia due to their capitulations to the Trump admin -- seems like this might directly impact the opportunities/exposure the MFA grads might get to other academics

If you can, maybe reach out to the graduate coordinators at both schools and ask them to connect you with current grads who are in similar disciplines. Talking to current grad students really helped me get the real unpolished picture of the realities of a program.

I just declined all of my offers except the one I'll probably accept, and the waitlist so if you were on the waitlist for VCU KI, UW Seattle New Genres, or Parsons DT a spot opened up.

Yea I'm not sure how I feel about them just forgetting you like that. At all of the schools I got into (except Parsons lmao) professors in the program repeatedly reached out to me via email or phone calls not only to notify of my acceptance, but in the weeks following to initiate conversations about their programs and made very active efforts to answer any questions and help paint a better picture of the program. That kind of intentionality was really nice to see and made me feel like whatever decision I made I would still have professors who were invested in my growth. Do you feel like you would be supported in that way with that program?

I think UCSB has almost completely finalized their cohort. I'm in a group chat with some people who got offers and 3 of them have officially committed, one will by next week, and the total cohort this year will only be 5 spots

Did they not email you the notice and you only found out after reaching out? Maybe schedule a call with some professors from the program to get the vibes there-- like if this snafu is just an unfortunate administrative issue or if it's indicative of some other dysfunction in the department. Graduating debt-free (in this economy too) is definitely something to consider, but not at the cost of a program that would be detrimental to your goals.

This probably isn't an issue that affects art departments as much since most aren't dependent on federal funding, but saw on the gradadmissions reddit that it seems like a lot of STEM programs are withdrawing acceptances that hadn't committed yet as spots fill up due to limited funds.....scary times for those pursuing grad school for sure

Yeah of course! If that's what you're looking for, I'd recommend meeting up with professors in those programs and ask them about the specific philosophy or curriculum of the program -- ie, how grad seminars work, who teaches them, are there theory classes available, etc. You get a good feel for the vibe of a program (and what they're focused on) by talking to the people who teach in them

What do YOU want to get from grad school? For me, it was primarily time/space/resources to dig into a general research niche I'd already developed the beginnings of an outline for -- I knew I wanted to gain xyz technical skills, and do a overseas research trip inbetween the two years. I'm interested in pursuing a PhD after, so I wanted a program that would allow me the freedom (time and resource wise) to build towards that. For me, having a fully funded program and no debt would just make me working towards those goals psychologically easier (the award at the program I'm leaning towards is giving me a salary stipend without requiring me to TA my first year). Time to flesh out and create new work during grad school is something I'm prioritizing. If you're prioritizing gallery representation, that's another thing that some of those more expensive private schools have. Maybe you envision yourself teaching with an MFA, maybe you want to be a full time working artist, or you want to go into the gallery scene, or arts admin/museum scene...ask questions about how a program can help you get there. Some schools have teaching fellowship pipelines for grads, some have prioritized applications to certain residencies, some are part of larger R1 research institutions, some have studio visits from NYC/LA art scenes, etc

I've been talking to a bunch of faculty at the different programs I got into, as well as past professors and mentors, and one of them gave me a really prudent piece of advice when choosing where to go that I wanted to share: "A big factor is finishing school without debt so you can devote as much energy to making work and exhibiting as possible. The ability to spend a year or two after school pursuing residencies and traveling for shows is key to leveraging your grad school projects into a career."

I emailed UC San Diego and they told me that if you are accepted off the waitlist you're given the same base full funding package as other students (which is their TA employment rate). I'm not sure about private schools though

I also just got in! They also only gave me 18k a year (which is a joke for how much tuition + cost of living is in NYC) so I will also be declining lol

lowkey need UCLA results to come out so people can commit to offers already....(so potential UCSD spots open up for waitlisted peeps)...April 15th is coming up..

Ditto! If y'all are getting funding offers I would def recommend asking/searching up where that money is coming from (is it from federal grants or fellowships etc). If it's a fellowship (bonus points if its got a donor name attached to it), it's most probably safe since that's usually a private donation/endowment. Also, idk if y'all are keeping up with the news, but Columbia isn't doing too hot right now with how much funding they're losing across all departments from the federal gov (and how much they're being influenced by trump to fire/expel/rescind degrees from students who protested..not a good sign) Lots of schools right now are just also very unsure about how it's going to affect them, like everything is still up in the air.