How to Apply to Art and Design at the University of North Texas: No Portfolio at Application, a Shared First-Year Foundations Program, and Entry Reviews After Enrollment for Studio Art, Communication Design, Fashion and Interior Design BFAs, With Requirements and Timeline for Chinese and Canadian High School and Transfer Students

At the University of North Texas (UNT) in Denton, Texas, undergraduate art and design is in the College of Visual Arts and Design (CVAD). CVAD says it offers 16 undergraduate degree programs and is an accredited member of the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD). Here is what you need to know, based on UNT’s official websites, for students at high schools in China (including A-level, IB and AP students), students at Canadian high schools (including BC and Vancouver students), and transfer students.

1. Degrees

• BFAs that require an entry review:
  • Studio Art: seven concentrations—Ceramics, Drawing and Painting, Metalsmithing and Jewelry, New Media Art, Photography, Printmaking and Sculpture;
  • Communication Design: Graphic Design and User-Experience Design;
  • Fashion Design;
  • Interior Design (accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation, CIDA);
  • Art Education.
• BAs: Art History; Interdisciplinary Art and Design Studies (Open Track, Arts Management and Design Management).
• No animation program: CVAD’s FAQ says there is no animation program at UNT in any college, and suggests New Media Art or programs elsewhere such as Media Arts: Radio, TV and Film or Game Studies and Design.
• Foundations: all incoming students start with the first-year Foundations program, the core of every CVAD undergraduate degree; all CVAD majors share a set of foundation courses, so you can start before choosing.
• Grades: CVAD majors and minors need a 2.5 GPA in all art courses, and a C or above in all CVAD required courses for them to count; a D or below does not.

2. Portfolio

• None at application: CVAD’s FAQ says there is no separate admission process and no portfolio is required to begin, nor after applying; you build a portfolio at CVAD. Prior art experience is not required.
• BFA entry reviews (▲ Entry Review): all BFA students begin as pre-majors and must pass an entry review tied to their coursework to continue in the full major. Portfolio assignments differ by review; see CVAD’s curriculum guides.
• Example: Interior Design entry-portfolio review (2025 guide):
  • Competitive, with historical acceptance rates of 40% to 60% that vary by year.
  • Upload one PDF (20MB maximum, named with your student ID only) to UNT’s SlideRoom by 11:59 p.m. CST on 1 May 2026; the SlideRoom fee is USD 6. Results come by email in mid-June, and you must reply within the stated time.
  • Work must show manual drawing, drafting and hand skills, with no student names on the work; enhancing hand drafting with digital tools disqualifies the applicant. Sections include schematic design and research, and design development and ideation.
  • If you do not pass, you may retake Drawing for Interior Design (ADES 2630) or resubmit the following year, one more time only; you must pass before upper-division classes. Students changing majors or transferring in submit the current year’s project.
• This guide did not read every other BFA review; see the curriculum guides for each program.

3. How to apply

• Application: ApplyTexas or the Common App. The international undergraduate fee is USD 85, non-refundable.
• International freshman deadlines (online application, all documents and the fee): fall 15 July, summer 3-week session 15 April, spring 15 November.
• Guaranteed admission to UNT (meet one; requirements vary by start term): top 30% of the graduating class; a cumulative unweighted high school GPA of 3.25 or higher (on a 4.0 scale); an unweighted 3.0 GPA in at least 12 hours of dual credit; an unweighted 3.0 GPA in core courses (4 years of English, 4 of math, 4 of science, 3 of social science); or ACT 22 or SAT 1100 (testing is optional). Others are reviewed individually and automatically.
• Academic records: transcripts and diploma covering the final three years of secondary school, in the original language and English (translated by the school or a certified translator); notarized or copied transcripts are not accepted. Scans in myUNT are used for evaluation, with official documents required before registration.
• Funding: after admission, submit the sponsor statement and bank certification through iNorthTX to request an I-20.
• Admitted students attend orientation, where an advisor reviews transcripts and the degree plan.

4. English requirements

• Tests (within two years, single sitting): TOEFL iBT 79 (before 21 January 2026) or 4 (from 21 January 2026), IELTS Academic 6.0, PTE 53, Duolingo 100 and others.
• High school exams: AP English Language and Composition 5; IB HL English A1 5; C or higher in GCSE/IGCSE English; SAT 560 on both reading and writing; ACT English 21.
• Exemption: citizens of listed English-speaking countries meet the requirement, including Canada (except Quebec). Medium of instruction letters are not accepted; without proof of English you may be admitted conditionally and start in UNT’s intensive English program.

5. Students at high schools in China

• Send transcripts and the diploma for the final three years (Chinese and English), from a high school recognized by the Ministry of Education.
• Gaokao and art exams: UNT does not say how these are used; not published, so ask international admissions.
• Guaranteed admission GPAs use a 4.0 scale; how Chinese marks are converted is not published.
• No portfolio; you take Foundations first, and BFA majors then pass an entry review.

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

• English: Canadian citizens (except Quebec) meet the requirement; if you finished high school in Canada without Canadian citizenship, check with admissions.
• Grades: BC course requirements are not published; you are reviewed under the criteria in section 3, so ask admissions how grades are converted.
• Texas’s Uniform Admission Policy does not apply to graduates of high schools outside Texas.

7. Transfer students

• International transfer deadlines: fall 1 August, summer 3-week session 1 May, spring 1 December.
• GPA (you must be eligible to return to your last institution): fewer than 30 transferable hours, a 2.5 college GPA plus high school transcripts; 30–44 hours, 2.25; 45 or more, 2.0.
• Length: CVAD’s FAQ says transfer credit may not mean finishing in two years; a couple of CVAD majors take three to four years even with transfer credit, so email CVAD first.
• Entry reviews: transfers into Interior Design submit the current year’s review project (see section 2); for other BFAs, see the curriculum guides.
• CVAD accepts dual credit, AP and IB credit under UNT’s credit-by-exam rules.

8. Costs and scholarships

• Costs: out-of-state and international tuition figures are not listed on the pages read; use UNT’s tuition estimator (estimatemytuition.unt.edu). International students pay an International Student Fee each semester and are billed automatically for UNT health insurance.
• UNT Excellence Scholarship: open to international students. The published criteria are for fall 2026: first-time freshmen admitted by 1 March with all high school transcripts are considered automatically, with USD 2,000 to 12,000 a year for up to four years based on class rank and unweighted GPA. Check the fall 2027 criteria when published.
• CVAD scholarships: you must attend CVAD for at least one semester before applying; also complete UNT’s general scholarship application each semester.

9. Checklist

Students at high schools in China:

• ApplyTexas or Common App, complete by 15 July for fall; no portfolio
• Be admitted by 1 March for Excellence Scholarship consideration
• IELTS 6.0 or TOEFL 79; Foundations first, then a BFA entry review

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

• Canadian citizens outside Quebec meet the English requirement; confirm BC grade requirements with admissions

Transfer students:

• Fall deadline 1 August; some majors still take three to four years, so contact CVAD early

Sources: University of North Texas, CVAD academic programs; Future students FAQs; Foundations; CVAD curriculum guides; Interior Design entry-portfolio review; Freshman admission requirements; International deadlines and fees; English language proficiency; Required academic credentials; Tuition, costs and aid; UNT Excellence Scholarship. Check UNT’s official websites for the latest information.