How to Apply to Art and Design at Drexel University: Westphal College of Media Arts & Design’s BS Programs in Graphic Design, Animation & Visual Effects, Fashion Design, Game Design and More, Quarter System With Co-op, an 8–12 Piece Portfolio Required for Eight Majors, and Portfolio Rules and Timelines for Students in China, Canada and Transfers

Drexel University is in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It runs on quarters and is known for co-op. Its art and design bachelor’s programs are in the Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design (Westphal). 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. Programs and degrees

• Westphal says it offers 17 undergraduate degree programs; students start major coursework in their first year and gain experience through Drexel co-op. You choose a major on the application; admissions encourages two different first and second choices, and you can also ask to be considered for First-Year Exploratory Studies.
• Design and visual programs (as listed for portfolio rules): Animation & Visual Effects, Fashion Design, Game Design & Production, Graphic Design, Photography, Interior Design, Product Design, User Experience and Interaction Design and Undeclared Design and Media; plus Architecture, Architectural Studies, Art History, Film & Television, Fashion Industry & Merchandising, Entertainment & Arts Management, Screenwriting & Playwriting and Music Industry.
• Examples (2026-2027 catalog):
  • Graphic Design: BS, quarter system, at least 192 credits, four years with one co-op; covers typography, image-making, motion, web and interactive, publications, posters, packaging, exhibition design and data visualization.
  • Animation and Visual Effects: BS, at least 184 credits, four years with one co-op or five years with three (about six or eighteen months), including portfolio courses ANIM 146 and ANIM 246.
• Prerequisites for Media Arts & Design: three years of math (algebra I and II, geometry) and at least one year of lab science.

2. Portfolio: which majors require one

• Required: Animation & Visual Effects, Architectural Studies, Architecture, Fashion Design, Game Design & Production, Graphic Design, Photography and Music Industry (Recording Arts and Music Production).
• Optional: Art History, Construction Management, Entertainment & Arts Management, Fashion Industry & Merchandising, Film & Television, Interior Design, Product Design, Screenwriting & Playwriting, Music Industry Business, Undeclared Design and Media, and User Experience and Interaction Design.
• Guidelines: 8–12 of your strongest and most recent pieces across media, balancing technique and concept; thematic work or series are viewed favorably. Drawings, paintings, prints, photography, graphic, architectural and interior design, ceramics, sculpture, fashion, animation, film, games, websites, sketchbooks, scripts and storyboards all count. Audio, film, animation, game and interactive work may total no more than five minutes; credit collaborators and describe your role; writers submit 8–12 pages. The committee looks for originality, creative problem solving and systematic thinking.
• How: submit the application, then upload the portfolio in the Discover Drexel portal; like transcripts and scores, it must be in by the application deadline.
• No art background? Admissions suggests drawing from life (sneakers, bedrooms, friends, landscapes), documenting your day in photos, collage, a research project, a redesigned board game, or redesigning an existing product or interior; eight to twelve such projects make a portfolio.
• Writing supplement: Architectural Studies, Architecture and Music Industry applicants submit an extra essay of up to 500 words.
• Portfolio review days: Westphal attends National Portfolio Day and Preview: The International Portfolio Review Forum for feedback before you apply.

3. Dates and materials

• Application: Common App or Coalition with Scoir, USD 65 non-refundable fee.
• Early Decision (binding): November 15, decisions mid-December, deposit by January 15.
• Early Action: November 15, decisions mid-December, deposit by May 1.
• Regular Decision: January 15, decisions by April 1.
• Winter entry: October 1, decisions by November 1.
• Materials: a 250–650-word essay; official transcripts from your school (grades 9–11 plus 12th grade in progress); one counselor recommendation. Testing is No Harm Test-Optional: scores that do not help are not used.
• These pages show no year; check the latest dates for fall 2027 entry.

4. Students at high schools in China

• Transcripts: current students send junior-school year 3 and senior years 1 and 2; graduates send junior year 3, senior years 1–3 and the graduation certificate, with certified English translations. How the Gaokao or art unified or school exams are used is not published; ask enroll@drexel.edu or westphal.admissions@drexel.edu.
• English: applicants whose first language is not English and who have not had three full years of English-medium instruction must submit TOEFL iBT, TOEFL Essentials, IELTS, PTE, Duolingo or Cambridge C1/C2. Minimum scores are not published. SAT reading and writing 600 or ACT English 27 waives the requirement.
• A-Level, IB, AP: credit rules were not covered on the pages read; check the catalog’s credit policies.

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

• Transcripts: current students send grades 9, 10 and 11; graduates send grades 9–12 and the diploma. BC grade requirements are not published.
• English exemption: if English is your first language or you completed three full years at a high school taught mainly in English; there is no country list.

6. Costs and aid

• 2026-27 tuition: USD 21,026 per quarter for full-time four- and five-year programs, plus a USD 790 general fee each quarter (including co-op terms) and a one-time USD 300 first-year fee.
• International estimate: three full-time quarters in 2026-27 come to USD 65,798 in tuition and fees, USD 19,398 living and USD 3,200 other costs, about USD 88,396, for I-20 funding documents.
• Aid: international applicants seeking institutional need-based aid must file the CSS Profile (November 25 for ED and EA, February 1 for RD). Which merit scholarships international students can receive, and how much, is not published on the pages read; ask admissions.

7. Transfer students

• 2026-27 (fall 2026 entry): priority deadline April 15, with the fee waived; rolling review until a month before term. International transfers living outside the US are encouraged to apply and confirm by June 14 for I-20 processing; July 15 is the last date admissions can consider them.
• Portfolio: due with all other materials by the deadline; required majors are the same as for first-year applicants.
• CSS Profile: international transfers not eligible for the Drexel Promise scholarship file it a month before term to be considered for need-based aid.
• Westphal’s transfer page says its team helps with transfer credit and placement; GPA requirements for its programs are not published.

Checklist

Students at high schools in China:

• Check whether your major requires a portfolio; prepare 8–12 recent pieces, with media totaling no more than five minutes
• Apply by November 15 (ED/EA) or January 15 (RD) and upload the portfolio in Discover Drexel
• Prepare an English score (ask admissions about minimums) or use SAT reading and writing 600
• Send transcripts from junior-school year 3 with certified translations

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

• Three years at an English-medium high school waives English tests
• Confirm with admissions how BC grades are reviewed

Transfer students:

• Apply by April 15 for fall (fee waived); international transfers by July 15 at the latest
• Submit the portfolio by the deadline if your major requires one

Sources: Drexel University, Westphal undergraduate admissions; Westphal undergraduate programs; First-year instructions (including portfolio); First-year prerequisites; First-year deadlines; Standardized testing and English; International transcript requirements; Transfer deadlines; 2026-27 undergraduate tuition; 2026-27 international costs; 2026-2027 Catalog: Graphic Design BS; 2026-2027 Catalog: Animation and Visual Effects BS. First-year deadline pages show no year, transfer deadlines are for 2026-27, and costs are 2026-27 figures. Check Drexel’s website for the latest.