| Ranking | School | City |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | School of Visual Arts | New York |
| 2 | Pratt Institute | Brooklyn |
| 3 | Fashion Institute of Technology | New York |
| 4 | The New School | New York |
| 5 | Syracuse University | Syracuse |
Our 2025 ranking of the top illustration schools in New York. For an explanation of the ranking criteria, click here.
School of Visual Arts (SVA) provides several paths to study illustration including a Comics BFA, Illustration BFA, and Illustration as Visual Essay MFA. All students have opportunities to participate in exhibitions at SVA’s Chelsea Gallery; enter competitions hosted by Graphis Inc., and the Society of Illustrators; and work with publications such as The New Yorker and The Village Voice. SVA Comics and Illustration graduates have gone on the establish careers in fields such as advertising, graphic design, book publishing, packaging, animation, greeting card design, printmaking, fine art, and fashion design.
The School of Art at Pratt Institute (Pratt) houses an Illustration AOS program and a Graphic Design/Illustration AAS program. Established in 2014, Pratt’s School of Design houses a Communications Design BFA with an emphasis in Illustration. Across programs, students benefit from courses taught by industry insiders; access to state-of-the-art maker spaces and labs; internships; study abroad experiences in Berlin or the UK; and intensive portfolio development courses. Graduates have been hired at places such as Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), Amazon, DreamWorks, Scholastic, Disney, Cartoon Network, Penguin Random House, Sony Pictures Imageworks, Gameloft, and Hasbro.
Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) houses the School of Art and Design, which provides AAS, BFA, and MFA degrees in Illustration. Undergraduate programs feature mentoring workshops led by professional illustrators; participation in student art exhibitions; and access to the industry's top professional organization—the Society of Illustrators. Students in the BFA program may also participate in the FIT Internship Program and/or study abroad in Florence. FIT Illustration MFA students will participate in an exhibition that takes place at a local gallery. FIT Illustration alumni have been hired at places such as Disney, Vogue, DreamWorks, Revlon, Harper’s BAZAAR, BBDO Worldwide, Hallmark, and Ogilvy.
The New School is home to Parsons School of Design (Parsons). Within Parsons is the School of Art, Media, & Technology (AMT), which provides an Illustration BFA program that allows students to add a minor such as Immersive Storytelling or enroll in a dual BA/BFA. Students also benefit from internships with Apple, Nickelodeon, or The New York Times, among others; access to the state-of-the-art Making Center; and participation in events such as Comic Arts Brooklyn and MoCCA Fest. Program alumni have been hired at places such as Rockstar Games, The New York Times, Urban Outfitters, LAIKA, The Society of Illustrators, Vice Media, Viking Books, Tiffany & Company, Amplify, and Brooklyn Print House.
The College of Visual and Performing Arts (VPA) at Syracuse University (SU) houses the School of Art. Within the school are BFA and MFA degrees in illustration with opportunities to attend MoCCA Fest in New York, study abroad in Florence, Italy, or spend a semester in Los Angeles through the VPA LA Semester program. BFA students may focus in areas such as Editorial or Visual Development. In addition to exhibition opportunities on campus and in New York, MFA students have opportunities to interact with professionals within the arts and publishing industries. SU VPA graduates have been hired at places such as Apple, CBS, Netflix, Louis Vuitton, ESPN, Macy’s, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Haddad Brands.
