How to Apply to Art at the University of Windsor: A Four-Year BFA in Visual Arts at the School of Creative Arts with No Portfolio Listed and a 70% Minimum Average, and Requirements and Timeline for Chinese and Canadian High School Students and Transfer Students

At the University of Windsor in Windsor, Ontario, art is taught by the Visual Arts area of the School of Creative Arts (SoCA), whose main degree is the four-year BFA in Visual Arts (Honours). Here is what you need to know for 2027 entry, based on Windsor’s official information, for students at high schools in China, students at Canadian high schools (including BC and Vancouver students), and transfer students.

1. Programs

• BFA in Visual Arts (Honours, four years): studio courses in drawing, painting, photography, sculpture, bio art and integrated media (digital imaging, sound and video), plus art history. Windsor says more than 60% of course time is in studios, and individual studio space is available in Year 4. Studios are in the Windsor Armouries downtown, a five-minute bus ride from downtown Detroit.
• First-year courses: VSAR-1060 Introduction to Elements of Art and Principles of Design, VSAR-1070 Introduction to Drawing, MACS 2050 or MACS 2150, GART-1500 and GART-1510 Effective Writing, and two electives.
• BA in Media Art Histories and Visual Culture: equal parts studio practice and world art history and visual culture.
• Combined Honours: equal parts studio practice and another discipline. There are also Visual Arts/Concurrent Education and minors in Studio Art and Art History/Visual Culture.
• Visual Arts and the Built Environment (VABE): run with the University of Detroit Mercy School of Architecture, leading to Windsor’s BFA in Visual Arts and a BSc in architecture from UDM. Windsor states it is open only to Canadian citizens legally permitted to commute to the United States; international students cannot apply.

2. How and when to apply

• Canadian high school students outside Ontario (including BC): apply through the Ontario Universities’ Application Centre (OUAC) and submit a high school transcript; offers may be made on early or unofficial marks, with a final official transcript needed to confirm admission.
• International students: three routes.
  • Apply directly to Windsor if all apply: you live outside Canada and the US, are not a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, are not at an Ontario secondary school, have not attended a North American college or university, and Windsor is the only Ontario university you are applying to.
  • Apply through OUAC if you are not at an Ontario secondary school and are applying to more than one Ontario university.
  • Apply through an authorized educational agent.
• Recommended international deadlines: May 1 for September (fall), September 1 for January (winter) and January 1 for May (spring). Windsor says these help secure your program and visa time, and it still admits qualified students later if space is available.
• After you apply: you receive an acknowledgement within five business days, then upload your diploma, transcripts (officially translated if not in English) and English results in UWinsite Student. Evaluation usually takes up to four weeks once your file is complete.
• Deadlines for Canadian students were not on the pages we read; follow OUAC and Windsor’s official dates.

3. Portfolio

• No portfolio is listed in the admission requirements: the Visual Arts program page lists only Grade 12 English and an average, with no portfolio, interview or assignment.
• The international upload checklist includes “Your Portfolio (required, if applicable)”. Whether it applies to Visual Arts depends on your To Do List in UWinsite Student, or ask SoCA (soca@uwindsor.ca).

4. Students at Canadian high schools (including BC and Vancouver)

• BFA in Visual Arts: course requirement English/ENG4U (Ontario Grade 12 university English), minimum average 70%, mean average of admitted students 83%.
• BC equivalents: the program page uses Ontario course codes and does not say how BC courses map; ask Windsor Admissions.
• VABE: Physics (SPH4U), Advanced Functions (MHF4U) and English (ENG4U), with Calculus and Vectors (MCV4U) recommended; minimum 75%, mean 82%.

5. Students at high schools in China

• BFA in Visual Arts (international high school students outside Canada and the US): Grade 12 English, minimum average 70%, mean 83%.
• Gaokao: Windsor does not say whether or how it is used; ask Windsor international admissions or its authorized agent in China.
• Diplomas and transcripts not in English need official translation.

6. English requirements

• You can apply first: you do not need to meet the English requirement when applying; Windsor gives conditional offers to students who will meet it through its English Language Improvement Program (ELIP) or another way before starting.
• Minimum scores (university minimums; some programs may require more): IELTS Academic 6.5; TOEFL iBT 83 with 20 in writing; Duolingo 115; PTE 60; CAEL 60; Cambridge C1/C2 176.
• Exemption: the requirement may be waived after at least three consecutive years of full-time study at a recognized secondary school, including English 12U or equivalent within the past two years; you must show English was the language of instruction. Exemptions can be denied or revoked if, for example, test scores or English grades are low.

7. Tuition and scholarships

• Tuition: the fee estimator uses approved 2026–2027 fees but only calculates after you pick a major and fee category, so international tuition is not shown on static pages; use the estimator. The awards page lists estimates for full-time domestic students for two terms (based on 2023–2024): Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences CAD 5,800; VABE CAD 7,800; books and supplies CAD 1,500–2,500.
• Guaranteed entrance support (for students entering directly from full-time secondary school, based on your application and best six Grade 12 U/M or equivalent courses available in May; no separate application):
  • 95–100%: CAD 4,000 a year, renewable for four years.
  • 90–94.99%: CAD 2,500 a year, renewable for four years.
  • 85–89.99%: CAD 1,000, first year only.
• Application-based awards: complete the UWinAward Entrance Application Profile (opens in January) by April 30. Windsor says most awards are also open to international students, considering academics, financial need and citizenship.
• About 100 high-achieving first-year students are offered Outstanding Scholar Candidate status, with an extra CAD 750 per semester in first year.

8. Transfer students

• Transfer requirements and credit were not on the pages we read; see Windsor’s Transfer Student application page and Course Equivalence tool, or contact Admissions.
• For English: at least ten transfer credits from an Ontario College of Applied Arts and Technology (CAAT) or equivalent with an overall transfer average of B meets the English requirement.

Application checklist

Students at high schools in China:

• Grade 12 (Senior 3) English and at least a 70% average (83% mean); translated diploma and transcripts
• IELTS 6.5 or TOEFL 83 (writing 20); conditional offers are possible
• For fall, apply by May 1 directly, through OUAC or through an authorized agent

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

• Apply through OUAC and submit your transcript
• Grade 12 English and at least a 70% average (83% mean); confirm BC equivalents with Admissions
• Automatic entrance awards from 85%; complete the UWinAward profile by April 30

Transfer students:

• Follow the transfer application process with transcripts and course outlines; credit is assessed after admission

Sources: University of Windsor, Visual Arts program; BFA in Visual Arts (Honours); Visual Arts undergraduate programs; Visual Arts and the Built Environment; How to apply from outside Ontario; International applicants; Student awards; Tuition fee estimator; English language proficiency policy (PDF). Information is for 2027 entry; domestic tuition is Windsor’s estimate based on 2023–2024. Check Windsor for the latest details.