How to Apply to Art and Design at San Diego State University: Four BA Degrees in the School of Art and Design, No Portfolio at Application, and Starting as a Pre-Major, with Portfolio Requirements and Timeline for Chinese and Canadian High School Students and Transfer Students

San Diego State University (SDSU) is part of the California State University (CSU) system. Undergraduate art and design is taught in the School of Art and Design. Here is what you need to know for fall 2027 entry, based on SDSU’s website, 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

The school’s undergraduate page lists four Bachelor of Arts degrees and no BFA:

• BA in Art History: focused on the art of the Americas, Asia and the Asian diaspora, with work on the African diaspora and Europe; internships and study abroad are available.
• BA in Interior and Architectural Design: drawing and visualisation, human-centred design and materials, with CAD, 3D modelling, BIM and rendering software and fabrication labs (3D printers, laser cutters).
• BA in Interactive Media and Graphic Design: visual communication across graphic design and multimedia, with an active AIGA SDSU/Tijuana student group.
• BA in Studio Arts: ceramics, furniture design and woodworking, jewellery and metalwork, painting and printmaking, photography and sculpture.

The school’s admissions page also says the art major can be planned with an emphasis in applied design (ceramics, furniture design and woodworking, jewellery and metalwork), art history, graphic design, interior architecture, multimedia, painting and printmaking, sculpture or studio arts. There is also a single-subject teaching route in art education, which requires passing the CSET examination.

• Units: the advising page says majors require 30–36 units of upper-division coursework depending on the major; the catalog has the full requirements (we did not read the catalog). Courses used for the major cannot be taken credit/no credit.
• Internships: you must be enrolled in ART 452 during the internship to receive credit; past internships are not credited.
• Major checklists: the department keeps them on Google Drive, which we did not read; check the version for your catalog year.

2. Getting into the major: choose a pre-major

• How to apply: apply on Cal State Apply and select Art as your pre-major. Students who enter undeclared follow the catalog for the year they declare a major or pre-major.
• Every major is impacted: SDSU says all majors and pre-majors are impacted. Admitted students start in the pre-major and must meet department criteria (GPA, prerequisites, units and so on) to move into the major. We did not verify the art criteria; check the catalog or ask the department advisor.
• Portfolio: the international first-year page lists the majors with additional admission requirements as dance, music, musical theatre, nursing, television/film/new media production and theatre performance; art and design are not on the list, and the school’s admissions page only describes applying online and choosing a major. None of the pages we read asks for a portfolio at application.

3. Deadlines and general requirements

• International first-year: for fall 2027 the application opens on 1 August and can be submitted from 1 October; the early consideration deadline is 30 November (complete files hear by early spring) and the regular deadline is 1 April 2027 (rolling decisions). SDSU has no spring first-year entry.
• First-year applicants from US high schools: submit between 1 October and 30 November; late applications are not accepted.
• Pages differ: the school’s admissions page says applications are accepted between 1 October and 1 December for the following fall, which differs from the 30 November date on the admissions site. Follow the admissions office and submit early.
• Application fee: the first-year page lists a non-refundable US$70 fee.
• Testing: in line with the CSU, SDSU does not use SAT or ACT scores for admission; they may be used for maths and writing placement after admission.
• Housing: first-year students graduating from a high school outside SDSU’s local admission area in spring 2027 must live on campus for two years.

4. Students at high schools in China

• Academics: complete high school with a US-equivalent GPA of 3.00 or higher (B or 80 percent). How the gaokao or art exam (美术联考/校考) results are used is not published.
• Documents: the China entry asks for transcripts for each year (grades 9–12 or 10–12) and a certified copy of the graduation certificate, sent sealed by the school or ministry; non-English documents need certified literal translations sent sealed by the school or a professional translator.
• English (if your school’s primary language of instruction is not English), any one of: TOEFL 80 (4 for tests from 21 January 2026), IELTS 6.5, Duolingo 105, PTE 58, within two years; or ACT English 22, SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing 550, IB Higher Level English 4–7, AP English Language or Literature 3+; or the required level at SDSU’s American Language Institute (ALI) with a 3.00 GPA.

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

• Students graduating outside the US are also reviewed on a US-equivalent GPA of 3.00 or higher. The Canada entry asks for official transcripts for each year and a certified copy of the diploma, sent sealed by the school or ministry, in English or the original language (such as French), with certified translations if needed. BC grade requirements are not published.
• English depends on your school’s primary language of instruction: if it is not English, submit one of the English results above.

6. Transfer students

• Upper-division only: complete 60 transferable semester units (90 quarter units) by the end of spring 2027; summer 2027 courses do not count. Courses must be taken at a US regionally accredited institution.
• Golden Four: one course each in oral communication, English composition, critical thinking and maths above intermediate algebra, each with C- or higher.
• GPA: for fall 2027 the minimum cumulative transfer GPA is 2.20 for Art (Applied Design, Interior Architecture, Painting and Printmaking, Sculpture, Single Subject Teaching), Art History, Interactive Media and Graphic Design, and Studio Art. Space is limited, so higher GPAs get priority.
• Pathways: the transfer pathways page maps the California community college ADT in Art History to SDSU’s BA in Art History and the ADT in Studio Arts to the BA in Studio Art. ADT applicants get priority and may be within 0.1 of the required GPA.
• Dates: submit between 1 October and 30 November 2026; there is no spring 2027 transfer intake. International students whose coursework was all outside the US are asked to contact transfer admissions before applying.
• Whether transfer applicants need a portfolio is not stated on the pages we read.

7. Costs and scholarships

• 2026-27, non-resident living on campus: CSU basic tuition US$6,838, campus fees US$2,942, non-resident tuition US$14,130 (US$471 per unit at 15 units a semester), books and supplies US$1,014, and the out-of-state and international student fee US$3,000, plus housing, food, transport and personal costs, for a total of about US$53,562 (about US$53,366 living off campus).
• Health insurance: required for international undergraduates, about US$1,866 a year, not included above.
• Scholarships: the school’s Student Award Exhibition juries work by upper-division undergraduates and graduate students, and the university buys winning pieces; purchase awards average US$1,000 to US$1,500. Which university scholarships international students can receive is not stated on the pages we read.

8. Checklist by applicant type

Students at high schools in China:

• Prepare your Cal State Apply application from August, submit after 1 October with Art as your pre-major, and aim to complete your file by the 30 November early consideration deadline
• Keep a US-equivalent GPA of 3.00 or higher and an English result such as TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo; send transcripts and the graduation certificate sealed as the China entry requires
• No portfolio is needed at application, but moving from pre-major to major has department criteria, so read the catalog early

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

• Apply as an international first-year student with a GPA of 3.00 or higher; transcripts sent sealed by the school or ministry
• BC grade conversion is not published, so ask international admissions

Transfer students:

• Complete 60 units and the Golden Four by the end of spring, with at least a 2.20 GPA for the art majors
• California community college students can use the Art History or Studio Arts ADT pathway; submit between 1 October and 30 November

Sources: San Diego State University, School of Art and Design undergraduate programs; School of Art and Design undergraduate admissions; Academic advising; Awards, financial aid and scholarships; First-year students; International first-year students; Requirements by country; Impacted majors; Transfer minimum requirements; Transfer GPA requirements; Transfer pathways; International transfer students; Undergraduate non-resident cost of attendance; Cal State Apply. Information is for fall 2027 entry (costs for 2026-27). Check SDSU’s website for the latest.