How to Apply to Art at UC Riverside: No Portfolio for First-Year Art (Studio) B.A. Applicants, While Transfers and Students Changing Major Submit 10 Images or 3 Media Clips, with Portfolio Requirements and Timeline for Chinese and Canadian High School Students and Transfer Students

At the University of California, Riverside (UCR), undergraduate art is taught by the Department of Art in the College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (CHASS). The admissions majors list calls it Art (Studio), and the degree is a B.A. UCR uses the University of California (UC) application. This guide sets out what UCR and the UC system publish for fall 2027 entry for students at high schools in China, students at Canadian high schools (including British Columbia and Vancouver) and transfer students.

1. The major and curriculum

• Focus: contemporary art practices including painting, sculpture, photography, video and digital media, with experimental and interdisciplinary approaches. The department says instruction is non-vocational and does not provide trade-school training in commercial arts; it suits students with a deep interest in the visual arts. Double majors and minors are welcome.
• Design: the department and admissions pages read for this guide list no undergraduate design degree. Admissions also lists Art History, Art History/Administrative Studies, Art History/Religious Studies and Creative Writing among arts, media and performance majors.
• Major requirements (department page, effective fall 2024):
  • Lower division, 33–34 units: ART 001 or 002, ART 003 or 010, ART 005, ART 006, ART 032 (C+ or better), two more from ART 009, 012, 065, 066, 067 and others, and art history AHS 018.
  • Upper division, 40 units: ART 132 (C+ or better), ART 160, ART 180, one art history course covering 1945 to the present, and at least 24 more upper-division art units.
  • The department notes these requirements are wider than the catalog because some courses, especially in art history, are not currently offered.

2. Portfolio: not for first-year students; required for transfers and changes of major

• First-year students: the department states the portfolio requirement does not apply to incoming freshmen.
• Undeclared students already at UCR must submit a portfolio no later than winter of the sophomore year.
• Transfer students and current students changing major: submit recent original work, 10 images and/or 3 clips of media art (such as moving images or sound), with medium, year and dimensions for each (titles optional), on SlideRoom, with a non-refundable $10 fee. Students whose portfolios are approved are admitted to the major.
• New transfer students: apply to UCR through Undergraduate Admissions first, then create a SlideRoom account with your UCR application or student ID number and choose the Transfer Admission option.
• Window: Monday of week 1 to Friday of week 5 each quarter (not summer), with a decision by week 10 by university email. The department encourages submitting before the quarter you want to start.

3. First-year application (fall 2027)

• Major: use the UC application and choose Art (Studio) for UCR.
• Dates: the application opens 1 August; submit 1 October to 30 November; decisions from March; Statement of Intent to Register by 1 May; final transcripts by 1 July and official AP, IB and A-Level results by 15 July.
• GPA: out-of-state and international applicants need at least a 3.4 GPA in 10th and 11th grade A-G courses (admissions gives 85% as the equivalent). This is a minimum; review is comprehensive.
• Tests: UCR does not consider SAT or ACT for admission or scholarships.
• English (by December of the final year of high school): IELTS 6.5 (One Skill Retake not accepted); TOEFL iBT 80 before January 2026 or 4.5 on the new scale (MyBest not accepted); Duolingo 115; or AP English 3 or above, IB English A (SL 6 or HL 5), ACT ELA 24, or SAT Writing and Language 31.

4. Chinese and Canadian students

• Chinese national curriculum: list every course and mark from grade 9 to 12 exactly as on your records; if admitted, submit the graduation certificate and official lower and upper middle school records. A-Level students need at least 5 IGCSE/GCSE/O-Levels and 3 A-Levels. UC has not published a policy on the Gaokao or art exams.
• Canada: outside Quebec, the provincial high school diploma after 12 years; in Quebec, the secondary diploma plus two years of CEGEP. No separate British Columbia grade requirement is published.
• Credit: AP scores of 3 or above earn credit; the IB Diploma at 30+ gives 30 quarter units and HL scores of 5+ give 8 quarter units each; A-Level subjects at A* to C give 12 quarter units.

5. Transfer

• Dates: Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG, mainly for California community college students) in September; apply 1 October to 30 November; complete the Transfer Academic Update by 31 January; decisions from April; Statement of Intent to Register by 1 June.
• UCR minimums: 60 semester (90 quarter) transferable units; a 2.8 GPA for out-of-state and international transfers; by the end of spring, two English composition courses, one math and quantitative reasoning course and four general education courses in at least two areas.
• Department advice for transfers: meet UC transfer requirements; complete the CHASS breadth requirement (preferably through IGETC); prepare a digital portfolio of 10 images and/or 3 media clips; and complete ART 006/MCS 006, four more lower-division art courses (from ART 001, 002, 003, 004, 005, 009, 065, 066, 067) and two listed art history courses.
• Credit: up to 12 upper-division transfer units in art are accepted; equivalent lower-division studio and art history units count in their categories. At least 36 art units must be taken in UCR’s Department of Art.
• International transfers: the same standards as U.S. applicants; submit records as required for the country of your university.

6. Costs and scholarships

• 2026-27 estimate for out-of-state and international first-year students (USD, campus housing): UC tuition and fees 15,588, nonresident supplemental tuition 39,270, campus and technology fees 1,202, health insurance 2,824; housing 13,793 and meals 7,282, with books, transport and personal costs on top; total about 85,809 (about 83,599 living off campus). The department page links to a course materials and services fee, which this guide did not check.
• Tuition stability: each entering class’s tuition is fixed for up to six years.
• Non-Resident Achievement Award: international first-year and transfer students are considered automatically on admission. First-year students can receive up to $89,100 over four years and transfers up to $44,550 over two years, if confirmed as nonresidents, UC-eligible and having submitted the SIR, and then keeping a 3.0 GPA each quarter.
• Department scholarships are not listed on the pages used here.

Checklist

Students at high schools in China:

• Submit the UC application 1 October to 30 November 2026, choosing Art (Studio) at UCR; no portfolio is needed at this stage
• Reach a 3.4 A-G GPA in grades 10–11; report all grades from grade 9 to 12; take IELTS 6.5, TOEFL 4.5 (80 on the old scale) or Duolingo 115 by December of grade 12

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

• Same deadlines; apply with your provincial grade 12 diploma (Quebec students need CEGEP)
• Plan the lower-division courses in the department’s requirements so you can move on to studios

Transfer students:

• Apply by 30 November with a 2.8 transferable GPA and 60 semester units
• After applying, submit 10 images and/or 3 media clips on SlideRoom ($10); complete ART 006, four more lower-division art courses and two art history courses before transferring

Sources: UC Riverside and the University of California, Department of Art: B.A. major and portfolio; Department of Art; Majors; Arts, media and performance majors; First-year admission; International applicants; Transfer admission; Cost of attendance; UC requirements by country. Information is for fall 2027 entry (costs are 2026-27 figures). Check UC Riverside for the latest details.