How to apply to art and design at Carnegie Mellon University: portfolio and SlideRoom requirements for the School of Art BFA and Art-BXA and the School of Design BDes, test-optional review in the College of Fine Arts and no aid for international students, with portfolio requirements and timelines for students in China, Canada and transfer students

Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) teaches undergraduate art and design in the College of Fine Arts (CFA). The School of Art and the School of Design each run their own admission and portfolio review. Applicants submit CMU’s Common App and a school-specific SlideRoom portfolio. This guide summarizes the official information.

1. School of Art: BFA and Art-BXA

• Art BFA: the School of Art says studio courses make up more than 60% of study, academic courses about 30% and electives about 10%, with no majors inside the degree. The 2026-2027 catalog requires at least 384 units, including ten academic courses outside Art and Computing. The school has about 200 undergraduates and a 9:1 student-faculty ratio.
• First-year Foundations: courses span 2D, 3D and 4D, from drawing, sculpture and installation to digital media such as animation, games, XR and creative coding. The cost of required tools and materials is fully covered in the first year.
• Sophomore Review: faculty review each student’s work at the end of sophomore year, and passing is required to advance. Students then take at least six intermediate and six advanced studios, with at least four courses in one concentration. The catalog lists four: Drawing, Painting, Print Media and Photography; Sculpture, Installation and Site Work; Electronic and Time-Based Work; and Social Practice. CMU’s College of Fine Arts page calls the last one Contextual Practice, so the names differ. Seniors produce a Senior Exhibition and a printed catalog.
• Art-BXA intercollege degrees: about 30% art studio combined with about 40% in another college’s concentration, as a BHA (humanities), BSA (sciences), BCSA (computer science) or BESA (engineering). The School of Art reviews Art-BXA applications; the academic college does not review portfolios.

2. School of Design: BDes and BXA Design

• Bachelor of Design (BDes): about 40 students enter each year. Everyone takes a shared first year covering Products (industrial), Communications (graphic and digital interaction) and Environments (physical and digital spaces); at the end of the first year students begin focusing on two of these and later choose one or a dual path. The catalog requires at least 360 units.
• BXA Design: design combined with another CMU college, with very few admits. The Design FAQ says the BDes is not currently STEM-designated, while the BESA and BCSA BXA Design degrees are STEM-eligible for OPT.
• Design reviews only BDes applicants in Early Decision; all BXA Design applicants are reviewed in Regular Decision.

3. Portfolio requirements

School of Art (BFA and Art-BXA):

• Submit the portfolio and writing prompts through the School of Art’s SlideRoom, which opens September 1 and charges USD 20 (applicants with a Common App fee waiver may ask for a SlideRoom waiver).
• Number of works: the guidelines say 15–20 images and/or videos, while the technical details on the same page say 12–20 recent works. Plan for 15–20.
• The school looks for personal vision, experimentation and risk-taking rather than purely technical studies; work made outside class, sketchbook pages and 2D, 3D, time-based or interactive work are all welcome.
• Process documentation is required: include a view of your sketchbook (video or multi-page PDF), the process behind one portfolio piece (sketches, experiments, time-lapse, prototypes, work-in-progress photos), or both.
• For each work give the title, dimensions, media and a short description, and explain your part in any collaboration. Images should be JPGs of about 1 MB; multi-page works go in a PDF of up to 10 MB; videos up to 250 MB and 3 minutes; audio as MP3 up to 30 MB.
• You can book a 30-minute online portfolio advice session at any time, including in grades 10 and 11.

School of Design (BDes and BXA Design):

• Digital submission through SlideRoom only; no physical portfolios or interviews. The SlideRoom fee is USD 25.
• Work: 10–18 slides of 2D and/or 3D work, including at least one slide showing your creative process. A slide can hold several images, but multi-page PDFs within one slide will not be reviewed; videos and animations must be no longer than 2 minutes.
• About Me video: up to 90 seconds in your own voice, recorded on any device, placed first or last; the total submission is at most 19 items.
• For each piece you answer SlideRoom questions on title, date, format and size, media and software, whether it was a class or personal project, and whether it was individual or team work.
• Design essay: up to 500 words on why you want to study design, what you hope to do as a designer and why CMU, in addition to the Common App and CMU supplemental essays.
• The Design FAQ says the portfolio is the most important part of the application, followed by the essays and SlideRoom answers.

4. Application plans and deadlines

• Early Decision (binding): the Common App and portfolio are both due November 2, with decisions in mid-December. You may apply to only one CMU college, and ED applicants who are denied cannot reapply in Regular Decision. Enrollment deadline: February 1 on CMU’s admission page and the Design page, mid-February on the Art page.
• Regular Decision: Common App due January 4, portfolio due January 11, enrollment by May 1. Decisions: no later than April 1 on CMU’s admission page and the Design page, no later than March 30 on the Art page. The Art page says RD applicants may apply to two schools within the College of Fine Arts, but admission to the first choice may mean denial from the second.
• None of these pages shows a year, so confirm the fall 2027 dates on the website. CMU encourages Fine Arts applicants to apply early to secure portfolio review.
• Fees: the Common App fee is USD 75. The Art page says international students do not qualify for fee waivers, scholarships or institutional funding at the point of admission.
• Materials: Common App essay, CMU’s three writing prompts, counselor evaluation, high school transcripts (translated into English if needed) and a teacher recommendation.
• High school course requirements: Art BFA, 4 years of English and 10 electives; Art-BXA, those of the partner college (BCSA and BESA, for example, need 4 years of math plus sciences); Design, 4 years of English, 2 of math, 2 of science, 2 of a foreign language and 6 electives.
• Testing: the College of Fine Arts is test-optional and requires portfolios or auditions.

5. Students at high schools in China

• English: required if English is not one of your first languages. IELTS Academic at least 7.5; TOEFL iBT at least 102 for tests before January 21, 2026, or at least 5 on or after that date; Duolingo at least 135; TOEFL Essentials at least 11; Cambridge English is also accepted. TOEFL MyBest scores are not used. CMU suggests testing by December of senior year.
• Interviews: InitialView or Vericant interviews are recommended but not required.
• Transcripts: documents not in English need an official translation verified by a counselor or school official.
• Gaokao and art exams: CMU does not say how the Gaokao or Chinese art exam results are used; ask the Office of Admission (admission@andrew.cmu.edu).

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

• The process, portfolio and deadlines are the same as for other applicants. Students whose first language is English do not submit an English test; CMU says nothing specific about Canada or Quebec.
• Requirements for BC grades are not published.

7. Costs and aid

• 2026-27 costs for first-years entering in fall 2026 (USD, on campus): tuition 69,702; tuition, housing, food and fees together 91,214; total cost with books and personal expenses 93,614. Health insurance is also required; the 2026-27 individual premium is 3,093. First-year students must live on campus.
• School of Art first year: the cost of required tools and materials for Foundations is covered.
• No aid for international students: CMU does not offer financial aid to international undergraduates on the Pittsburgh campus, so families should plan to pay the full cost. The Design FAQ says its portfolio-based merit funds are only for admitted domestic students.

8. Transfer students

• Art BFA: fall entry only, with the same deadlines as first-year applicants. Transfers cannot apply directly to Art-BXA; they must first be admitted to the School of Art and complete at least one semester.
• School of Design: fall entry only, with a low acceptance rate; admitted transfers usually enter with first-year status, and the BDes still takes 8 semesters. The Design transfer page says external transfers submit the Common App by January 3 and upload the video and portfolio to SlideRoom (open from October 1) by January 9; internal transfers submit the SlideRoom application, portfolio, video and teacher recommendations by January 9.
• Conflicting dates: CMU’s deadlines page says Fine Arts transfers to architecture, art and design are due January 5, with documents by February 16 and decisions by April 1; CMU’s transfer page says Fine Arts transfers follow first-year deadlines; the Design page gives January 3 and January 9. All are included here; plan for the earliest date and confirm with your school.

Checklist

Students at high schools in China:

• Choose the School of Art (BFA or Art-BXA) or the School of Design (BDes or BXA Design)
• ED by November 2, or RD with the Common App by January 4 and the SlideRoom portfolio by January 11
• Art: 15–20 works plus sketchbook or process documentation; Design: 10–18 slides, a 90-second video and a 500-word design essay
• IELTS 7.5, TOEFL 5 on the new scale (102 before), or Duolingo 135; plan to pay the full cost

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

• Same deadlines and portfolio rules; native English speakers skip the English test

Transfer students:

• Fall entry only; prepare for early-January deadlines and confirm dates with your school
• Design transfers usually start as first-year students

Sources: Carnegie Mellon University, School of Art undergraduate overview; Art BFA/BXA admission; School of Art portfolio guidelines; BXA interdisciplinary degrees; School of Design undergraduate admissions; Submitting your Design portfolio; Design transfer applications; Design undergraduate FAQs; College of Fine Arts programs; Application plans and deadlines; Standardized testing and English; International applicants; Transfer applicants; 2026-27 undergraduate tuition; 2026-2027 catalog: Art BFA; 2026-2027 catalog: Design BDes. Deadline pages show no year; tuition is the 2026-27 rate for first-years entering in fall 2026. Check CMU’s website for the latest.