PCA&D is a new ‘home’ for students from closed colleges

Nimble and quick is the hallmark of Pennsylvania College of Art & Design. It applies to developing cutting-edge academic programs, to forging unconventional partnerships, and to creating opportunities for the community.

And in this past year, PCA&D’s nimble and quick mantra has meant jumping in to help students at four sister institutions of art and design that closed – Hussian College, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art, Delaware College of Art and Design, and University of the Arts.

When Hussian College, a Philadelphia-based institution, closed in the summer of 2023, PCA&D quickly rallied resources, and a state ACHIEVE Near Completer Grant program, to come to the aid of students, enabling them to transfer to PCA&D with many of their expenses and tuition charges fully covered. Ten Hussian students earned PCA&D degrees – AA, BA, and BFA degrees – at PCA&D’s 2024 Commencement as a result.

“When (Hussian) decided to close their doors … I was determined to figure out what would be my next steps in life,” said Maliyah Gregg, a former Hussian student. “I wanted to finish my degree and graduate from college; PCA&D was my light.” The College worked quickly to welcome Hussian students and incorporate them into PCA&D’s day-to-day student life and our traditions: The work of Gregg, in fact, was selected by a panel of judges to brand the College’s 2024 Senior Show & Celebration. And Gregg and another former Hussian student, Jasir Moody-Awo, recently were named PCA&D’s 2024-25 Career Development Fellows. 

When Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art announced that they were shuttering their degree-granting program in January 2024, PCA&D stepped in as a partner to take in displaced students through a “teach-out” agreement, allowing students to finish their degree at PCA&D. Students who started a degree program at PAFA can finish at PCA&D, as PCA&D and PAFA share the same program framework that prepares students for work in their major programs through rigorous coursework in general education and studio preparation. Animation and time-based media, drawing, illustration, individualized study, painting, printmaking, and sculpture students find the same pathway for study available in PCA&D’s Bachelor of Fine Art degrees in Animation & Game Art, Fine Art, Illustration, and Photography & Video, as well as PCA&D’s Bachelor of Art Degree in Design Thinking and Associate of Art Degree in Design Thinking.

When Delaware College of Art and Design decided to close in May 2024, it reached out to PCA&D, a long-time partner for 2+2 programs. Over the years, a number of DCAD students had earned BFA degrees through the partnership with PCA&D, allowing them to seamlessly build on their Associates of Fine Arts degree from DCAD, entering PCA&D as juniors. Now, the incoming class of DCAD students as well as current students can transition to PCA&D through this partnership. Former DCAD students can elect to earn their Associates of Fine Arts degree through PCA&D, or can decide to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Animation & Game Art, Fine Art, Graphic Design, Illustration, and Photography & Video, as well as PCA&D’s Bachelor of Art Degree in Design Thinking and Associate of Art Degree in Design Thinking.

The sudden closure of University of the Arts in Philadelphia provides another pathway for displaced students to attend PCA&D. The incoming class at UArts as well as students who planned to return are welcome to attend PCA&D to pursue their degrees. Students who planned to or already started a degree program at UArts can finish at PCA&D. Animation, Fine Art, Graphic Design, Illustration, and Photography students find the same pathway for study available in PCA&D’s Bachelor of Fine Art degrees in Animation & Game Art, Fine Art, Graphic Design, Illustration, and Photography & Video.