How to apply to Washington University in St. Louis for art and design: Sam Fox School College of Art BFA and BA in studio art, communication design and fashion design, choose a major and submit 10–20 works, portfolio requirements and timelines for students from China, Canada and transfers

At Washington University in St. Louis (WashU), undergraduate art and design is taught by the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts, which includes the College of Architecture and the College of Art. Here is what you need to know about the College of Art for fall 2027 entry, based on official WashU information, for students at high schools in China, students at Canadian high schools (including BC and Vancouver) and transfer students.

1. Degrees and majors

• Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA): studio-intensive, with 65 credits of studio courses (about half of all coursework); majors in studio art, communication design or fashion design; a capstone and an annual thesis exhibition. The BFA can also be earned within a dual-degree program.
• Bachelor of Arts (BA): a broader liberal arts focus with 30–36 studio credits (about a quarter); majors in studio art or design (communication or fashion concentration); no capstone requirement.
• Second majors and minors: second majors in studio art or design are open to all WashU undergraduates; minors include Creative Practice for Social Change, Design, Human-Computer Interaction and Studio Art.
• Getting in: choose a major in the College of Architecture or College of Art on your application. The primary considerations are artistic and intellectual promise and your academic record; you must have graduated from high school, have a recommendation from your school and have taken an appropriate distribution of subjects.
• Architecture: also part of the Sam Fox School; the portfolio is optional for first-year architecture applicants and required for transfers.

2. Portfolio requirements

• Required: College of Art applicants must submit 10–20 works, showing their best and most recent work. A portfolio is also required for school scholarship consideration.
• How to submit: digitally through SlideRoom, or in person at a National Portfolio Day or a review scheduled during a campus visit. Consideration for the Conway/Proetz Scholarships requires a digital portfolio on SlideRoom.
• Content: most pieces should be finished, but 2–3 sketches, quick drawings or in-progress pieces can show technical and observational skill. Work can range across media and subjects or come from a single series, including drawing, fashion design, graphic design, painting, printmaking, sculpture, video, photography and architecture.
• Format: add descriptions in SlideRoom’s text box for each image rather than in the image; tile no more than four views of a 3D piece in one file. PDFs are allowed, but each image must be uploaded separately, and a website link cannot replace uploaded images.
• Review: the portfolio is a significant part of the application, weighed with your transcript, test scores (if sent), recommendations and activities; Sam Fox representatives review it and evaluate the full file with University Admissions.
• Feedback: the school recommends attending a National Portfolio Day or scheduling a one-on-one portfolio review.

3. Deadlines and application materials

• Early Action: 2 November 2026, decisions by 23 December, non-binding.
• Early Decision I: 2 November 2026, decisions by 11 December, binding.
• Early Decision II: 4 January 2027, decisions by 12 February, binding.
• Regular Decision: 4 January 2027, decisions by 1 April.
• School materials (school report and transcript, teacher evaluation, counselor recommendation): 9 November for EA and ED I, 11 January for ED II and Regular Decision.
• Application: Common Application or Coalition Application, with a 250-word essay on what you want to study and why. WashU does not offer admission interviews.

4. Students at high schools in China

• Records: submit all secondary school transcripts and exam results (such as IGCSE, predicted A-Levels or national exam results).
• Testing is optional: students outside the US may submit SAT, ACT, national exam results, predicted or final IB Diploma or A-Level results, three AP scores or three IB Higher Level scores.
• Gaokao: WashU’s examples of national exams are the French Baccalauréat and German Abitur; the Gaokao and art entrance exams are not mentioned, so ask Admissions before relying on Gaokao results.
• English: non-native speakers must submit TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo. WashU lists its most competitive scores as TOEFL 5.0 on the new scale (100 before 21 January 2026), IELTS 7.0 and Duolingo 130. From fall 2027, SAT or ACT can no longer substitute for an English test.
• Interviews: WashU strongly encourages international applicants to submit a third-party interview such as InitialView; not doing so is not a disadvantage.

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

• BC and other Canadian students apply as students outside the US with the same optional testing; no Canadian grade requirements are published.
• English: the stated waiver is for three years at an English-medium US high school; other cases are considered individually, so ask Admissions.
• The portfolio requirements are the same; check the school’s admissions events page for National Portfolio Day locations.

6. Costs, aid and scholarships

• 2026-27 cost (USD): tuition 71,310, student activity fee 712, health fee 700 and average housing and dining 24,272, for billed costs of 96,994; plus estimated books 1,412, transportation 1,050 and other 2,804. 2027-28 costs are not yet published, and the Sam Fox pages do not list separate materials or studio fees.
• Financial aid: WashU meets the full demonstrated need of all admitted undergraduates, and the Sam Fox scholarship page states that WashU undergraduate admission is need-blind. International students seeking aid submit the CSS Profile by the round deadline (17 November for EA and ED I, 11 January for ED II, 1 February for Regular Decision).
• Conway/Proetz Scholarships in Art: four-year awards, with one full-tuition scholarship and up to five USD 10,000 scholarships each year; no separate application, just choose a College of Art major and submit a digital portfolio.
• WashU signature scholars programs: the Danforth, Annika Rodriguez and John B. Ervin programs; scholarship applications are due 16 December 2026 for priority consideration.

7. Transfer students

• Deadline: 1 March 2027 for fall entry, with decisions by 7 May. Spring entry is only for Arts & Sciences, and international applicants must already be at a US college.
• Materials: Common Application, college and high school transcripts, a college instructor evaluation and the college report, plus a portfolio for art and architecture applicants.
• Staying in your school: transfer places are few, and you stay in the school that admits you; moving to another school requires a semester at WashU and an internal application, which is not guaranteed.
• Aid: international transfer students are not eligible for WashU financial aid. The WashU Women’s Society funds a small number of two-year full-tuition Elizabeth Gray Danforth scholarships for transfers from the St. Louis Community College system.

Checklists

Students at high schools in China:

• Decide between the BFA and BA and choose a College of Art major on the application
• Submit 10–20 works on SlideRoom (required for Conway/Proetz consideration), uploading each image separately with a description
• Apply by 2 November 2026 (EA/ED I) or 4 January 2027 (ED II/Regular); scholarships by 16 December
• TOEFL 5.0 (or 100 on the old scale), IELTS 7.0 or Duolingo 130 are the most competitive scores

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

• Apply as a student outside the US with optional testing; no Canadian grade requirements are published

Transfer students:

• Apply with a portfolio by 1 March 2027 for fall; international transfers are not eligible for aid

Sources: Washington University in St. Louis, Sam Fox undergraduate admissions; Undergraduate portfolio FAQ; Sam Fox undergraduate scholarships; BFA and BA degrees; Application dates; International first-year applicants; English requirements; Transfer applicants; 2026-27 costs. Information is for fall 2027 entry (costs are 2026-27 figures). Check WashU for the latest details.