Top 50 Art & Design Schools Worldwide — 2026
Leading academies, conservatoires, and design schools across fine arts, illustration, fashion, industrial design, and graphic design.
How to use: Ranks reflect QS Art & Design 2024. Application requirements differ heavily by program — visit each linked school for portfolio guidelines.
| # | School | Country | Subject Rank | Location | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Royal College of Art | UK | #1 QS Art | London | RCA |
| 2 | Parsons School of Design (The New School) | USA | #3 | New York | Parsons |
| 3 | Rhode Island School of Design | USA | #6 | Providence | RISD |
| 4 | Pratt Institute | USA | #10 | Brooklyn | Pratt |
| 5 | Aalto University | Finland | #7 | Helsinki | Aalto |
| 6 | Politecnico di Milano | Italy | #5 | Milan | Politecnico Milano |
| 7 | Royal Academy of Art The Hague | Netherlands | — | The Hague | KABK |
| 8 | Design Academy Eindhoven | Netherlands | — | Eindhoven | DAE |
| 9 | Glasgow School of Art | UK | #16 | Glasgow | GSA |
| 10 | Goldsmiths University of London | UK | #22 | London | Goldsmiths |
| 11 | UCL Slade School of Fine Art | UK | #15 | London | Slade |
| 12 | Central Saint Martins (UAL) | UK | #2 | London | CSM |
| 13 | Camberwell College of Arts (UAL) | UK | — | London | Camberwell |
| 14 | London College of Communication (UAL) | UK | — | London | LCC |
| 15 | Edinburgh College of Art | UK | #20 | Edinburgh | ECA |
| 16 | SCAD (Savannah College of Art) | USA | #16 | Savannah/Atlanta | SCAD |
| 17 | ArtCenter College of Design | USA | #11 | Pasadena CA | ArtCenter |
| 18 | School of the Art Institute of Chicago | USA | #13 | Chicago | SAIC |
| 19 | CalArts | USA | #13 | Valencia CA | CalArts |
| 20 | Yale School of Art | USA | #14 | New Haven | Yale Art |
| 21 | Cooper Union | USA | — | New York | Cooper Union |
| 22 | Cranbrook Academy of Art | USA | — | Bloomfield Hills MI | Cranbrook |
| 23 | MICA (Maryland Institute College of Art) | USA | — | Baltimore | MICA |
| 24 | Otis College of Art and Design | USA | — | Los Angeles | Otis |
| 25 | Massachusetts College of Art and Design | USA | — | Boston | MassArt |
| 26 | Académie des Beaux-Arts Paris | France | — | Paris | Beaux-Arts |
| 27 | ENSCI Les Ateliers | France | — | Paris | ENSCI |
| 28 | Strate School of Design | France | — | Paris | Strate |
| 29 | Berlin University of the Arts (UdK) | Germany | #16 | Berlin | UdK |
| 30 | Bauhaus-Universität Weimar | Germany | — | Weimar | Bauhaus |
| 31 | HfG Karlsruhe | Germany | — | Karlsruhe | HfG |
| 32 | Aalto School of ARTS | Finland | — | Helsinki | Aalto ARTS |
| 33 | Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK) | Switzerland | — | Zurich | ZHdK |
| 34 | ECAL Lausanne | Switzerland | — | Lausanne | ECAL |
| 35 | Tokyo University of the Arts (Geidai) | Japan | #22 | Tokyo | Geidai |
| 36 | Musashino Art University | Japan | — | Tokyo | Musabi |
| 37 | Tama Art University | Japan | — | Tokyo | Tamabi |
| 38 | CAFA (Central Academy of Fine Arts) | China | #10 | Beijing | CAFA |
| 39 | China Academy of Art | China | — | Hangzhou | CAA |
| 40 | Tsinghua Academy of Arts and Design | China | — | Beijing | Tsinghua ADA |
| 41 | SVA School of Visual Arts | USA | #18 | New York | SVA |
| 42 | Fashion Institute of Technology | USA | — | New York | FIT |
| 43 | Polimoda | Italy | — | Florence | Polimoda |
| 44 | Istituto Marangoni | Italy | — | Milan | Marangoni |
| 45 | IED Istituto Europeo di Design | Italy | — | Milan/Madrid | IED |
| 46 | Royal Drawing School | UK | — | London | Royal Drawing |
| 47 | Slade School of Fine Art | UK | #15 | London | Slade |
| 48 | New York Academy of Art | USA | — | New York | NYAA |
| 49 | Florence Academy of Art | Italy | — | Florence | FAA |
| 50 | Studio Escalier (Atelier) | France | — | Paris | Studio Escalier |
Sources: QS Art & Design Subject Rankings 2024 plus each school official admissions page.