How to apply to art and design at ArtCenter College of Design: applying directly to a major (or to First Year Immersion if undecided), the portfolio requirements for each of the ten majors, rolling admission and priority dates, plus portfolio requirements and timelines for students in China, Canada and transfer applicants

ArtCenter College of Design, in Pasadena, California, is an art and design college offering Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) and Bachelor of Science (BS) degrees. It lists ten undergraduate degrees: Entertainment Design (Animation, Concept and Game Design tracks), Film, Fine Art, Graphic Design (which now includes the former Creative Direction program), Illustration, Interaction Design, Photography and Imaging, Product Design, Spatial Experience Design and Transportation Design, plus First Year Immersion for undecided students. This guide summarizes the official 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. Apply directly to a major

• The portfolio is the single most important part of the application and must be oriented to the one major you apply to. Major coursework starts in the first term, and there is no term of general education only.
• First Year Immersion (undecided): first-year applicants who have not chosen a major may apply. You take drawing, creative technologies, visual thinking and humanities and sciences for two terms, then pursue one of your top three choices of major and finish in six more terms. Participating majors are Entertainment Design (Animation and Concept), Fine Art, Graphic Design, Illustration, Interaction Design, Photography and Imaging, Product Design, Spatial Experience Design and Transportation Design (the page also lists Creative Direction, now part of Graphic Design); Game Design and Film are not included. It admits for fall only and is described as selective.
• The transfer page states that there are no undeclared transfer applicants; transfers apply directly to a major.
• ArtCenter grants both BFA and BS degrees; check each major’s page for which degree it awards.

2. Portfolio requirements by major

Portfolios are uploaded in the online application, either with the application or afterward through the applicant portal; review starts once you mark the portfolio final. Images, video, audio, documents and links (personal website, YouTube or Vimeo, not password protected) are accepted, with media files up to 5 GB and documents up to 75 pages; sketchbook pages can be combined into one PDF. ArtCenter advises well-focused, well-lit, cropped and color-corrected images and not crowding too many images onto one slide.

• Fine Art: 15–20 works in any media (drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, mixed media, photography, film, video, performance, sound, installation). Foundation skills are helpful, but ArtCenter is more interested in personal, experimental work. Applicants seeking the Illustration minor add 4–6 figure drawings from a live model.
• Graphic Design: 6–10 graphic design projects (posters, brochures, magazines, packaging, websites, motion graphics, logos), each showing process such as brainstorming, sketches, type or color experiments and layout alternatives. Applicants interested in Creative Direction may also submit one campaign for a brand, client or cause.
• Illustration: 20–25 drawings or paintings: 8–12 figure drawings from a live model, 8–10 finished imaginative pieces (for example posters or covers with hand-drawn text, story-driven illustrations, a self-portrait) and 5–6 sketchbook pages. The Entertainment Arts track is similar but emphasizes story-driven paintings and environments, and fan art is not allowed.
• Photography and Imaging: 20–25 black-and-white, color or digital images showing deliberate image-making rather than simply taking pictures, with varied subjects and settings and few repeats of the same place or person unless part of a series.
• Product Design: 3–5 original product designs, each with problem definition and research, process sketches (multiple views, mechanics, rough prototypes) and final renderings or models; industrial design sketching is critical.
• Transportation Design: 3–5 original vehicle designs (cars, trucks, public transport, boats, motorcycles or alternative mobility) with research, process sketches and final renderings or 3D models; up to 5 sketchbook images may be added as one PDF.
• Interaction Design: 3–5 user-experience projects, screen-based or physical, each with research, process (journey maps, wireframes, sketches) and final design; 3–4 other art or design pieces may be added.
• Spatial Experience Design: 3–5 projects about spaces, environments or experiences (interiors, architecture, exhibitions, events, retail, furniture, set design, public spaces, installations), each explaining the idea, process and final design.
• Entertainment Design – Concept: 20–25 pages with 2–3 story worlds in different visual styles, covering characters or creatures, architecture or environments, vehicles and props, each with research, process and final renderings; plus at least 6 live-model figure drawings and at least 5 pages of observational sketchbook, done traditionally rather than digitally.
• Entertainment Design – Animation: two required parts. Story development: a short summary of one original story, at least 2 original characters, at least 5 key story moments, and storyboards or an animatic. Animation: 2D or 3D work; 2D applicants add 6–8 live-model figure drawings and 3–4 sketchbook pages, and 3D applicants may show modeling, rigging, lighting, rendering or compositing.
• Entertainment Design – Game Design: mainly written. An original game concept proposal of up to 6 pages (game overview, player experience and interaction, structure and progression, five minutes of experience), a 1–2-page design deconstruction of one designed moment that stuck with you, and a 60–90-second video. Fall entry only.
• Film: 2–3 complete films totaling no more than 20 minutes, not cut into a reel; at least one with sync-sound dialogue, and only work on which you had a key creative role.
• First Year Immersion: 12–15 works in any medium showing a range of interests; technical exercises, especially drawing, are strongly encouraged, and lens-based applicants should add drawing and storyboarding.

• Portfolio Video Essay: choose one piece related to your major and spend 60–90 seconds explaining why you made it, how you approached it, what worked and what you might change; state the title and date first and do not read a script. Required for Film, Fine Art, First Year Immersion, Interaction Design, Photography and Imaging, Product Design, Spatial Experience Design and Transportation Design; optional for Entertainment Design (Animation and Concept), Graphic Design and Illustration. For non-native speakers it may also be used alongside the English score to assess spoken communication.
• Before applying you can book a portfolio review with an admissions counselor or join an online Portfolio Development Workshop; ArtCenter suggests booking early.

3. Dates and materials

• Rolling admission: apart from Entertainment Design there are no formal undergraduate deadlines and applications are considered until a major fills, but applying by the priority dates is recommended. Most majors admit in fall and spring; fall applications open August 1 of the prior year.
• Fall: Early Action closes November 15 with decisions by January; applicants declined in Early Action may reapply for the following spring but not the same term. The priority date is February 1, with decisions typically in 2–3 weeks. Entertainment Design has a February 1 priority deadline, after which the department decides whether to keep accepting applications.
• Spring: priority date October 1. Only Entertainment Design (Animation and Concept), Graphic Design, Illustration and Product Design admit in spring (applications open April 1); Fine Art, Film, Interaction Design, Photography, Spatial Experience Design, Transportation Design, Game Design and First Year Immersion are fall only.
• The important-dates page shows no year, and its aid note refers to the 2026-2027 FAFSA. Fall 2027 applicants should confirm the applicable dates with admissions.
• Application fee: USD 50, non-refundable; waivers through the College Board or by a counselor or teacher letter to admissions@artcenter.edu.
• Transcripts: from every high school and college attended; unofficial copies are fine for applying, and official transcripts are due one week before the term starts.
• Essays: the requirements page says one short answer and two essays are required of all applicants; the essay page lists, by major, a short answer (about 200 words on your path to the major) and Essay 1 (about 400 words on how your lived experience shapes your creative point of view) for every major, with an Essay 2 listed only for Game Design and Interaction Design. Follow the application.
• Tests: SAT and ACT are optional.

4. English requirements

• Applicants whose high school diploma or bachelor’s degree was not taught in English take the TOEFL iBT, IELTS or Duolingo: TOEFL 4 (new scale from January 21, 2026; a 0–120 equivalent also appears during the transition), IELTS Academic 6.5 or Duolingo 115. Scores must be from the last two years and sent by the testing agency; institutional versions are not accepted.
• The committee may review section scores and may require testing or an interview from students who took ESL classes or whose English is in doubt.

5. Students at high schools in China

• Transcripts not issued in English by the school must be submitted in the original language along with an English translation by a translation agency, official translator or WES.
• Whether or how the Gaokao is used is not published; ask admissions.
• Credit by exam (rules on the transfer page): AP 4–5, IB Higher Level 5–7 and A-Level C or better earn relevant humanities and sciences credit; AS-Levels and provisional results do not. AP English Language or Literature 4–5 or IB HL English A 6–7 satisfies Writing Studio.
• The amount of proof of funds for international students is not stated on the pages we read; ask admissions.

6. Students at Canadian high schools

• The English test waiver depends on whether your high school diploma was taught in English; there is no separate rule for Canada or Quebec, so confirm with admissions.
• Grade requirements for BC curriculum students are not published; ask admissions.

7. Transfer students

• About 30% of new students are transfers. No specific college courses are required first, and you can transfer before finishing an associate degree; fall and spring entry are available, and applying by the priority date (or the Entertainment Design priority deadline) is encouraged.
• Portfolio: follows your major’s requirements. Studio credit is based on portfolio work plus college credit, never on a transcript alone, and your time to degree shortens only if enough studio credit is awarded.
• Credit: up to 60 units. Studio courses and required program humanities and sciences courses need a B or better; elective humanities and sciences courses need a C. Up to 12 studio credits may be awarded for verified professional experience (total still capped at 60). International programs are evaluated individually.
• Your acceptance letter states your entry term level, and a preliminary transfer credit evaluation is posted to your applicant account about 1–2 weeks after acceptance.

8. Costs and scholarships

• Tuition: for Fall 2026 through Summer 2027, USD 28,681 per term for full-time undergraduates (12–19 units), plus a Universal Access Fee of USD 653 per term. Student health insurance is USD 392 per term in 2026-27 and can be waived with other coverage.
• Estimated cost of attendance: the page currently shows only 2025-26, totaling USD 86,892 for fall and spring, including USD 4,000 for books, materials and equipment and USD 20,224 for off-campus housing and food. Check for the 2026-27 estimate.
• Scholarships: awarded on financial need and portfolio and academic merit; international students do not need to establish financial need or file the FAFSA or a financial aid application, and a limited number of awards are merit-only. Entering-student priority dates are February 1 for fall (notification by April 15) and October 1 for spring (by November 15), with no GPA requirement for entering students. Awards renew each term with a 2.5 cumulative GPA, for up to 9 semesters in BFA programs or 10 in BS programs, and usually do not exceed that term’s tuition.
• International students are not eligible for federal or state aid. Enrolled students may also apply each term through the continuing scholarship review; international students only need to submit portfolios.

Checklist

Students at high schools in China:

• Choose one major (or First Year Immersion) and prepare its portfolio and video essay
• Prepare TOEFL 4, IELTS 6.5 or Duolingo 115
• Apply by November 15 (Early Action) or February 1 (priority) for fall, with the USD 50 fee, short answer and essays
• Submit transcripts in Chinese with English translations
• Ask admissions whether the Gaokao is considered and how much proof of funds is needed

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

• Ask admissions about the English waiver and how BC grades are reviewed

Transfer students:

• Prepare a portfolio for your major; it determines studio credit and term level
• Studio courses need a B or better to transfer, up to 60 units in total
• Only some majors admit in spring

Sources: ArtCenter College of Design, Undergraduate application requirements; How to apply; Important dates; Portfolio requirements by major; Portfolio video essay; How to submit your portfolio; Essay requirements; Transfer students; Undergraduate degrees; First Year Immersion; Tuition and estimated cost of attendance; Financial aid eligibility; Scholarships. Tuition is for Fall 2026–Summer 2027 and the cost-of-attendance estimate is for 2025-26; check ArtCenter’s website for the latest.