How to Apply to Art and Design at Boise State University: No Portfolio to Apply, a First Year of Art Foundations, Then Five Works for Upper-Division Admission into Visual Art as a Sophomore, Plus Graphic Design and Illustration BFAs, with Portfolio Requirements and Timelines for Chinese and Canadian High School Students and Transfer Students

Boise State University is in Boise, Idaho. Undergraduate art and design are offered by the Department of Art, Design and Visual Studies, based in the Center for the Visual Arts. Here is what you need to know, based on the university’s website, for students at high schools in China, students at Canadian high schools (including BC and Vancouver), and transfer students.

1. Programs

• Visual Art: BA and BFA, with areas listed by the department in ceramics, drawing and painting, art jewelry and metalsmithing, photography, printmaking and sculpture.
• Graphic Design: BFA.
• Illustration: BFA. The department says illustration courses begin after a foundation in drawing, painting, printmaking and graphic design.
• Art Education: BFA, plus an art teaching endorsement.
• There is also a History of Art and Visual Culture program.
• First-year Art Foundations: Art Foundations I and II (ART 107 and 108, 3 credits each) and Foundation Drawing (ART 109) are taken in the first year and are prerequisites for most department courses, across Visual Art, art history, Graphic Design, Illustration and Art Education.

2. When the portfolio is due

• Applying to the university: the international first-year checklist has no portfolio, only the online application, fee, high school transcripts, English proof and a passport copy.
• Upper-Division Admission: Visual Art BA and BFA majors and minors, Graphic Design, Illustration and Art Education majors, and the Art Teaching endorsement all need the department’s upper-division standing before taking 300- and 400-level studio courses. Requirements:
  • admission to Boise State and at least sophomore standing in the semester of application (40 university credits completed or in progress);
  • Art Foundations I and II, Foundation Drawing, Survey of Western Art I and II and one 200-level 2-D or 3-D course completed or in progress;
  • a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or above; ART and ARTHIST courses need a C- or better to count.
• What to submit: an unofficial transcript PDF and five images of your best, most recent work (no detail shots; from college-level courses; one may be a moving image linked on Vimeo or YouTube), through the department’s application form.
• Deadline and results: the Monday of the sixth week of each fall and spring semester; results arrive by school email before registration. If not accepted, talk to your advisor; you may reapply as often as needed.
• A second step for Graphic Design: besides Visual Art upper-division admission, students apply for upper-division standing in Graphic Design with a transcript, a portfolio reviewed by graphic design faculty, and a statement of up to 500 words. Details and deadlines are given in ART 277 and ART 288. The department cites the 2020–2021 catalog for this section; check current practice with the department.

3. International first-year applications

• Materials: online application, US$85 non-refundable fee (no waivers for international students), high school transcripts, English proof and a passport name page. Decisions usually come within two weeks of a complete file.
• Deadlines (no year shown):
  • Fall: 15 December scholarship deadline, 1 April priority application deadline;
  • Spring: 1 October scholarship and priority deadline.
  The main international page also lists a 1 March Global Scholarships deadline. The scholarship page gives 15 December 2026 for fall 2027 and 1 October 2026 for spring 2027. All materials must arrive by the deadline.
• Transcripts: clear unofficial transcripts in English, or with certified word-for-word translations, are accepted for review; official ones are due at the start of your first semester. No external credential evaluation (such as WES) is needed; the International Admissions Office evaluates in-house.
• Admission GPA: no minimum is published.
• F-1 students submit a Financial Documentation Form and proof of funds after admission.

4. English requirements

• IELTS 6.0; TOEFL iBT 4 for tests from 26 January 2026, 68 for earlier tests; ACT English 18; SAT EBRW 450; Duolingo 100; PTE 50.
• AP English Language or Literature 3, IB English A Language and Literature HL or SL 4 (with the IB Diploma completed within two years), or IGCSE or O Level English C also qualify.
• Applicants below the minimum are considered for the Pathway Program.

5. Students at high schools in China

• Documents: high school transcripts in English or with certified word-for-word translations.
• Gaokao and art exams: Boise State does not say how they are used.
• Prove English as in section 4; China is not on the exemption list.

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

• English: Canada (excluding Quebec) is on the exemption list, for applicants with three or more years of secondary school there, at schools whose main language of instruction is English. The office may ask for more proof case by case.
• No BC grade or course requirements are published.

7. Transfer students

• Who is a transfer: 14 or more transferable college credits; with fewer than 14, also send high school transcripts.
• Deadlines: as for first-years (fall: 15 December scholarship, 1 April priority; spring: 1 October). US$85 fee.
• English: an English 101-equivalent course at an accredited US institution with a C- or better, plus 14 or more transferable credits, qualifies.
• Credit: US credit is evaluated by the Registrar, with a transfer credit report a few weeks after admission; credit from outside the US needs an external evaluation first.
• Art majors: transfers also need upper-division admission (five works from college courses) before upper-level studio courses.

8. Costs and scholarships

• 2026-2027 international undergraduate estimate (US$): tuition and fees 29,477, room and board 16,894, books and supplies 800, health insurance 2,175, personal 2,203; total 51,549, the amount needed for a student visa.
• Merit scholarships: automatic for international undergraduate applicants, US$5,000–17,000 a year, combining Non-Resident and international-only Global Scholarships:
  • Unweighted cumulative GPA 3.100–3.299: 5,000 a year; 3.300–3.499: 10,000; 3.500–3.749: 15,000; 3.750–3.999: 16,000; 4.000+: 17,000.
  • First-year awards renew for up to four years, transfer awards for two.
  • All materials must arrive by the deadline; Global Scholarships depend on availability, in order of file completion.
• Whether art majors have their own scholarships, and studio course fees, are not published.

Checklist

Students at high schools in China:

• For scholarships, complete your file by 15 December 2026 for fall 2027; priority deadline 1 April
• IELTS 6.0, new-format TOEFL 4 or Duolingo 100; US$85 fee
• Take Art Foundations in year one, then submit five works for upper-division admission

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

• Same deadlines; three years at English-medium schools in Canada (excluding Quebec) exempts you from English tests

Transfer students:

• 14+ credits to apply as a transfer; non-US credit needs an external evaluation; upper-division admission still applies

Sources: Boise State University, Department of Art, Design and Visual Studies undergraduate programs; Art Foundations; Upper-division admission into Visual Art; Graphic Design; Illustration; International applications and deadlines; International first-year admission; International transfer admission; International cost of attendance; International undergraduate scholarships. The international application deadlines do not state a year; scholarship deadlines are for 2027 entry and costs are 2026-2027 estimates. Check Boise State’s website for the latest.