How to Apply to Art and Design at the University of Cincinnati: DAAP’s Communication, Fashion and Industrial Design (Five Years With Five Paid Co-op Semesters), the BFA in Fine Arts and the BFA in Games & Animation, No Portfolio for First-Year Applicants, the November 1 Priority Deadline, and Portfolio Rules and Timelines for Students in China, Canada and Transfers

The University of Cincinnati (UC) is in Cincinnati, Ohio. Its art and design bachelor’s programs sit in the College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning (DAAP). 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. Degrees and majors

• School of Design: Communication Design, Fashion Design and Industrial Design, each a Bachelor of Science in Design. The program pages list a five-year duration; minimum credits are not shown. DAAP’s admissions page marks Industrial Design as STEM-designated.
• School of Art:
  • BFA in Fine Arts: four years, at least 120 credits, with two co-op semesters. Students complete a three-course track in one of six areas (Art & Technology, Ceramics, Drawing & Painting, Photography, Printmaking, Sculpture) before their first co-op in the spring of third year, plus ten studios across disciplines, a senior thesis colloquy and the DAAP senior show. Teaching-licensure and MA in Art Education options are available. All School of Art programs are NASAD-accredited.
  • BFA in Games & Animation: run jointly with the College of Arts and Sciences, with two co-op semesters. The program Q&A says there is no portfolio requirement and students with no animation or game background are welcome; the minimum GPA is 2.5 per UC requirements.
  • There is also a BA in Art History.
• Architecture and Interior Design: DAAP also offers BS degrees in both. They require four years of math (including pre-calculus or calculus) and one year of physics; students without these may be offered conditional admission.
• Computer: the Fine Arts page says all undergraduates must buy a laptop, with discipline-specific recommendations; waiting until the summer before entry is advised.

2. Co-op built into the degree

• All Communication, Fashion and Industrial Design majors take part in UC’s co-op program, working full-time in industry for five semesters; the Communication Design page says these are paid. Design students can also study abroad in fourth year.
• The BFA in Fine Arts and the BFA in Games & Animation each include two co-op semesters.

3. Portfolio: none for first-year applicants

• First-year applicants: the Fine Arts curriculum page states that effective fall 2025, students applying from high school can no longer submit an optional portfolio. DAAP reviews GPA, test scores, class rank, coursework, activities, essay, personal statement and recommendations holistically, with standards varying by program. Studio and co-op programs have limited space, so admission is competitive and UC cannot predict the credentials needed.
• Wolfstein First Year Scholarship (BFA in Fine Arts) is portfolio-based: admitted Fine Arts students are invited by email. The portfolio is 12–20 works from the last two years across media, including drawing from observation (not from imagination or photos), each with title, medium, date and a short description, in one file of up to 20 MB.
• Transfer and transition applicants: only those who list Architecture or Interior Design and apply by March 1 are invited to submit an optional portfolio: 12–20 recent works across media with observational drawing and descriptions, in one PDF of up to 10 MB, uploaded through the UC Admissions Portal for external transfers.

4. Dates and materials (international first-year)

• Application: Common App, USD 100 non-refundable fee, official school transcripts and test scores; recommendation optional; SAT and ACT optional.
• November 1: the international page lists it as the Early Action deadline for fall, giving priority for more competitive programs and required for the Honors Program; it suggests having everything in by October 20. DAAP’s admissions page calls November 1 the priority deadline for high school students, with later applications reviewed as space allows; the art program pages say complete applications by November 1 are pooled for review and get maximum scholarship consideration.
• Rolling deadlines: March 1 for fall and summer, November 1 for spring, on a space-available basis.
• None of these pages shows a year; check the latest dates for fall 2027 entry.

5. Students at high schools in China

• Transcripts: current courses and grades plus the previous two to three years, depending on country; A-Level or IB results if applicable; certified English translations for non-English documents. Use of the Gaokao, and of art unified or school-specific exams, is not published; ask International Admissions (international.admissions@uc.edu).
• English (DAAP): IELTS 6.5 (6.0 writing and speaking, 5.5 others); TOEFL 79 for tests before January 2026 (20 writing and speaking, 15 others) or 4.0 on the new scale (4.0 writing and speaking, 3.5 others); Duolingo 100 (100 production and conversation); PTE 53; Cambridge 176; ELS 112; or SAT reading and writing 480 or ACT English 19. Scores must be within two years of the start term.
• Exemptions: IGCSE or O-Level English (first language) at C or higher, or a full year of IB English A / Language & Literature with HL 4 or SL 5 (not English B).

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

• English exemption: a full year of high school in a first-language English country with a C or better in standard (non-ESL) English. The list includes Canada (except Quebec). Notify your admissions counselor; International Admissions and the academic department make the final decision.
• How BC grades are converted is not published; ask International Admissions.

7. Costs and scholarships

• Tuition (2026-2027 cohort, Uptown campus, full-time per semester): USD 7,412 in Ohio-resident tuition and fees plus a USD 7,667 non-resident surcharge, for USD 15,079.
• DAAP program fee (undergraduate, per semester): USD 750 for standard on-campus programs; USD 400 for the BA in Art History, BS in Horticulture, BS in Urban Studies and certificates.
• Tuition guarantee: UC fixes tuition, mandatory fees and room and board by cohort for four or five years depending on program length.
• International Outreach Award: USD 5,000–15,000 a year on the main campus, reviewed automatically from admission materials; minimum unweighted GPA 3.0; a complete application by November 1 guarantees consideration; it applies only to the non-resident surcharge. UC does not offer full-ride or need-based scholarships to international undergraduates.
• DAAP first-year scholarships: all students with complete applications by November 1 are reviewed by the DAAP committee; only starred awards such as Wolfstein need a separate application. Many consider financial need, and which ones international students can receive is not published.

8. Transfers and internal changes

• How to apply: external transfers use the Transfer Application; current UC students use the Change of Major Form.
• Deadlines: March 1 is the fall priority deadline for all programs, with decisions usually by late May. Spring (November 1) and summer (March 1) entry are only for Art History, Horticulture and Urban Studies. Later applications are reviewed as space allows.
• GPA: at least 3.0 for Communication, Fashion and Industrial Design, Architecture and Interior Design; at least 2.5 for Fine Arts, Games & Animation and Art History. Architecture and Interior Design applicants missing high school math or physics should take the listed college courses.
• Entry level: the Fine Arts page says transfer and transition students are generally admitted to the first year because studios and co-op run in sequence, then courses are evaluated.
• International transfers: USD 100 fee; a NACES course-by-course evaluation for any university outside the US; a high school transcript if you have fewer than 24 college credits. UC awards credit for Cambridge International A-Level, IB and other curricula. International transfer scholarships are also USD 5,000–15,000 a year; DAAP applicants must complete materials by March 1.

Checklist

Students at high schools in China:

• Submit the Common App with all materials by November 1 (ideally October 20) to secure scholarship review
• Take IELTS 6.5, TOEFL 79 (4.0 new scale), Duolingo 100 or another accepted test
• No portfolio for first-year admission; Fine Arts admits should watch for the Wolfstein portfolio invitation
• For Architecture or Interior Design, make sure you have four years of math and one of physics

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

• If you earned a C or better in standard English, ask your counselor about the English exemption
• Confirm with International Admissions how BC grades are reviewed

Transfer students:

• Apply by March 1 for fall with a 3.0 GPA for design and architecture programs, 2.5 for art programs
• Architecture or Interior Design applicants may add an optional 12–20 piece portfolio
• Expect to start in first year, and get a NACES evaluation for credits from outside the US

Sources: University of Cincinnati, DAAP undergraduate admissions; DAAP transfer & transition; DAAP first-year scholarships; BFA in Fine Arts; BFA curriculum and admission; BFA in Games & Animation; Communication Design; Fashion Design; Industrial Design; International first-year requirements; English exemptions; International scholarships; International transfer; 2026-2027 tuition; Non-resident surcharge; Program fees. Deadline pages show no year; costs are for the 2026-2027 cohort. Check UC’s website for the latest.