Ringling College of Art and Design

Ringling College of Art and Design is shattering the myth of the starving artist! Founded in 1931 by noted art collector, real estate magnate, and circus impresario John Ringling, the private, not-for-profit fully accredited college offers Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees (BFA) in: Advertising Design, Computer Animation, Digital Filmmaking, General Fine Arts, Game Art & Design, Graphic & Interactive Communication, Interior Design, Illustration, Motion Design, Painting, Photography & Digital Imaging, Printmaking, and Sculpture, and a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in the Business of Art & Design. The picturesque 49-acre campus includes more than 111 buildings, and enrolls 1,376 students from 42 states, 53 countries, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, more than 60% reside on the campus. Its 150 faculty members are professional artists, designers, and scholars who actively pursue their own work outside the classroom. During the past decade, Ringling College has evolved into one of the most prestigious institutions of its kind in the United States. Since 2012, Ringling has made tremendous strides in its reputation and programs: growing from six to 14 majors, adding two art centers to its portfolio, opening the madeby sales Gallery, and opening three five-story buildings, two of which received GOLD LEED certification! With a better than 2.2:1 computer to student ratio, Ringling College is recognized as one of the best and most innovative visual arts colleges in the U.S. In 2011, U.S. News and World Report lauded Ringling as The Most Wired Campus in the U.S. Each year since 2006, thanks to the generosity of an anonymous donor, first-year students receive a new Apple Macintosh notebook fully loaded with licensed software for use while they are enrolled at the College.BusinessWeek named the College one of the top 60 Design Schools in the world, our Computer Animation program was ranked #1 in North America by the UK's acclaimed 3D World magazine two years in a row, and Imagine FX noted Ringling as the #1 digital arts college program in the world. In the past year, The Hollywood Reporter lauded Ringling as one of the top 25 film programs in the world, we hosted two major film productions on campus, and alumnus and trustee Brandon Oldenburg won an Academy Award! Ringling College students and alumni are heavily recruited by a wide variety of outstanding organizations and they are recognized for their superior art and design talents in myriad of art and design competitions. In 2012, Ringling claimed 61 local and 23 District ADDY awards, including 10 GOLD ADDYs which will advance to the national competition!
In the past four years, the Society of Illustrators accepted 130 Ringling student works into its Scholarship Competition more than any other art college in the country. Consistent wins in the Student Academy Award, and the Angelo Donghia $30,000 interior design competition, as well as a host of other accolades have accelerated Ringling's reputation as a premier art and design institution. Aside from its degree program, Ringling College offers a number of exceptional opportunities for the community. Our Verman Kimbrough Memorial Library is possibly the finest art library in the entire southeastern U.S., the College's Selby Gallery brings professional art exhibitions to Sarasota, and the Crossley Gallery and other venues both on-campus and off provide extraordinary experiences for the public to witness Ringling's emerging artists' work. The College's Continuing Studies & Special Programs Office coordinates art lectures, workshops, community classes and travel programs, including overseeing the residential 4-week summer PreCollege program for high school Juniors and Seniors. Additional divisions of Ringling College include the Sarasota Museum of Art/SMOA, the Englewood Art Center, Longboat Key Center for the Arts, madeby Gallery, and the Center for Applied Creativity & Innovation.