Hey, we get it. It’s the summer. The last thing you want to think about is school. But think about it like this — wouldn’t you be able to enjoy the rest of summer more if you nailed down your fall plans right now? We review apps as they come in so you’ll get your decision pretty quick. Apply today while there are still spots open and then kick back until October 5 without the dread hanging over your head of what the hell you’re going to do this fall.
Way out west, nestled in the shadows of the majestic Rocky Mountains, sits a lone creative outpost that rises above the rest. At the 2026 Young Ones Student Awards, DAD was named the #1 portfolio school in North America and #11 overall school on the planet. No students anywhere else work harder than our students do here at DAD, so a tip of the hat to The One Club, Art Directors Club, and Type Directors Club for the kindly recognition.
Why does Miami Ad School get downvoted to hell on Reddit? What’s the big hangup with VCU Brandcenter’s big tuition price? Are quicker, cheaper programs a shortcut to nowhere? Find out below why more and more industry insiders are turning to DAD as the choice of a new generation of advertising creatives compared to the other portfolio school options.
If you can’t decide which ad school to attend, let the work speak for itself! After all, what better way to judge a portfolio school than by the quality of the portfolios they put out? We’re so confident in ours that we wanted to make it super easy for you to compare, so smash the links below and decide for yourself what kind of standard you want your own portfolio to live up to.
We’re the Denver Ad School, or DAD for short. We’re an advertising portfolio school that offers in-person and online programs in art direction and copywriting. We pack a lot into our intensive 16-month programs to mold you into the most prepared, knowledgeable, and skilled junior creative an ad agency has ever seen. Which is to say, we’ll help you stand out and be a hell of a lot more hireable than you are right now.
Wanna see a magic trick? We’ll turn your $27,000 tuition into a $65,000 average starting salary at a big ad agency. How can you justify spending more time and money on school? That’s how. Try finding a job with that kinda salary right out of college with zero industry experience and a below-average creative portfolio. Scrounge up the cash for ad school now and set yourself up for success the rest of your agency career.
What are all the cool logos below? You guessed it, that's just a selection of some of the best ad agencies in the country that have hired our students. The consistent feedback we get from recruiters, creative directors, and agency leaders is that they trust DAD Grads to step into true creative roles and contribute right away on meaningful work – no college level internships here. Like over two hundred alumni before you and counting, come to DAD and you'll be a hell of a lot more hireable than you are now with an opportunity to start your career at some of the best ad agencies in the country.
Don’t wanna move to Denver? Enjoy the come-as-you-are freedom of attending online classes and meetings in your underwear? Do you love talking to people on the computer all damn day long? Online might be the way to go. Or do you prefer face-to-face interactions? Hanging out with your classmates before class, during class, after class, and while holding mock classes on the weekends because you all miss class so much? No matter how you choose to attend, you’ll get the same results — smart feedback from agency pros, a killer portfolio, and the connections to start your ad career at the best agencies in the country.
Quarter begins October 5
Apps due September 18
Quarter begins April 5
Apps due March 19
What do you think we do all day, sit around and review applications? Actually… kinda? Because we do rolling admission, we review all apps as they come in. So for you, that means the instant you apply your app goes straight to the people who actually run this joint, which then also means you don’t spend months waiting around to hear back if you got accepted or not. And because we offer the same fully-comprehensive 5 quarter programs both online and in-person, you can stop delaying your creative journey and start whenever it’s most convenient for you.
We offer two programs that will teach you everything you need to know to get a job in an ad agency creative department. Maybe you firmly belong in one group, maybe your interests and talents overlap across both, that’s perfectly normal. Explore each below and the way forward will soon be clear…
Art directors craft the look and feel of a campaign. They make decisions about visuals, photography, type, colors, and the overall design. Could you secretly be an art director? Smash that link below to find out if you share some common creative traits with advertising art directors...
Copywriters craft the story and message behind a campaign. They write headlines, scripts for tv commercials and digital videos, taglines, social posts, etc. Smash that link below to find out if you share some common creative traits with advertising copywriters...
