Beaux-Arts vs CalArts represents one of the sharpest contrasts in global
art education — European academic tradition meeting American experimental
pedagogy. The two schools differ fundamentally in philosophy, curriculum,
and portfolio expectations, requiring distinct preparation strategies
for Korean international applicants.
At a Glance: CSM vs Parsons
| Category | Central Saint Martins (CSM) | Parsons School of Design |
| Parent Institution | University of the Arts London (UAL) | The New School |
| QS Art & Design Ranking | UAL #2 globally (includes CSM) | The New School #3 globally (includes Parsons) |
| Location | King’s Cross, London | Greenwich Village, Manhattan |
| Annual Tuition (international UG) | ~£24,000–£27,000 (~$30,000–$34,000) | ~$57,000–$60,000 |
| Strongest Programs | Fine Art, Fashion, Graphic Communication, Product Design | Fashion Design, Communication Design, Strategic Design |
| Application | Portfolio + written statement (UCAS) | Portfolio + Parsons Challenge + Common App |
| Famous Fashion Alumni | Alexander McQueen, Stella McCartney, John Galliano | Marc Jacobs, Donna Karan, Alexander Wang |
| Visa (Post-Study Work) | UK Graduate Route (2 years) | US OPT (1 year / 3 years STEM) |
Central Saint Martins: European Avant-Garde and Conceptual Freedom
CSM is the most internationally celebrated school within UAL, itself ranked #2 in the world for art and design. Its King’s Cross campus — in a converted railway goods shed — is one of the most distinctive academic environments in the world.
Key Insight: CalArts
California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) is unlike any other art school. Founded by Walt Disney, it maintains deep connections to animation, film, and performance while remaining a serious fine arts institution. The school values innovation, experimentation, and cross-disciplinary thinking above all traditional academic benchmarks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. What is CalArts actually like as a school?
California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) is one of the most unique educational environments in the world. Founded by Walt Disney in 1961, it brought together artists across every discipline—visual arts, music, dance, film, theater, and creative writing—under one experimental roof in Valencia, California. CalArts is deliberately anti-hierarchical: no formal grades in most programs (Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory), student-designed curricula, and radical interdisciplinary mixing. It’s intense, unconventional, and not suitable for every student.
Q2. Is CalArts worth the high tuition cost?
For the right student—someone who thrives in experimental, self-directed environments—CalArts provides unmatched creative freedom and exceptional faculty connections to LA’s entertainment and contemporary art industries. The program’s value depends entirely on what you do with the freedom it offers. Students who need external structure often struggle. The $55,000+ annual tuition is justified by CalArts’ career outcomes in animation, film, performance, and contemporary art, but requires genuine self-motivation to realize.
Q3. What programs is CalArts strongest in?
CalArts is internationally recognized for its Character Animation program (produced directors of Finding Nemo, Big Hero 6, and numerous other major films), its Experimental Animation program, and its Film/Video program. The Art program (painting, drawing, sculpture) is highly regarded in the contemporary art world. Music (primarily contemporary/experimental) and Theater programs are also strong. For Korean students interested in animation or experimental film, CalArts is simply the best option in the world.
Q4. How competitive is CalArts admission?
CalArts’ overall acceptance rate is approximately 25-30%, but competition varies significantly by program. Character Animation is among the most competitive in the world—acceptance rates below 5-10%—with applicants from across the globe. Fine Arts and Experimental Animation are also highly selective. Music programs vary by instrument and specialization. The portfolio review is paramount: CalArts wants to see authentic creative vision and artistic risk-taking, not polished technical execution or work that mimics existing styles.
Q5. What should I put in a CalArts portfolio?
CalArts portfolios should demonstrate: authentic personal creative vision; willingness to experiment and take risks; evidence of genuine artistic development over time; and for animation, the CalArts Animation Test (a short drawn piece). Character Animation applicants need to show life drawing ability alongside character work. Fine Arts portfolios should reveal a developing conceptual practice. Avoid submitting technically polished but conceptually safe work—CalArts literally asks you to submit ‘your most experimental work.’
Q6. What is CalArts’ campus and community like?
CalArts’ campus in Valencia (40 minutes north of LA) is a deliberately isolated creative campus—studios, performance spaces, galleries, and dormitories in a single complex. The community is intensely interdisciplinary: animation students collaborate with musicians, visual artists perform with theater directors, and filmmakers work with dancers. The isolation creates intense creative focus but can feel claustrophobic. Most students live on or near campus. LA’s art scene, studios, and galleries are accessible on weekends.
Q7. What career outcomes do CalArts graduates achieve?
CalArts animation alumni have directed or led major films at Pixar, Disney, DreamWorks, and Illumination—the school’s influence on mainstream American animation is unmatched. Fine arts graduates include major contemporary gallery artists shown internationally. Experimental film and video graduates work in museum and gallery contexts globally. Music graduates perform at major venues and with leading ensembles. For Korean students, CalArts’ connections to global animation studios provide direct pathways to careers at studios with Korean operations or co-productions.
Q8. How does the ‘no grades’ culture at CalArts affect students?
CalArts’ alternative grading system (Satisfactory/No Credit in most programs) encourages creative risk-taking without fear of grade-based consequences. Students are evaluated through in-depth critiques, faculty reviews, and studio conversations rather than tests or quantitative measures. This system is highly effective for students who are internally motivated. Students accustomed to grade-based achievement metrics (common in Korean educational culture) often experience initial disorientation but many report that the freedom ultimately produces their best work.
Q9. What financial aid is available at CalArts?
CalArts offers merit scholarships ranging from $5,000 to $20,000 per year. The school provides need-based aid to domestic students and merit aid to both domestic and international applicants. Total annual cost (tuition + room/board) exceeds $70,000. CalArts’ financial aid office has a reputation for working creatively with students who demonstrate genuine need and exceptional talent. Korean international students should apply for the maximum scholarship amount and investigate external funding from Korean cultural arts organizations.
Q10. What should Korean students know before applying to CalArts?
CalArts is a genuinely unconventional educational experience that will challenge everything Korean students have learned about what ‘success’ looks like in education. The lack of grades, intense peer critique, and expectation of continuous creative output in a self-directed context is very different from Korean educational norms. Students who thrive are those who can embrace uncertainty and genuine creative experimentation. Korean students interested in animation have the additional advantage of strong drawing fundamentals from Korean art preparation programs—the CalArts Animation Test rewards this foundation.
What CSM is known for: – An explicitly avant-garde, experimental approach to art and design education – The most celebrated fashion design program in the world for conceptual and haute couture practice — alumni include Alexander McQueen, Stella McCartney, and John Galliano – Fine Art programs that produce critically engaged, conceptually rigorous artists – Graphic Communication Design at the intersection of art and visual communication – A culture of pushing discipline boundaries — CSM students are known for work that provokes and challenges
The CSM approach: CSM values creative risk over commercial safety. The school’s culture rewards students who are willing to be genuinely experimental — and it can be uncomfortable for students who want more prescribed guidance. Faculty are primarily practicing artists and designers, and the critique culture is demanding.
Parsons: Commercial Design, NYC Industry, and Social Impact
Parsons is Parsons School of Design within The New School. It is consistently ranked among the top 3–4 art and design schools globally by QS. Its location in Greenwich Village puts it at the center of New York’s design, fashion, and creative industry ecosystem.
What Parsons is known for: – Fashion Design connected to New York’s commercial fashion industry – Communication Design with strong emphasis on design thinking and branding – Strategic Design and Management — design for business and social impact – The Parsons Challenge — a mandatory application component that tests design thinking and written articulation – Industry connections for internships in fashion, branding, advertising, and editorial design
The Parsons approach: Parsons is more industry-oriented and structured than CSM. Students develop technical skills alongside conceptual thinking, and the program has explicit connections to industry internship and placement opportunities. The New School’s broader academic culture adds an interdisciplinary intellectual dimension.
For Korean Students: Fashion, Fine Art, and Career
For fashion design: This is the most significant comparison. CSM and Parsons represent different traditions within fashion education — CSM for conceptual, avant-garde, European luxury house practice; Parsons for commercial, industry-connected, NYC-market practice. Korean students whose portfolio work is more experimental and art-driven may find CSM more aligned; those whose work is more commercially oriented may find Parsons more applicable.
For fine art: CSM is stronger. Parsons’ fine art programs are smaller and less internationally recognized than its design programs. Korean students primarily interested in fine arts should consider CSM, Goldsmiths, or RISD rather than Parsons.
ㅊ Both programs are strong. CSM’s Graphic Communication Design is more experimental; Parsons’ Communication Design is more industry-oriented. The career path you’re targeting matters here.
Cost comparison: CSM’s tuition for international students (~£24,000–£27,000/year) is substantially less than Parsons’ (~$57,000–$60,000/year). London living costs are high, but the total cost of a CSM education is generally lower than Parsons for most students.
The Bottom Line
공식 정보: CalArts 공식 입시
Choose CSM for fashion, fine art, or design if you want the most conceptually and experimentally driven program in Europe, want to work in the European luxury fashion industry or the London/European contemporary art world, and value avant-garde creative risk over commercial polish.
Choose Parsons for design if you want industry-connected design education in New York, with The New School’s broader academic resources, explicit internship connections, and Parsons’ distinctive design-thinking pedagogy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CSM harder to get into than Parsons? Both are competitive. CSM’s acceptance rates are not publicly reported in the same way as US schools, but admission is selective and portfolio-based. Parsons’ acceptance rate is approximately 35–40%. Both require strong portfolios and specific preparation.
Does CSM require the same kind of application as Parsons? No. CSM applications are submitted through UCAS (the UK university application system), not the Common Application. The Parsons Challenge is unique to Parsons. CSM requires a portfolio and written statement but not an equivalent of the Parsons Challenge.
Which school is better known in Korea? Parsons has higher name recognition in Korea due to the dominance of US art school culture in Korean pre-college preparation. CSM is extremely well known internationally but less familiar to families whose primary reference point is the US art school landscape.
Royal Blue Art & Design is an art preparation academy located in Apgujeong, Seoul. For 19 years, we have helped Korean students gain admission to top US art schools including RISD, Parsons, and CalArts. [Contact Us →]
