How to Apply to Art and Design at the University of Arkansas: All School of Art Freshmen Start in the BA, Then Apply to the Studio Art, Graphic Design or Art Education BFA After Foundations, with Portfolio Requirements and Timelines for Chinese and Canadian High School Students and Transfer Students

At the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, undergraduate art and design is taught by the School of Art in the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences. Here is what you need to know, based on the university’s website, for students at high schools in China (including A-Level, IB and AP students), students at Canadian high schools (including BC and Vancouver), and transfer students.

1. Degrees and majors

• Four areas of study: Art Education, Art History, Graphic Design and Studio Art.
• BA in Studio Art: a 120-hour liberal arts degree with a major emphasis in one studio area (12 hours) and a minor emphasis in a second (6 hours), a 3-hour professional development capstone and a faculty-supervised senior summary critique. Areas are ceramics, drawing, painting, photography, printmaking and sculpture. The school says it suits students planning a double major or a minor.
• BFA in Studio Art: the undergraduate programs page lists ceramics, drawing, painting, printmaking, photography, sculpture and experimental media arts.
• BFA in Graphic Design: a professional degree covering typography, user experience, brand and identity, motion design and human-centred design. Students have dedicated workspace in the new Studio + Design Center in the Windgate Art + Design District, plus a Design Lab and the community-focused Design Clinic.
• BFA in Art Education: 120 hours plus 12 hours of student teaching, leading to Arkansas K-12 teacher certification.
• BA in Art History: a 120-hour liberal arts degree.
• Foundations: first-year students take intensive Freshman Foundations covering the full range of formal art and design principles; the BA Studio Art requirements list ARTS 1919C and ARTS 1929C.

2. Admission: BA first, then the BFA

• The school states that all incoming undergraduates apply through general admission to the BA program and, after Foundations in the first year, are encouraged to apply to the BFA. The Graphic Design page says the same: first-year students are in the School of Art BA and become eligible for the Graphic Design BFA after Foundations.
• So art applicants do not submit an admission portfolio when applying to the university. Portfolios are used for entering-student scholarships (section 4) and for the BFA application after the first year (section 3).

3. Applying for the BFA (current students)

All three BFAs use SlideRoom (uarkart.slideroom.com); the dates on the page do not state a year.

• Studio Art BFA: applications are available in fall or spring and the page says they open on 7 March. University GPA 2.0 or above and School of Art GPA 3.0 or above; an unofficial UAConnect transcript (PDF) and page 2 of the application packet; a portfolio of 15–20 high-quality images (images up to 5MB, video up to 250MB, each labelled with title, date, medium, course number, course name and instructor).
• Graphic Design BFA: spring semester only, opening on 3 February. Upload a transcript showing a GPA of 3.0 or above, two written statements, five pieces from School of Art Foundations courses and one new design project based on a provided prompt. Admitted students need a late-model MacBook Pro with AppleCare or Safeware warranty and an Adobe Creative Cloud subscription before classes start.
• Art Education BFA: applications are available in fall or spring and the page says they open on 7 March. University GPA 2.5 or above and School of Art GPA 3.0 or above; a transcript, page 2 of the packet and 10–15 images; art education faculty schedule a brief virtual interview after the deadline.
• Spring deadlines: Graphic Design BFA 2 March; Studio Art and Art Education BFA 2 May. Fall deadlines are not listed on the page.
• Note: the Studio Art and Art Education sections say applications are available in fall or spring and also that they open on 7 March; Graphic Design opens on 3 February and closes on 2 March. Follow the school’s notice for your year.

4. School of Art scholarships (freshmen and transfers)

• How to apply: the School of Art Academic Scholarship Application is part of the general university scholarship application at scholarships.uark.edu, which also puts you in consideration for other university scholarships. The school encourages filing the FAFSA. School of Art awards are need-based or merit-based, and both require an application.
• Need-based: no portfolio or extra materials.
• Merit-based: Studio Art, Graphic Design and Foundations applicants submit 1–10 images of work made in the last year (2-D, 3-D or 4-D, such as graphic design, drawing, painting, performance, video, sound, photography, printmaking, ceramics, sculpture or interdisciplinary media); Art Education and Art History applicants submit a 2–3 page writing sample from the last year as a PDF. Also include a list of college-level, AP/IB or upper-level art courses, a one-page personal statement on why you want to study art, why the School of Art and your goals, and an optional statement.
• Amounts: renewable awards are USD 3,000 a year for up to four years (USD 12,000 in total); non-renewable awards are USD 1,000–5,000 for one year; a student can receive both.
• Deadlines: 15 November for new freshmen (priority), 1 February (final); 1 April for fall new transfers. No year is stated.
• Whether international students are eligible is not stated; ask soascholarships@uark.edu.

5. University application (international freshmen)

• Deadlines: international undergraduates 1 June for fall and 1 October for spring; 1 November is the priority admission deadline, 15 November the priority scholarship deadline and 1 February the final scholarship deadline. The application fee is USD 65, non-refundable.
• Documents: original transcripts with school-certified English translations and the original diploma with an English translation; only diplomas from schools recognised by the national ministry of education are accepted. Apply through the New Student Center or the Common App.
• Academics: 12 years of primary and secondary school with above-average results; the SAT is recommended for international freshmen. Under the general freshman rule, students with a high school GPA of 3.20 or above can apply without test scores but must submit ACT, SAT, Accuplacer or CLT scores before enrolment for placement.
• English: TOEFL iBT 4.0, IELTS Academic 6.5, Duolingo 110, PTE Academic 58, C1 Advanced 176, iTEP 3.9, or SAT EBRW 500 or ACT English 19, taken within two years; native English speakers are exempt.

6. Students from China

• Gaokao and art exams: how they are used is not published; follow the general international requirements and send your transcript and diploma with English translations.
• Portfolio: admission does not use a portfolio; for School of Art merit scholarships, prepare 1–10 images from the last year as in section 4.

7. Students in Canada (including BC and Vancouver)

• Grade requirements for Canadian provincial curricula are not published; apply under the general international requirements and confirm with Admissions.
• The English requirements page lists native English-speaking countries; applicants not on the list are asked for separate proof that English is their native language.

8. Transfer students

• University requirements: students with 3 to 23 transferable hours are treated as transfer freshmen and need a college GPA of 2.0 plus freshman requirements; those with 24 hours or more and a cumulative GPA of 2.0 are admitted automatically. Credit from institutions abroad is reviewed course by course from syllabi.
• University deadlines (U.S. transfers): spring 2027 by 15 December 2026, fall 2027 by 1 August 2027; international students follow the international deadlines.
• Graphic Design BFA: transfers use the same BFA application; those who have not taken School of Art Foundations upload work from equivalent courses at their previous institution. Transfer credit questions go to the School of Art academic advisor or the Fulbright College Advising Center.
• Transfer scholarships: 1 April for fall new transfers, with the materials in section 4.

9. Costs

• International cost page (no academic year stated; non-resident undergraduate, 30 hours a year): tuition USD 30,604, fees USD 2,580, books USD 1,270, room USD 10,144, board USD 5,550, personal USD 3,452 and transportation USD 2,656, about USD 56,256 living on campus.
• International students submit proof of funds covering the first year before an I-20 is issued.
• Art course or materials fees are not stated on the pages we read.

Checklist

Students from China:

• Apply by 1 November (priority admission) and submit the scholarship application with 1–10 recent images by 15 November; final fall deadline 1 June
• TOEFL 4.0, IELTS 6.5 or Duolingo 110; transcripts and diploma with English translations
• Take Foundations in the first year, then apply to a BFA (Graphic Design accepts applications in the spring semester only and closes on 2 March)

Students in Canada (including BC and Vancouver):

• Apply under the general international requirements and confirm Canadian curriculum requirements; prepare the same portfolio

Transfer students:

• 24 hours or more and a GPA of 2.0 for automatic admission; fall transfer scholarships close on 1 April
• For the Graphic Design BFA, prepare work from equivalent Foundations courses

Sources: University of Arkansas, School of Art: Future students; School of Art undergraduate programs; School of Art undergraduate degrees; Applying for the BFA; Graphic Design; School of Art scholarships; New freshman applicants; Transfer applicants; International undergraduate admissions; English language proficiency; Degree equivalencies and required secondary documents; International cost and funding. School of Art dates do not state a year. Check the University of Arkansas website for the latest.