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Creating your Portfolio for Art School

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Ranked #2,426 in Arts & Design, #33,259 overall

"To be good is not enough when you dream of being great."

The what, where, when, why, and how of submitting a portfolio to an undergraduate Art School.

Contents at a Glance

Portfolio Advice (How?)
Art School Portfolio Requirements (What?...
Application Dates (When?)
National Portfolio Day (Where?)
College Profiles (Why?)
Other Stuff

What should you include in your portfolio?

"You've scoured through the brochures, filled out the applications, wrote those navel-gazing essays about why you want to be an artist, but now the worst seems to loom over you. You have to present a portfolio of your work. It's difficult to trust your belief in your own art when you wonder "Am I good enough?" The key to your portfolio is to convey not only your skills, but also your potential to do more.."

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Art School Portfolio Requirements (What?)

What the schools need from you

Each art school has specific requirements for the portfolios prospective students submit. Check out these links to determine what you need to do!

Rhode Island School of Design Portfolio: RISD's portfolio requirements
School of Visual Art Portfolio: SVA's portfolio requirements
Cooper Union Portfolio: The Cooper Union's portfolio requirements
Parsons Portfolio: Parsons portfolio requirements
Pratt Portfolio: Pratt portfolio requirements
Fashion Institute of Technology Portfolio: FIT portfolio requirements
Ringling Portfolio: Ringling portfolio requirements
Savannah (SCAD) Portfolio: Savannah College of Art and Design portfolio requirements
CalArts Portfolio: California Institute of Arts portfolio requirements
Art Institute of Chicago Portfolio: Art Institute of Chicago portfolio requirements
SFAI Portfolio: San Francisco Art Institute's portfolio requirements
Art Center Portfolio: Art Center's portfolio requirements

Application Dates (When?)

When to apply

Here's a list of application submission dates for several schools

RISD February 15
SVA January 26
Cooper Union January 10
Parsons February 1
Pratt February 1
FIT February 1
Ringling January 15
SCAD None
CalArts January 5
School of the Art Institute of Chicago March 15
SFAI February 15
Arts Center None
Maryland Institute February 15

National Portfolio Day (Where?)

What is National Portfolio Day?

National Portfolio Day is an event specifically for visual artists and designers. It is an opportunity for those who wish to pursue an education in the visual and related arts to meet with representatives from colleges accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design. Representatives will be available to review your artwork, discuss their programs and answer questions about professional careers in art. High school students, parents, teachers, guidance counselors and college transfer students are encouraged to attend.

Find out more here

College Profiles (Why?)

A list of college profiles from U.S. News

Cooper Union Profile: The country's most exclusive art school.

Percent applicants admitted: 11%
Rhode Island School of Design Profile: Ranked #4 in 2003 MFA Fine Arts Specialties Painting/Drawing

Percent applicants admitted: 33%
School of Visual Arts Profile: Ranked #18 in 2003 MFA Fine Arts Specialties Painting/Drawing

Percent applicants admitted: 72%
Parsons School of Design Profile: Percent applicants admitted: 50%
Pratt Institute Profile: Ranked #18 in 2003 MFA Fine Arts Specialties Painting/Drawing

Percent applicants admitted: 43%
Fashion Institute of Technology Profile: Percent applicants admitted: 43%
Ringling College of Art and Design Profile: Percent applicants admitted: 73%
Savannah College of Art and Design Profile: Percent applicants admitted: 54%
California Institute of the Arts Profile: Ranked #14 in 2003 MFA Fine Arts Specialties Painting/Drawing

Percent applicants admitted: 32%
School of the Art Institute of Chicago Profile: Ranked #2 in 2003 MFA Fine Arts Specialties Painting/Drawing

Percent applicants admitted: 80%
San Francisco Art Institute Profile: Ranked #7 in 2003 MFA Fine Arts Specialties Painting/Drawing

Percent applicants admitted: 26%
Art Center College of Design Profile: Ranked #12 in 2003 MFA Fine Arts Specialties Painting/Drawing

Percent applicants admitted: 71%
Maryland Institute College of Art Profile: Ranked #5 in 2003 MFA Fine Arts Specialties Painting/Drawing

Percent applicants admitted: 37%

Other Stuff

* AICAD - Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design
* NASAD - National Association of Schools of Art and Design
* RISD Professors Rated
* ConceptArt.org's forums on all things Art School.

Reader Feedback

Any other schools you'd like me to include in my lists? Let me know!

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stickytabby Aug 12, 2008 @ 9:03 am | delete

Smoking lens/portfolio here! Really impresive..I would recommend this to others. I also have a post that is similar to yours, and I would love it if you can give it a visit - oil paintings | art reproductions | fine art gallery