Veterans

Earn your degree in art and design from ArtCenter

At ArtCenter, we like to say that we prepare artists and designers to be the creative leaders of the future. But what sets our educational model apart? We are unabashedly careers-driven. We offer a focused course of study that addresses the opportunities and demands of the contemporary world. And we have a reputation for being a place where driven students work hard to achieve their goals.

Is it any wonder goal-oriented veterans appreciate the drive and focus it takes to succeed at ArtCenter?

Veterans interested in applying to ArtCenter can meet with our Admissions counselors in person or remotely to get the admissions process started and to explore the choice of major and portfolio development. At the same time, ArtCenter’s Financial Aid staff is available to assist veterans in their benefits application process. Veterans may also be considered for a grant made possible through the generosity of The Ahmanson Foundation.

Once on campus, the Center for the Student Experience (CSE) and Center for Academic Advising and Success (CAAS) offers an array of social, professional and academic resources, providing services and advice—including outreach for military and veteran students—to help students make the most of their education. 

Explore art and design through ArtCenter Extension

The College also offers a 25% discount to active-duty veterans and retired military service members (as well as their spouses, registered domestic partners and children) who want to enroll in any of our ArtCenter Extension (ACX) programs, which offer individual, non-degree classes for those still exploring their creative side and potential career opportunities. Additionally, ArtCenter proudly offers limited scholarships to ACX, the College's part-time, non-degree extension program for those interested in building their art and design skills and developing a portfolio for application to ArtCenter’s full-time undergraduate or graduate degree programs. These scholarships are offered in large part thanks to the Ross Diamond Player and Madelyn Maberly Player Endowed Memorial Scholarship and the Ahmanson Veteran’s Scholarship Initiative.

Veterans are able to change course or strategy when projects demand it, and they bring a spirit of camaraderie and teamwork that elevates the energy and work ethic of the class to another level.

Karen HofmannProvost

Courage, Compassion, Creativity: Military Veterans Making a Difference at ArtCenter and Beyond

A legacy of educating our veterans

ArtCenter’s history is rich with students, staff and faculty who served their country through military service. The College’s reputation, culture and even the school’s site in Pasadena have been shaped by the veterans who have come through its doors since 1930 to take advantage of its intensive careers-focused programs that lead to bachelor and master degrees.

The GI Bill® of 1944 played a particularly important role in ArtCenter’s dramatic growth after World War II—many veterans were attracted to our Photography discipline after their experiences as military photographers. Their interests soon expanded to other creative careers, such as filmmaking, graphic design, technical illustration and industrial design.

From the post-World War II student population burst, also sparked by the GI Bill®, that led the College to move beyond its earlier locations in Los Angeles, to many notable alumni and faculty, ArtCenter’s history has been enriched significantly by individuals who honorably served their country.

Today, servicemen and servicewomen—whose discipline and desire to make a positive impact align closely with the College’s educational mission—continue to distinguish themselves as students and alumni. Indeed, military veterans who come to ArtCenter to begin new careers in art and design are, by nearly every account, among the College’s most dedicated and disciplined students.

GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

Every day is Veterans Day for Students in Designmatters’ The Healing Trauma Project

Take the next step toward a career in art and design.