How to Apply for Art and Design at Bowling Green State University: No Portfolio to Enter the School of Art, Pre-BFA Status and a 10-15 Work BFA Portfolio Review in the First Spring with Two Attempts, Digital Arts, Graphic Design and Seven Studio Areas, Portfolio Requirements and Timelines for Students from China, Canada and Transfers

Bowling Green State University (BGSU), in Ohio, teaches undergraduate art and design through the School of Art in the College of Arts and Sciences. BGSU says the School of Art has been accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD) since 1984. This guide summarizes BGSU’s official information for students at high schools in China, students at high schools in Canada (including British Columbia and Vancouver), and transfer students.

1. Degrees and majors

• BFA: Art Education, Digital Arts, Graphic Design and Studio Art. Studio Art has seven specializations: Ceramics, Glass, Jewelry/Metals, Painting/Drawing, Photography, Printmaking and Sculpture.
• BA: Art History, Art (Digital Arts) and Art (Studio Art). Students in the Art BA (Digital Arts or Studio) must add a minor, inside or outside the arts.
• Graphic Design BFA: the program page says the curriculum includes a required internship.
• Digital Arts: offered as a BFA or BA; core classes cover animation, digital imaging, character design, visual storytelling, creative code and 3D modeling.
• First Year Program: three courses: ART 1020 Design Studio: Color, Surface & Process; ART 1030 Drawing Studio: Perception, Practice, Process; and ART 1120 Media Studio: Space & Time.

2. Admission: enter the school, then pass the BFA review

• No portfolio to enter: admission to BGSU is enough to join the School of Art; BA degrees do not require a portfolio.
• Pre-BFA: students who want a BFA are admitted as pre-BFA majors in their area and must pass the BFA Portfolio Review after starting classes to become full BFA candidates. Passing depends on the review, not on grades in First Year Program courses.
• Not for high school or transfer applicants: the review page says it is for current School of Art students only; do not submit while still in high school or planning to transfer.
• When: the admissions page says students submit during the spring of their first year; the review page says students can submit after completing at least two of the three foundation courses, and the handbook says this is “strongly encouraged.”
• Two attempts: students who do not pass in their first year may try again the following year; after a second unsuccessful attempt they must pursue a BA.
• Program change: students choose their BFA area when registering in SlideRoom, and on passing their program changes automatically from pre-BFA to that BFA.

3. BFA Portfolio Review requirements

• Content: 10-15 pieces of original artwork plus one application, both submitted through SlideRoom.
• Sources: work from First Year Program courses is encouraged, and work from other BGSU or university art courses, high school art classes and personal projects is also appropriate.
• Media: any medium, regardless of intended major: 2-D (drawing, painting, printmaking, photography, collage, mixed media), 3-D (ceramics, sculpture, jewelry and metals, glass), digital work (animation, web design, digital imaging, video), graphic design and installation; a variety of media is encouraged.
• Criteria (equally weighted): creativity, conceptual focus, knowledge of visual elements, knowledge of design principles, craftsmanship and variety. Three faculty members score each portfolio and the average is the final score.
• Do not include: work copied from others, drawings from photographs taken by someone else or not in the public domain, or reproductions of famous pieces, cartoon characters or celebrity photos.
• Dates (the page still shows 2025-2026): the portal opened February 1, 2026 and the deadline was March 20, 2026 at 11:59 pm Eastern; results are emailed within 30 days of the deadline. Check the school’s dates for your own year.
• Feedback: students can arrange unofficial feedback with the arts admissions coordinator (artschool@bgsu.edu).

4. Incoming talent awards (portfolio)

• Incoming Freshman Talent Award: for high school seniors planning to attend the School of Art full-time; submit 10 original works created within the last 18 months, in any medium, through SlideRoom. There are 8-10 awards a year of USD 1,000-2,000, non-renewable and applied to first-year tuition.
• Deadline: the page shows February 19, 2026 (for fall 2026); the fall 2027 date is not published. Students already receiving a full-tuition scholarship are not eligible.
• Extra awards: the strongest portfolio among Incoming Freshman Talent Award applicants receives an additional USD 2,000 (Robert Mazur Memorial Scholarship, automatic), and the top Incoming Freshman Talent Award recipient who is also exhibiting in the Ohio Governor’s Youth Art Exhibition receives USD 1,000 more.
• International students: the page does not say whether international students are eligible; ask the School of Art.
• Current students: each spring students can submit portfolios for talent awards (at least USD 1,000), and there are exhibition awards and academic scholarships.

5. Timeline and international requirements

• Deadlines: for fall 2027, the application and all documents are due June 18, 2027, with an I-20 issuing deadline of July 2; for spring 2027, November 6, 2026. The fee is USD 75 with no waivers.
• Grades: international first-years need a cumulative high school GPA of at least 2.5 (4.0 scale); no essays or recommendations are required.
• Documents: official documents in English (originals, notarized or certified copies, or official English translations stamped on each page); photocopies and documents marked “Issued to Student” are not accepted.
• English: TOEFL 71 (tests through 2025) or 4 (tests from 2026), IELTS 6.0, PTE 48, Duolingo 100, or ELS level 112; at least one academic year at a high school or college where English is the primary language of instruction also qualifies.
• Students from China: how the Gaokao is used, and whether art exams are considered, is not published; ask international admissions.
• Students from Canada (including BC): BC grade requirements are not published; ask admissions whether study at an English-medium Canadian high school meets the one-year rule.

6. Costs and scholarships

• Costs (estimate for international undergraduates entering in 2026-27 with 12 credits a semester): tuition and fees USD 23,500, room and board 12,500, insurance and books 3,500, total 39,500, plus an international student services fee and an orientation fee. Art course material fees are not shown on the pages read for this guide; check the bursar’s fee calculator.
• Falcon Tuition Guarantee: locks costs for four academic years for each incoming class.
• Automatic scholarships: awarded on GPA and test scores, with no separate application. The BG Success Scholarship pays USD 4,000 a year to international first-year and transfer students with a GPA of at least 3.0; first-year academic scholarships pay USD 1,000-8,000 a year.
• Two statements: the requirements page says SAT or ACT scores are required for merit scholarships, while the scholarship page says awards use GPA plus TOEFL/IELTS or SAT/ACT. Ask admissions.
• Scholarship deadlines: the page lists June 20, 2026 for fall 2026 and November 7, 2026 for spring 2027; the fall 2027 date is not published.

7. Transfer students

• Definition: students with more than 12 college credits after high school apply as transfers; the international transfer process is the same as for first-years.
• Documents: official transcripts from every college attended, plus high school transcripts for those with fewer than 30 semester credits.
• BFA: transfer applicants also do not submit a BFA portfolio before enrolling; they take the review as current students. Whether transfer credit covers First Year Program courses is not published; ask the College of Arts and Sciences.

Checklist

Students at high schools in China:

• For fall 2027, submit the application and all documents by June 18, 2027; the fee is USD 75
• Prepare IELTS 6.0, TOEFL 71 (4 for tests from 2026) or Duolingo 100; documents must be official English versions
• No portfolio is needed for admission; for an incoming talent award, prepare 10 works from the last 18 months and ask the school about international eligibility and the deadline
• BFA students take the First Year Program and submit 10-15 works for the review in their first spring

Students at high schools in Canada (including BC and Vancouver):

• Ask admissions how BC grades are assessed and whether an English-medium high school meets the English requirement
• Portfolio and review as above

Transfer students:

• Prepare all college transcripts, plus high school transcripts if under 30 credits
• Take the BFA Portfolio Review after enrolling

Sources: Bowling Green State University, School of Art; School of Art undergraduate admissions; BFA Portfolio Review; School of Art scholarships; Graphic Design; Digital Arts; International undergraduate requirements; International undergraduate how to apply; International tuition and scholarships. International deadlines are for 2027 entry; the BFA Portfolio Review and incoming talent award pages still show 2025-2026 dates; costs are estimates for students entering in 2026-27. Check BGSU’s website for the latest.