Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota, Florida was established in 1931 as an offshoot of Southern College, Orlando that was founded in 1856. It subsequently became independent, and it started offering its own degrees in 1979.
The college roll numbers 1,400 students who can study for a bachelor of fine arts in disciplines including: business of art and design; computer animation; creative writing; film; fine arts; game art; graphic design; illustration; interior design; motion design; photography and imaging; visual studies and virtual reality development.
Ringling currently has students from over 65 countries and from almost every US state. To support their international students, the college has an assigned international student advisor, English language support and ESL classes, life skills and campus life resources, and one-on-one tutoring and coursework assistance.
There is a diverse range of student activities on offer at Ringling. As well as a variety of creative arts-based societies, there is a gaming club and improv troupe a soccer club and even a Quidditch team! Among the various facilities and centres for students, there is a strong emphasis on technology. Each student is provided with a complimentary laptop and up-to-date software and can work from a cloud system, accessible from any location.
Notable alumni include: designer David Bromstad; painter, Tim Jaeger; cartoonist, John Marshall; Academy Award-winning short film director and illustrator Brandon Oldenburg and Academy Award-winning short film director and animator Patrick Osborne.
