Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design, Lakewood | Fees, Rankings, Address, Admission, Vacancies, Reviews & More

I thought I’d leave a review as a currently attending student (2024) I’ve been attending for about a year+ now and the more you continue on the more my peers drop out around me out of frustration. All of the bad reviews are based in truth, but I feel like it also depends on your degree. As an illustrative design student I feel like I’m learning and my teachers are engaged. Animation is a COMPLETELY different story, do not go to this school for that. All of my friends in that department have left.
Negatives:
• they don’t spend your tuition money effectively
• administration is really hard to deal with sometimes and you don’t get to pick your classes
• their strict attendance policy can be really difficult to work around and they give little leeway to help you. If you miss more than 2-3 classes then it’s 10% off your grade
• they put you in online classes even as an on-ground student
• the graphic design classes are great
• everyone is too nice and it’s hard to improve because you can get away with mediocre and subpar work and get the same grade as trying. It feels like a sheltered environment where they let anyone graduate
• They haven’t put much work into making some buildings accessible, if you have a wheelchair or mobility aids I feel it is harder to get around especially into the main entrances

Positives:
• I LOVE my professors
• The students are super kind and it’s a great environment for queer people
• The tools you have access to are awesome and there’s tech bar to help you out
• There’s a cafe in the basement that is super convenient
• I feel safe physically there
• Campus is beautiful and the buildings are pretty nice
• you’re connected to the Denver art scene through a lot of the teachers
•teachers are willing to work with you and help you out
• smaller class sizes and more one on one time if that’s what you’re looking for.

Overall this school really isn’t the worst and there’s a reason I’m still attending but it definitely does not work out for everyone.

This school barely teaches you anything about the actual making of art and focuses more on being able to research art history and write papers. Their equipment is outdated, damaged, uncomfortable, and unsuited for the tasks they expect from students.

The faculty is, for the most part, engaged and excited to help students learn, but administration ties their hands and interferes unnecessarily.

You’ll find most of your tuition dollars go towards landscaping and advertisement tools, like a fire truck, which every art school needs, and not towards things like student studio space, working vending machines (there’s one for eight large buildings, so if you are unable to walk very far, bring your own snacks), or other things that would be beneficial to students attending.

Advisors are more focused on calling, texting, and emailing students regarding attendance policy than putting students in classes that will work for them in the first place (YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO CHOOSE YOUR OWN CLASSES OR WITHDRAW/ADD WITHOUT A FIGHT, no matter what admissions tells you.)

Their learning management system is needlessly complicated and half of the professors don’t even bother setting it up for their classes. Most of the faculty is adjunct and angry about their pay and workload so expect that to translate to their general demeanor. The higher ups are not Art people, don’t visit classes, and waste money.

If you want to learn about artistic techniques, or art history for that matter, you could save yourself a lot of money by searching YouTube (this is where most class content will come from anyway.) Overall, I’m glad I did it, but I wish I had chosen a better school that cared more about my education than my money. That’s what you get what you turn education into a money mill.