How to apply for art and design at Auburn University: Studio Art BFA via a portfolio review after starting in the BA, Graphic Design by first-year formula GPA, Industrial Design through a summer studio, portfolio requirements and timelines for students from China, Canada and transfers

Auburn University (Auburn, Alabama) offers art and design degrees in two colleges. The Department of Art and Art History in the College of Liberal Arts offers the BA and BFA in Studio Art, and the School of Industrial and Graphic Design in the College of Architecture, Design and Construction (CADC) offers the BFA in Graphic Design and the Bachelor of Industrial Design (BIND), both NASAD-accredited. The same college also offers architecture and interior architecture, which this guide does not cover.

In all three paths you are admitted to Auburn first and enter the major later through a review or selection. The pages we read do not ask first-year applicants to submit a portfolio.

1. Studio Art: start in the BA, move to the BFA by portfolio review

• BA in Studio Art (ATLA): 120 hours, with courses across animation, ceramics, drawing and painting, photography, printmaking and sculpture, and room to combine with another major or minor.
• BFA in Studio Art (ARTF): 120 hours, with one concentration: animation (pending NASAD approval, according to the Bulletin), ceramics, painting/drawing, photography, printmaking or sculpture.
• Getting into the BFA: the BFA page says aspiring BFA students begin as BA majors and, after 25 credits in ARTS classes, take ARTS 3030 BFA Portfolio Review; passing it admits them to the BFA. The review is limited to two attempts.
• Two descriptions: the department overview says BFA students complete an advisory review in the sophomore year, requiring 21 credit hours of studio art and art history, a written statement of academic and career goals, submission and presentation of a portfolio, and an in-person review with a faculty committee. Both credit figures are given here; follow the department or your advisor.
• Materials fee: every studio art course (ARTS courses designated STU) carries a 100-dollar lab/materials fee for supplies such as canvas, clay, glazes, metals and wood, and for equipment upkeep.

2. BFA in Graphic Design: a pre-major year and a formula GPA

• Entry: once admitted to Auburn, students are Pre-Graphic Design for the first year. The Bulletin says admission to the major is selective and limited, and the program may limit first-year and transfer enrollment.
• Admission to the major: complete at least 24 hours, including Foundation Drawing, Foundation Design I and II, Foundations of Art History I and II, and at least 6 hours of University Core. A formula GPA is calculated on these courses only, and the top students are selected; those not accepted can reapply in later semesters. Ties are broken by the Foundation Design II grade.
• In the major: all required courses need a C or better; a second C, D or F leads to a faculty committee review of whether the student can continue.
• Curriculum: 123–124 hours, covering typography, branding, UI/UX, publication, motion, illustration, packaging, app and wayfinding design, with a senior project; some courses carry a professional fee.
• Portfolio: the Bulletin describes selection by formula GPA and does not mention a portfolio for entry to the major.

3. Bachelor of Industrial Design: a summer First Year Studio and the top 45

• Length: four and a half years (nine semesters), 126 hours, NASAD-accredited.
• First Year Studio: offered only in summer to students in good standing who have completed 24 credit hours of university work (or with approval of the School Head). Students do not need to finish the freshman model curriculum first, and no prior experience in drawing, design or model making is required.
• Admission to the professional program: the top forty-five students with an average above 70 percent, based on grades in INDD 1310 during the summer studio, proceed to the fall professional program. Students not admitted may retake the summer studio in a later year and are compared with that year’s applicants.
• In the program: studio courses need a C or higher, and lower grades must be repeated; design courses are taken in sequence.

Students in CADC professional programs pay the CADC Professional Fee each semester; the amount is not shown on the pages we read.

4. Dates and materials (international first-year)

• Dates (no year stated): applications open 1 August; final Early Action deadline 1 December; regular deadline 1 February; enrollment deposit 1 May (or 15 days after acceptance). Spring entry closes 1 November.
• How to apply: Auburn’s own application or the Common App, with no preference; non-refundable 60-dollar fee.
• Testing: the SAT or ACT is required of all international first-year applicants, sent directly by the testing agency.
• Other materials: an evaluated high school transcript, TOEFL/IELTS/PTE scores, an affidavit of financial support and a bank letter.
• Scholarships: the first-year application for general and departmental scholarships closes 12 February in AUSOM; accept or decline by 1 May. Scholarships specifically for international students are not published on the pages we read.

5. Students at high schools in China

• Gaokao and art exams: the pages we read do not mention the Gaokao or Chinese art exams; their use is not published.
• Transcripts: Chinese high school records are evaluated by a credential evaluation service before submission.
• English: TOEFL iBT 79, IELTS 6.5 or PTE 53, or English Composition I and II (ENGL 1100, 1120) at an accredited U.S. institution.

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

• Academic requirements: the pages we read do not list Canadian or BC requirements; they are not published. As international first-year applicants you also submit the SAT or ACT and an evaluated transcript.
• English: the pages we read do not say whether Canadian high school graduates are exempt; ask admissions.

7. Transfer students

• International transfer deadlines: 1 July for fall, 1 May for summer.
• Graphic Design: transfers need a cumulative unadjusted GPA of at least 2.5 on all college work; once admitted to Auburn they may declare Pre-Graphic Design and begin the first-year curriculum.
• Studio Art: transfers also pass the BFA portfolio review to enter the BFA; ask the Department of Art and Art History how studio credits are evaluated.
• University level: transfers with 24 or more semester hours need a cumulative college GPA of 2.5 and two required core courses; those with fewer hours are also assessed on high school records and test scores.

8. Costs

• 2026-2027 international undergraduate estimate: tuition and fees 36,246 dollars, living expenses 15,000, health insurance 2,013, total 53,259 (tuition for fall and spring, living costs for 12 months, transport excluded).
• Program fees: the cost page says architecture, business, nursing, pharmacy and veterinary programs may carry professional fees; CADC professional-program students pay a professional fee each semester, and each studio art course carries a 100-dollar materials fee.

Checklist

Students in China:

• Take the SAT or ACT; prepare TOEFL 79, IELTS 6.5 or PTE 53
• Have your high school transcript evaluated
• Apply by 1 February and submit the AUSOM scholarship application by 12 February
• For the BFA, start art foundation courses early and prepare for the BFA portfolio review

Students in Canada:

• Also submit the SAT or ACT; ask admissions about English exemption and how BC grades are evaluated

Transfer students:

• Apply by 1 July for fall; Graphic Design needs a 2.5 college GPA and still starts with the pre-major courses

Sources: Auburn University, 2026-2027 Bulletin: Department of Art and Art History; BFA Studio Art; BA Studio Art; College of Architecture, Design and Construction; School of Industrial and Graphic Design; BFA Graphic Design; Bachelor of Industrial Design; International admissions; International estimated costs. The international dates do not state a year, and costs are 2026-2027 estimates. Check Auburn for the latest details.