How to apply to art and design at Pratt Institute: BFAs across the Schools of Art and Design, the BID in Industrial Design and the BArch, a foundation year for all with an undecided option until spring, a 10–20-piece portfolio with 3–5 observational drawings, Early Action on November 15, and portfolio requirements and timelines for students in China, Canada and transfer applicants

Pratt Institute’s main campus is in Brooklyn, New York, with a Manhattan campus and the Pratt Munson campus in Utica, New York. This guide summarizes the official undergraduate requirements 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

• Art and design degrees (undergraduate programs list): Digital Arts BFA (2-D Animation, 3-D Animation and Motion Arts, Art + Technology), Art and Design Education BFA (including a combined BFA/MA), Communications Design BFA (emphasis in Graphic Design or Illustration), Fashion Design BFA, Film BFA, Fine Arts BFA, Game Arts BFA, Interior Design BFA, Photography BFA, Writing BFA, History of Art and Design (BFA or BA), Critical and Visual Studies BA, the Bachelor of Industrial Design (BID) and the Bachelor of Architecture (BArch). There is also a BPS in Construction Management and several associate (AOS, AAS) programs.
• The requirements page also lists Drawing, Painting, Sculpture and Integrated Practices, Jewelry and Printmaking among majors that submit the general visual portfolio.
• Foundation year: the transfer page says all incoming students complete the First-Year Foundation Program, which provides the core courses for upper-level studios and major coursework.
• Choosing a major: Architecture, Writing, Critical and Visual Studies, History of Art and Design (BA) and Construction Management have different first-year curricula, so you must choose them when applying. For the Schools of Art and Design you can apply undecided and choose your major in spring of the first year. 2-D Animation and Game Arts may not be available to undecided students after the foundation year, so Pratt recommends choosing them at application.
• Begin at Pratt Munson: spend the first year in Utica, then move to the Brooklyn campus and earn the same BFA. Admission is comparable to Brooklyn, portfolio requirements are the same, and you apply through the Common App; the minimum TOEFL is 71 (or equivalent), and only first-time first-year applicants are eligible. Pratt says first-year tuition is significantly lower, with merit scholarships up to about half tuition. Majors that can start there are Communications Design, Fine Arts, Art and Design Education, Digital Arts, Industrial Design, Interior Design and Photography.

2. Deadlines and materials

• The requirements page says fall 2027 applications are open. Deadlines (undergraduate admissions page, no year shown):
  • Early Action, November 15: complete your application and receive a decision by mid December.
  • Priority, January 15: decision within three weeks of a complete application.
  • Regular: after January 15, admission and scholarship review continues on a rolling basis with decisions within three weeks; Pratt notes that program space may become limited in February and March.
• Application and fees: first-year applicants use the Common App. The fee is USD 50 for US citizens and permanent residents and USD 90 for international applicants. Everything is submitted electronically by the deadline, and documents not in English must be translated by a NACES-certified translation service.
• Transcripts: official transcripts from every high school, sent directly by the school through approved electronic services (Common App, SCOIR, Naviance, Parchment, BridgeU, CIALFO and others); transcripts sent by applicants aren’t accepted, and final transcripts need a school officer’s signature. Official results of external exams your school requires for graduation (such as GCSE, IB or A-levels) are also required.
• Essay: the Pratt essay is required (the Common App essay is optional), 250–500 words or two pages. Write about a work (visual art, music, writing, architecture or design) that influenced your perspective, or a piece of your own work and its impact on you.
• Recommendations: optional, up to three; letters from family or friends aren’t accepted.
• Testing: SAT and ACT are not required.

3. Portfolio

• Submission: within 48 hours of submitting the Common App, admissions@pratt.edu emails instructions for creating your account and uploading the portfolio.
• Basics: work made within the last 18 months; photograph or film it with attention to lighting, focus and cropping; list the media, dimensions and year for every piece (title and description optional).
• Review: the portfolio and academic record show your readiness for the first year of your intended major, through two lenses: potential for admission and accomplishment for scholarships. Portfolios are never compared with others.
• General visual portfolio (Architecture, Art & Design Education, 2D and 3D Animation, Digital Arts & Technology, Drawing, Fashion Design, Game Arts, Graphic Design, History of Art & Design BFA, Illustration, Industrial Design, Interior Design, Jewelry, Painting, Sculpture and Integrated Practices, Photography, Printmaking):
  • 10–20 artworks, mostly final, resolved work; keep process work to a minimum and don’t submit only sketchbooks.
  • It doesn’t need to be major-specific; architecture or graphic design applicants may submit painting and printmaking.
  • Drawing requirement: include 3–5 original works drawn from direct observation of three-dimensional subjects, such as mirror self-portraits, figures, objects, still lifes, landscapes or cityscapes. Drawings from imagination are welcome but should be kept to a minimum.
  • The portfolio can be all drawing, but Pratt says a balance of color, mixed media and three-dimensional work helps.
• Photography: the general portfolio, or 10–20 photographic images only (ideally series of 3–5 from multiple shoots).
• Film: a visual component (the general portfolio, or a 3–5-minute video you made) plus a writing component (a one-page synopsis or a two-page original scene without dialogue); both are required.
• Writing BFA: up to 10 pages of original creative writing. Critical & Visual Studies BA and History of Art & Design BA: 5–10 pages (1,500–3,000 words) of writing.

4. English requirements

• Applicants whose primary language isn’t English submit TOEFL iBT or Home Edition 92 (5 on the new scale) (MyBest not accepted), Duolingo 125, IELTS Academic 7.0, PTE 62 or Cambridge English 183. Tests must be within two years of the start term; for fall 2027, tests from August 2025 onward are accepted, and scores must arrive from the testing agency by the deadline.
• Waivers (at admissions’ discretion), with good academic standing: the last three years of high school in the US; the last three years in a country where English is an official national language and the primary language of instruction; or the last three years at an English-speaking school in a non-English-speaking country that is US-accredited or an English-speaking IB World School. ESL programs or certificates don’t count.

5. Students at high schools in China

• Applicants who aren’t US citizens or permanent residents apply as international applicants; names and birth dates must match legal documents across all materials.
• How the Gaokao or provincial art exams are used is not published; ask admissions (admissions@pratt.edu).
• Credit: up to nine credits from AP scores of 4–5, IB Higher Level 5 or higher, the French Baccalaureate and CLEP 55 or higher. A-Level credit is not described on the pages we read.

6. Students at Canadian high schools (including BC)

• Applicants who aren’t US citizens or permanent residents apply as international applicants.
• English waivers follow the three conditions above; BC grade requirements are not published. Ask admissions.

7. Costs and scholarships (2026-27)

• New art & design and writing students living on campus: tuition USD 64,703, academic/activity fees USD 1,014, technology fee USD 610, housing and food USD 19,530, books and supplies USD 2,100, personal USD 2,369, health services fee USD 400 and Direct Loan fee USD 241, for a total of USD 90,967. New architecture students add USD 3,500 for a computer (USD 94,467). Full-time is 12–18 credits per semester; per-credit tuition is USD 2,087.
• Merit scholarships: admitted international applicants are automatically evaluated, and any award appears in the acceptance letter; no separate application. Renewal requires a 2.5 GPA. International students aren’t eligible for need-based aid, shouldn’t file the FAFSA, and can’t use the net price calculators.
• Criteria differ between pages: the scholarships page says that because Pratt is test optional, merit for high school applicants is based on GPA and portfolio only, while the cost-of-attendance page says international awards also use TOEFL or SAT scores as one criterion alongside portfolio and grades. Check with admissions.
• Scholastic Art Awards: senior-year national award recipients receive additional scholarships: USD 3,000 a year for a Portfolio Gold Award, USD 2,000 for Portfolio Silver and USD 1,000 for an individual-work Gold Award, each for four years.

8. Transfer students

• Deadlines: fall priority date February 15, then rolling review subject to program space. Spring entry (October 1 priority; September 1 recommended for international students) is only for associate programs, Construction Management, Critical & Visual Studies, History of Art and Design (BA) and Writing.
• Application: transfers apply only through the Pratt Application; the fee is USD 50 (USD 90 international). The high school transcript is waived with more than 48 college credits and a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher. Pratt strongly recommends a NACES course-by-course evaluation of international high school transcripts.
• Essays: the Pratt essay plus 250–500 words on why you want to transfer to Pratt.
• Portfolio: same as first-year. To be placed beyond the first-year curriculum, you need transferable foundation studio coursework comparable to Pratt’s and portfolio work from those courses; missing work may affect placement, and advanced placement isn’t guaranteed.
• Credit: only comparable courses with C or better (not C-) transfer; at least 50% of graduation credits, including the final 30, must be completed at Pratt. Transfer scholarships are based on portfolio and college GPA.

Checklist

Students at high schools in China:

• Prepare 10–20 works from the last 18 months, including 3–5 observational drawings, each labeled with media, dimensions and year
• Take TOEFL (92, or 5 on the new scale), IELTS (7.0) or Duolingo (125)
• Submit the Common App and Pratt essay by November 15 (Early Action) or January 15 (priority), and have your school send transcripts electronically

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

• Apply as an international applicant and check whether you qualify for an English waiver
• Ask admissions how BC grades are reviewed

Transfer students:

• Apply through the Pratt Application by February 15 with both essays
• Include work from foundation studio courses to be considered for advanced placement

Sources: Pratt Institute, Undergraduate admissions (deadlines); Application requirements: high school applicants; Begin at Pratt Munson; International applicants; Application requirements: transfer students; Undergraduate programs; Cost of attendance; 2026-27 undergraduate cost of attendance; Scholarships. The requirements page says fall 2027 applications are open; the deadline page shows no year. Costs are 2026-27 figures; check Pratt’s website for the latest.