This school has many buildings spreading in blocks in a busy but quite nice area in Manhattan. We went to the admission office and were received very friendly by the staff. We were given a lot of booklets about the art school. Both the main building and the admin office looked bright and neat. The art gallery at the main building has some artworks displayed.

I’m a current senior in SVA’s BFA Illustration program, and I wanted to extend my gratitude to this school. Over the past few years, I’ve watched myself grow as both an artist and a person, and I owe so much of that growth to the faculty at SVA. The professors here are some of the kindest and most knowledgeable/skilled people I’ve ever met in the industry, and with their support, I’ve been able to come out of my shell and create a graduating portfolio I’m truly proud of. I’ve felt nothing but encouragement to explore different subject matters, mediums, and approaches to my work. Both my studio and humanities professors have bolstered my character and career. Aside from academics, I’ve also been provided with incredible opportunities to get involved on campus, whether that be through on-campus working positions or student engagement events. SVA has given me the tools to communicate effectively with others, both in business and interpersonal settings. If I had to name an area of improvement for the school, it would be the amount of space provided to the illustration and comics department. Illustration is the largest major at SVA and it is currently occupying two floors shared with the comics department. I feel that future students would benefit from more space, especially additional spaces to explore traditional media. With that being said, I couldn't have chosen a better place to achieve my bachelor’s degree. SVA is truly a dream school for any illustrator.

The Branding program at SVA is one that I highly recommend. The curriculum is rich and highly practical, covering all the essential branding skills you need. The faculty members have impressive backgrounds, and the courses maintain an exceptionally high standard. The professors are dedicated and meticulous, carefully evaluating and refining each student’s work to help us apply our knowledge effectively to real-world cases. Additionally, the program provides strong support for students’ career development after graduation, whether in building connections or planning career paths. It is a program worth studying, regardless of your background.

I graduated from BFA Design at SVA two years ago and still think choosing SVA was the best choice for my undergrad study! The location is convenient, surrounded by a lot of nice restaurants and groceries, and it's in MANHATTAN! Facilities in our department are always the latest, and the instructors I had were nice and professional, they always have tons of news from the industry and make sure your work catches the latest trend in the field (at least in the graphic design field!). SVA is a relatively small but warm community, students are close to each other and I made my best friends here. If you are looking for programs that help you look for jobs and get into the industry easier, go for SVA!

I'm graduating this year from the Illustration department, so I want to express my appreciation to SVA! :) The professors I had were really nice and helpful—they gave honest critiques and helped me network. I'm very into picture books, so I took classes like silkscreen book making, children's literature, Picture Book with Eugenia Mello, and senior thesis class with my favorite artist, Doug Salati! The campus is nice and located in the Gramercy neighborhood. However, the illustration dep has very limited spaces, we only have 2 floors in a shared building, and the elevator is always crowded. I hope we can get better classrooms and a bigger print lab. Overall, SVA is a very business-oriented school—they really prepare you for the industry. So if you're thinking of becoming a commercial illustrator, I definitely recommend it!