How to apply to art and design at Whitehouse Institute of Design: the Bachelor of Design lets you specialise from day one in Fashion Design, Creative Direction & Styling or Interior Design over two accelerated years; 4–6 portfolio pieces, a 300-word statement and a design meeting; portfolio requirements and timeline for students from China and Canada and transfers

Whitehouse Institute of Design, Australia is a private college that specialises in design education. Its site footer lists TEQSA provider ID PRV12065, CRICOS provider code 02863C and RTO code 91319, and the fees page describes it as a registered Higher Education Private Provider. Below is what international applicants need to know about the Bachelor of Design, the portfolio, the application process, intake dates and fees.

1. Bachelor of Design specialisations

The Bachelor of Design is Whitehouse's main degree. You specialise from day one in one of three areas:

• Fashion Design: you start with a skirt and move through utility hybrid wear, print development and menswear tailoring to a graduate collection shown at the Graduate Showcase and runway. The specialisation page lists 18 core subjects (Design Contexts, Digital Design, Design Illustration) and 12 specialisation subjects (Fashion Design, Fashion Workshop), 288 credit points in total, with 20–22 face-to-face hours a week.
• Creative Direction & Styling: visual merchandising, brand collaborations, and editorial and luxury styling for campaigns and shoots across fashion, food, interiors and events.
• Interior Design: residential projects such as an apartment and kitchen first, then commercial, retail and hospitality briefs, covering materials research, technical drawing and spatial design.

• Duration: two accelerated years full-time (six trimesters), or part-time.
• Campuses: Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane; all on campus.
• Intakes: the course page lists February, June and September, with February 2027 next; on the Academic Dates page Trimester 2 starts in late May (see below).
• Whitehouse also offers an Associate Degree of Design, a Diploma of Design and an Undergraduate Certificate of Design, which lead into the bachelor with Advanced Standing for completed units.

2. Portfolio: 4–6 pieces in any medium

The Creative Portfolio page says bachelor, associate degree and master's applicants must submit a portfolio; diploma and undergraduate certificate applicants don't:

• Size: 4–6 pieces in any medium, such as illustrations, sketchbook pages, paintings or art projects, garments or accessories, photography or video, or graphic design.
• Originality: all work must be your own; you may reference existing work but not copy or reproduce it.
• Tips: the work doesn't have to match your chosen specialisation, but include at least one piece that reflects your interest; annotations and a mood board are welcome. Whitehouse says it is looking for creative potential, not a finished professional body of work.
• Exemptions: the portfolio page exempts students who completed Whitehouse's Certificate III in Design Fundamentals; the How to Apply page also exempts those who completed the Undergraduate Certificate of Design.

3. International entry requirements

The international requirements page groups applicants by background (secondary, VET, higher education, work and life experience). For recent school leavers (finished in the past two years or finishing this year):

• Qualification: an Australian senior certificate (HSC, VCE, QCE and so on), the IB, or an equivalent overseas senior school certificate. No ATAR is required; if the portfolio isn't strong enough, adjustment factors such as a design fundamentals certificate are considered.
• Documents: latest transcripts, a 4–6 piece portfolio, a 300-word motivational statement, proof of identity and citizenship (passport or birth certificate) and a CV.
• Age: at least 18 at application.
• Visa: eligible for a student visa, or holding a temporary visa that allows study.
• English: IELTS Academic 6.5 with no band below 6.0, or TOEFL 79–93; or previous study taught and assessed in English.
• Literacy assessment: international applicants who finished high school overseas may be asked to complete a 1,000-word written research task set by the Academic Director.

Chinese and Canadian qualifications: Whitehouse only says "equivalent overseas senior school certificate". How a Chinese senior high school certificate, the Gaokao, or a Canadian provincial diploma (including BC) is assessed is not published; your assigned admissions officer assesses it.

4. How to apply and key dates

• Direct applications only: the How to Apply page says Whitehouse isn't listed on UAC, VTAC or QTAC, so you apply on its website, and there is no application fee. The international page also says applications are only taken through the website's Apply Now button; if you use an agent, your enrolment officer will liaise with them.
• Steps: submit the online expression of interest, get a call from admissions, send documents and portfolio, attend a Design Meeting (with a campus tour), receive your outcome, then accept and enrol.
• Outcome timing: the international page says you get a results email within 24 hours of the interview and complete documents; the How to Apply page says within 48 hours. Go by what Whitehouse tells you.
• Early Entry: for the main February intake, Early Entry usually opens in March of the year before, and current Year 12 students can get an early offer based on current results.
• Deadlines: no application deadline is published. The Academic Dates page gives 2027 start dates and administrative due dates (the last day to pay upfront tuition and complete enrolment, two weeks before the start):
  • Sydney: Trimester 1 starts 8 February (due 26 January); Trimester 2, 24 May (10 May); Trimester 3, 6 September (23 August).
  • Melbourne and Brisbane: Trimester 1 starts 15 February (due 1 February); Trimester 2, 30 May (17 May); Trimester 3, 13 September (30 August).

5. Costs

• Tuition: the fees page puts international tuition in a separate international fee schedule file, which we did not read, so the amounts are not published on the page itself; ask admissions for it. Whitehouse says fees are reviewed every year and may rise, and increases apply to new and continuing students.
• Art and Technical Kits: bought from Whitehouse, priced by course, and paid no later than two weeks before you start.
• International-only charges: written withdrawal or deferral before commencement costs 10% of the study period tuition (max $2,096.60); a student visa refusal costs 5% of prepaid tuition or $500, whichever is higher.
• FEE-HELP: the fees page says eligibility for this government loan generally requires Australian citizenship.
• Scholarships: the pages we read don't mention international scholarships, so this is not published.

6. Transfers and credit

• If you've studied at a university, college or TAFE, or have relevant industry experience, you can apply for Advanced Standing (RPL); admissions assesses it case by case.
• International applicants with higher education study (a completed or partial bachelor's, undergraduate certificate, diploma or associate degree) can apply and also submit a portfolio and statement. If your last study was more than seven years ago, apply under work and life experience.

7. Checklists by background

Students at Chinese high schools:

• Be 18 at application; prepare transcripts and IELTS Academic 6.5 (6.0 in each band)
• Pick 4–6 pieces, at least one related to your chosen specialisation, and write the 300-word statement and CV
• Expect a possible 1,000-word literacy task; confirm with your admissions officer how your Chinese qualifications are assessed

Students at Canadian high schools (including BC and Vancouver):

• You apply with an equivalent overseas senior school certificate; BC score requirements aren't published
• If you finished high school in English in Canada, ask whether that can replace IELTS
• For February 2027, pay and enrol by 26 January (Sydney) or 1 February (Melbourne and Brisbane)

Transfer students:

• Bring university or college transcripts to apply for Advanced Standing
• You still need the portfolio and design meeting

Sources: Whitehouse Institute of Design, Australia, Bachelor of Design; Fashion Design specialisation; International application requirements; Creative Portfolio; How to Apply; Fees & Financial Aid; Academic Dates. Intake dates are for 2027. The international fee schedule is published as a separate file that we did not read; check Whitehouse for the latest details.