| Ranking | School | City |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Columbus College of Art and Design | Columbus |
| 2 | Cleveland Institute of Art | Cleveland |
| 3 | Art Academy of Cincinnati | Cincinnati |
Our 2025 ranking of the top illustration schools in Ohio. For an explanation of the ranking criteria, click here.
Columbus College of Art and Design (CCAD) has an Illustration BFA program that gives all students the opportunity to work with professional comic writers and artists on the design, merchandising, and sale of the student publication Spitball: A CCAD Comics Anthology. Students will also work with storytellers, animators, comic artists, and professional writers through Cartoon Crossroads Columbus. The CCAD Illustration BFA program culminates with the Illustration Capstone. Graduates go on to land positions at places such as Pixar, DreamWorks Animation, Ogilvy, Marvel Comics, Boeing, Hallmark, Disney, Sony Pictures, DC Comics, The Wall Street Journal, Hasbro, Cartoon Network, and American Greetings.
The Illustration program at Cleveland Institute of Art (CIA) consists of the Illustration BFA and the Life Sciences Illustration BFA. Students in both programs benefit from individual studio spaces; access to state-of-the-art production facilities; field trips to advertising agencies and professional studios; interactions with visiting artists; small-group seminars; and real world experiences through partnerships with clients such as the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Graduates have gone on to publish children’s books, launch their own independent studios, and land positions at places such as Disney Animation Studios, the Olympic Games, Electronic Arts (EA), and Bethesda Game Studios.
Art Academy of Cincinnati (AAC) has a transdisciplinary Illustration program that allows students to explore additional areas such as animation, digital sculpture, motion graphics, printmaking, sound art, installation, and drawing. Students also benefit from summer internships in cultural centers such as New York City; seminars and immersive workshops; and study abroad experiences in places such as London and Hong Kong. The Senior Year Experience (SYE) is the culminating activity for the AAC Illustration BFA program. Graduates are prepared to pursue careers in areas such as publishing, animation, comics, game design, advertising, graphic design, architecture, and fine art.
