• You can earn a BFA (Bachelor of Fine Arts) degree from a large number of professional art schools. You can also earn a BA (Bachelor of Arts) degree with a concentration in Graphic Design from several universities. To apply for those programs, you often will need to submit a portfolio with examples of your best work. Apply to a range of schools to increase your chances of being accepted to a school that suits your interests. Look at each school's faculty and curriculum, and talk to current students to get an idea about what life is really like in an art school.
  
  

Rhode Island School of Design

• The Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, Rhode Island, is consistently rated very high in U.S. News and World Report's rankings of fine-arts programs. RISD offers a four-year BFA degree in Graphic Design. Like all other majors at RISD, students planning to study graphic design must complete a Foundation Studies Program in their first year. One of RISD's resources is its program of visiting designers and critics.
  
  Rhode Island School of Design
  Two College St.
  Providence, RI 02903
  (401) 454-6100
  www.risd.edu/graphic.cfm
  
  

Yale University School of Art

• The Yale University School of Art offers an undergraduate major in addition to a top-ranked graduate program. To be accepted into the major, you must go through a portfolio review in your second year. You will earn a BA degree rather than a BFA at Yale. Studying art within a renowned university can be particularly stimulating.
  
  Yale University School of Art
  P.O.Box 208339
  New Haven, CT 06520-8339
  (203) 432-2608
  yale.edu/yalecollege/publications/ycps/chapter_iii/art.html
  
  

Maryland Institute College of Art

• The Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore offers BFA degrees in graphic design and interaction design and art. You can also concentrate on book arts within the graphic design program. Students must complete a foundation year before entering the concentration of their choice.
  
  Maryland Institute College of Art
  1300 Mount Royal Ave.
  Baltimore, MD 21217
  (410) 669-9200
  mica.edu/Programs_of_Study/Undergraduate_Departments_(BFA)/Graphic_Design/Overview.html
  
  

Cranbrook Academy of Art

• The Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, offers BFA degrees in 2-dimensional or 3-dimensional design. If you are interested in fashion or industrial design, look into the 3-D program. Cranbrook also has a lively series of visiting designers and critics.
  
  Cranbrook Academy of Art
  39221 Woodward Ave.
  Bloomfield Hills, MI 48304
  (248) 645-3300
  cranbrookart.edu/Pages/2D.html
  
  

California Institute of the Arts

• The California Institute of the Arts, commonly known as CalArts, offers a rigorous, four-year BFA in Graphic Design. To be able to stay in the program, you must pass a review at the end of each year.
  
  California Institute of the Arts
  24700 McBean Parkway
  Valencia, CA 91355-2340
  (661) 255-1050
  library.calarts.edu/art/programs/graphicdesign
  
  

Pratt Institute

• The Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York, offers BFA degrees in several design fields, including interior design, industrial design, and communications design. Pratt's proximity to the Manhattan art world is a real asset to young artists.
  
  Pratt Institute
  200 Willoughby Ave.
  Brooklyn NY 11205
  (718) 636-3600
  pratt.edu/academics/art_design/art_ug/