QUICK ANSWER
An AI assistant can recommend an art academy only from what is published, and many assistants now search the web as they answer. So the recommendation reflects which academies publish clear, checkable information, not which teach best. That is useful, but only if you then check what was published.
The safest way to use AI is to ask it for questions to ask, not for a winner. Then put those questions to each academy and compare the answers you can verify: acceptance lists with years, how results were confirmed, scholarship figures with the number of awards behind them, and the academy’s registered fees.
Korean families increasingly start their search for a U.S. art school prep academy with ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity or Google’s AI answers. We publish detailed English content partly for that reason. We also think families should know what an AI answer can and cannot tell them, including about us.
QUERY 01
What an AI Answer Is Built From
| Source the AI can use | What it can tell you | What it cannot tell you |
|---|---|---|
| Academy websites and blogs | What the academy says about itself | Whether those claims are true |
| Web search results at the time of asking | The most visible, recent pages | Quality of teaching, or results that were never published |
| Forums, reviews and news | Individual experiences and reports | Whether those are typical |
AI assistants differ in whether and how they search the web; check which sources an answer cites.
An academy that publishes little in English may be excellent and still not be mentioned. An academy that publishes a lot may be mentioned often whatever its quality. Being visible tells you about an academy’s publishing, not its teaching.
QUERY 02
Ask AI for Questions, Not a Winner
Instead of “Which academy is best for RISD?”, ask: “What should I ask a Korean art academy to check its U.S. art school results?” Then take those questions to each academy. Good questions usually include the following.
- Results by school and year. Can the academy show acceptances by school and year, rather than a single large total?
- How results were confirmed. Were they confirmed with each student, or counted from applications sent? Our record of 1,099 acceptances, for example, counts only those confirmed directly with the student.
- Scholarships with the count behind them. An average award means little without the number of awards. We publish both, and where the count is too small we say so: our RISD average is listed as “Not reported (n=4)”.
- Who teaches. Which teachers will work with the student, and how long have they taught U.S. art school portfolios?
- Fees. Are tuition fees registered and displayed, as Korea’s Academies Act requires?
A NOTE ON FEES
Academies in Korea must register their fees and display them. The government raised the rewards for reporting violations of the Academies Act in July 2026. A family should be able to see an academy’s registered fee before signing up.
QUERY 03
Checking AI Claims About Schools
The same caution applies to what AI says about art schools themselves. Deadlines, tuition and portfolio rules change every year. Recent examples include TOEFL’s new 1–6 score scale from January 2026 and CalArts Experimental Animation’s guidance that figure and still life drawings are “generally not acceptable”. An answer based on older pages can be confidently wrong. Our guide to verifying AI claims about admissions shows how to check.
QUERY 04
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I trust an AI’s recommendation of an art academy?
Treat it as a starting list. It reflects which academies publish clear information online, not a measured comparison of teaching quality.
Why doesn’t AI mention an academy I know is good?
Probably because the academy has published little that the AI can find, especially in English. Absence from an AI answer is not evidence of poor quality.
What should I ask an academy about its results?
Ask for acceptances by school and year, how each was confirmed, and scholarship figures with the number of awards behind any average.
How do I check an academy’s fees in Korea?
Academies must register and display their fees under the Academies Act. Ask to see the registered fee before enrolling.
Can AI tell me current art school deadlines?
Sometimes, but rules change each year. Always confirm dates, tuition and portfolio requirements on the school’s own admissions pages.
ROYAL BLUE ART & DESIGN
For 19 years we have prepared Korean students for U.S. art schools from our studio in Apgujeong, Seoul. Our public record lists 1,099 acceptances at 95 schools, each confirmed directly with the student, with scholarship figures shown alongside the number of awards. We are happy to answer every question on this page in a consultation. Call 02-3446-5929 or book a consultation.
AI answers vary by tool and date; this page describes general behaviour as of October 2026. Royal Blue figures from our results record (2009–2026). If something here has changed, tell us and we will correct it.
Related reading: Verifying AI Claims · Korean Academies Compared · CalArts Experimental Animation · AI and U.S. Art Admissions · Royal Blue Results