About

Ringling College of Art and Design's PreCollege program is a four-week residential summer intensive for high school students in grades 10–12, held June 21–July 18, 2026, on Ringling's campus in Sarasota, Florida. Ringling is one of the most specialized and highly regarded art and design colleges in the United States — consistently ranked among the top institutions in the country for computer animation, illustration, game art, motion design, and entertainment design — and its PreCollege program is built around the same philosophy as its undergraduate degree programs: immersive, studio-intensive, discipline-specific instruction that takes emerging artists seriously from day one.

The four weeks are organized around two parallel tracks. Core Classes run Monday through Thursday mornings (9–11:30am) and rotate weekly through four foundational disciplines: 2D Design in week one, 3D Design in week two, 4D Design in week three, and Drawing in week four. Alongside the core curriculum, each student selects two Immersions — deep-dives into a single discipline drawn from Ringling's undergraduate offerings — which run Monday through Thursday afternoons (2–5pm), with weeks one and two dedicated to one immersion and weeks three and four to the second. The 2026 immersion offerings include 2D Motion Graphics, Computer Animation (3D), Creative Coding for Artists and Designers, Creative Writing: Stories and Scripts, Film Production, Game Design, Traditional Animation, and additional tracks. Students also participate in Friday Explorations — required mini-workshops spanning a wide range of creative practices — and have access to required and optional Open Studio time each evening. The daily schedule is demanding, with structured programming from 9am through evening.

Students earn 3 transferable elective credits upon successful completion. No portfolio is required for admission — the program's explicit purpose is to help students build one. International students are welcome. Applicants must be 16–18 years old as of October 15 of the program year and currently enrolled in 10th, 11th, or 12th grade. There is a $55 non-refundable application fee. Immersion slots are reserved on a first-come, first-served basis upon application, making early application important for students with a preferred track. The total residential cost is $7,480, which includes tuition ($4,650), housing ($1,215), 81 meals ($1,315), and a refundable damage deposit ($300). A commuter option is available for students living within 35 miles of campus at a total of $5,345. 529 plan funds are accepted by most providers. Need-based financial grants are available and cover tuition only — room, board, and health insurance are not included in grant funding. Applications opened November 1, 2025; the need-based grant application deadline was March 18, 2026; general applications are still open for 2026 with immersion availability subject to space.

The program's discipline depth sets it apart from most residential art programs. For a student seriously considering animation, game art, motion design, film production, or entertainment design — fields where Ringling's undergraduate program has a genuine national reputation — four weeks of immersive studio instruction using the same software and working within the same pedagogical framework as Ringling's BFA programs is a meaningful signal, not just enrichment. Students leave with portfolio work, clarity about whether a specialized art and design college is the right path, and three college credits.