QUICK ANSWER
Yes — and for many of our students it is the primary format rather than a substitute. About half the students we work with are Korean students already attending middle or high school in the United States, returning to Korea during vacations to build their portfolios. For them the year runs on video consultations with intensive in-person blocks in Apgujeong during breaks. What online handles well is everything that is not the physical making: choosing the major, building the school list, deciding which pieces go to which school, and tracking the deadlines that actually bind — VCUarts, for instance, requires the application and transcripts by November 1 for scholarship consideration against a January 15 regular deadline.
Yes. Royal Blue Art & Design offers structured online programs for students who cannot attend our Apgujeong studio in person. This page explains how our Royal Blue online programs work, who they are designed for, and how they compare to in-person preparation.
| School | Acceptance Rate | Annual Tuition | Top Programs |
|---|---|---|---|
| RISD | ~20% | $58,000+ | Illustration, Graphic Design, ID |
| CalArts | ~24% | $55,000+ | Animation, Fine Arts, Film |
| Parsons | ~62% | $57,000+ | Fashion, Communication Design |
| SAIC | ~57% | $54,000+ | Painting, Photography, Design |
| SVA | ~72% | $50,000+ | Illustration, MFA, Film |
| Pratt | ~52% | $56,000+ | Architecture, Industrial Design |
Frequently Asked Questions
Many of the families who reach us are not based in Seoul. Some live in other Korean cities. Others are Korean students currently studying abroad in international schools across Asia, North America, or Europe. For these students, the in-person studio model is simply not logistically possible — but the need for structured, expert-guided US art school preparation is identical.
Royal Blue online programs were developed to serve that group without compromising the quality of instruction or the depth of the portfolio development process.
How the Online Program Works
Live Video Sessions
Royal Blue online programs are conducted via scheduled one-on-one video sessions between the student and their assigned Royal Blue instructor. Sessions are not pre-recorded or self-paced — they are live, interactive, and structured to match the student’s current stage of portfolio development.
Studio Work Between Sessions
Between live meetings, students work independently in their own studio or workspace and submit photographs or digital files of their progress before each session. The instructor reviews this work in advance and prepares specific feedback to make each session as productive as possible.
Portfolio Documentation
One of the core elements of the PID System — the P, which stands for Process — requires students to document their creative decision-making throughout the portfolio development journey. Online students maintain a digital process log, which is reviewed regularly and becomes a key part of the application package.
Supplementary Resources
Royal Blue online program students receive access to school research resources, application timeline tools, and written guides on personal statements, artist statements, and interview preparation — the same materials used in our in-person curriculum.
How Online Compares to In-Person
The honest answer is that in-person preparation at our Apgujeong studio offers advantages that are difficult to fully replicate online: access to physical materials, real-time observation of technique, the energy of working alongside other serious students, and the ability to have impromptu conversations between scheduled sessions.
That said, Royal Blue online programs produce strong results for motivated, self-directed students. The key variable is not the format — it is the student’s commitment to working consistently between sessions and submitting quality process documentation.
Who Online Programs Are Best Suited For
Royal Blue online programs are best suited for students who are already self-directed in their creative practice, students in international schools with demanding academic schedules that make weekly Seoul trips impractical, and students who are geographically remote but want access to specialists in US art school admissions.
They are less well-suited for students who need intensive hands-on technique instruction, students who are very early in their artistic development, or students who struggle with self-motivation without the structure of a physical classroom environment.
Scheduling and Time Zones
Royal Blue accommodates students in different time zones for online sessions. Most sessions are scheduled in the early evening Korea time, which aligns well with students in East Asia, Southeast Asia, and even some US time zones for morning sessions. We work with each family to find a consistent slot that does not conflict with school schedules.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Royal Blue online program the same price as in-person?
Pricing varies by program structure and session frequency. Contact us directly for current online program fee information.
Can an online student switch to in-person later?
Yes. Several students have begun with Royal Blue online programs while abroad and transitioned to in-person instruction when their schedules allowed. The curriculum is designed to accommodate that shift smoothly.
What technology does the student need?
A reliable internet connection, a webcam capable of showing artwork clearly, and access to a flatbed scanner or good lighting for photographing physical work. Most students already have everything they need.
Are Royal Blue online students accepted to the same schools as in-person students?
Yes. Online students have been accepted to RISD, Parsons, CalArts, and other top programs. The school does not know or care how the student prepared — only the quality of the portfolio matters.
How do I start a Royal Blue online program?
The process begins with the same free consultation we offer all prospective students — conducted via video call if you are not in Seoul. From there, we design a program structure suited to your child’s timeline and goals.
Royal Blue Art & Design is a US art school admissions academy in Apgujeong, Seoul, with 19 years of experience helping Korean students gain acceptance to RISD, Parsons, CalArts, and other top programs. Contact us to schedule a consultation →
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Why Online Is Not a Compromise for Students Abroad
Roughly half our students are Korean students enrolled in American middle and high schools. They are in the US during the academic year and in Korea during vacations — which means the question was never “online or in person” but “what belongs in which window”.
The physical making belongs in the in-person blocks. Materials, scale, technical instruction, and the kind of correction that happens standing beside a piece — these are compressed into vacation periods and they should be.
Almost everything else runs better continuously than in bursts. Deciding the major, reading each school’s published requirements, selecting which pieces go where, drafting and redrafting essays, tracking deadlines — this is months of steady work, and it fits video consultations naturally.
The failure mode for students abroad is not weak work — it is a lost autumn. A student who makes strong work over the summer and then loses September to December to an American school calendar arrives at the deadlines with material but no decisions. That gap is exactly what continuous online contact closes.
What the Online Work Actually Consists Of
Three things dominate, and none of them require being in the same room.
1. Deciding which pieces go to which school. Schools contradict each other, and the disagreements are published. CalArts asks applicants to leave out figure drawing, still life and generic class assignments unless they show a personal approach; USC’s animation division lists human figure drawing among accepted work. A list spanning both needs two selections from a larger body — and that selection work is conversation, not studio time.
2. School-specific work that cannot be reused. The Parsons’ required essays develops new work from your existing portfolio during the application itself. CalArts requires a video introduction and an artist statement of 500–1,000 words, refuses SlideRoom, PDFs and external links entirely, and charges a separate application and fee per programme. These are real tasks with their own timelines, and they are built remotely.
3. Documentation and submission mechanics. VCUarts wants 12–16 works uploaded individually with title, dimensions and materials on each. Some uploads are gated — USC’s SlideRoom link appears only after a separate supplemental application is filed. These are steps you take, not messages you receive, and they are where students abroad most often lose weeks.
The Part That Matters Most and Needs No Studio
Building the school list is the single highest-leverage piece of work in the year, and it happens entirely in conversation. Royal Blue has recorded 1,099 acceptances across 95 schools since 2012, and the funding spread is why.
| School | Acceptances | Awarded | Award rate | Average award |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Otis | 38 | 31 | 82% | $63,935 |
| MICA | 64 | 51 | 80% | $54,290 |
| SAIC | 81 | 56 | 69% | $46,775 |
| Parsons | 63 | 38 | 60% | $53,116 |
| SVA | 140 | 41 | 29% | $58,944 |
| RISD | 68 | 4 | 6% | $103,760 |
| All 95 schools | 1,099 | 454 | 41.3% | $52,306 |
Source: Royal Blue admissions records, 1,099 acceptances across 95 schools, 2012–2026. Initial award letters, applied against tuition. Total awarded $23,746,972. These are acceptances, not enrolments.
Award rates run from 82% at Otis down to 6% at RISD. A list built without regard to that column produces the failure we see every spring — a family holding two or three acceptances with no money attached to any of them. That is a conversation, and it happens in October.
For students abroad the point is sharper. October is the middle of an American school term, and a student with no continuous advisory contact is unlikely to be building a list at all in that window. By the time they return for winter break, several deadlines have passed.
What Online Genuinely Does Less Well
We would rather state the limits than claim there are none.
Material and scale judgement. Surface, weight, texture and true colour do not transmit reliably through a screen — which is one reason documentation quality matters so much, and why in-person blocks are scheduled around the making rather than the planning.
Technical correction in the moment. Some instruction is faster standing beside a piece than describing it over video.
So the honest framing is a split, not a substitution: making in the blocks, deciding continuously. A programme that claims online replaces the studio entirely is overselling; one that treats online as a lesser version is underusing it.
Practical Points for Families Abroad
Document work as you make it, not before you submit it. The most expensive documentation mistake is exporting one file set and discovering it does not fit the school that matters most — VCUarts wants individual uploads with captions, CalArts caps video at seven minutes and USC asks for 2K stills. Photographing while a piece is still accessible is far cheaper than reshooting in December.
Add three to four weeks for Korean documents. Transcripts and translations take longer than students expect, and a scholarship deadline that requires transcripts is not met by submitting the application alone.
Confirm which deadline binds for each school on your list. The scholarship date is often the real one, and it can sit two and a half months before the deadline families plan around.
The standing caution on our figures: an award rate is not an admission rate and not a measure of programme quality. These describe how schools distributed their own money among students we worked with — a planning input, and not a promise about any individual application.