How to apply to art and design at Ohio State: no portfolio at application — Studio Art BA/BFA students pass a portfolio review in their second year, and Design students complete a year of Design Foundations before applying to a major with a portfolio; portfolio requirements and timelines for students in China, Canada and transfer students

At The Ohio State University’s Columbus campus, art and design sit in two departments of the College of Arts and Sciences: the Department of Art offers the Studio Art BA and BFA, and the Department of Design offers the Bachelor of Science in Design (BSD). Both have one thing in common: no portfolio is submitted when you apply to the university; portfolios come after you enrol. Here is what Ohio State publishes for fall 2027 entry, for students at high schools in China, students at Canadian high schools (including BC and Vancouver) and transfer students.

1. Undergraduate programs

• Studio Art BA: a liberal arts degree covering all of the department’s studio areas plus art history and theory; 52 major credit hours, at least 121 credit hours to graduate, and world language proficiency through 1103. The senior exhibition is optional.
• Studio Art BFA: the professional degree; 86 major credit hours and at least 121 to graduate. Students take the core courses in the first two years and prepare a portfolio in the second year to enter one of 8 emphasis areas: Art and Technology, Ceramics, Glass, Film/Video, Painting and Drawing, Photography, Printmaking and Sculpture. The BFA includes an internship (ART 3191) and a senior exhibition (ART 4990).
• Bachelor of Science in Design (BSD): four majors — Experiential Media Design, Industrial Design, Interior Design and Visual Communication Design. Ohio State says more than 65% of the curriculum is design coursework.
• Minors: Art offers minors including Studio Art, Art: Engineering Structure and Animation; Design offers open minors including Design Thinking and Game Studies.

2. Department of Art: no portfolio at application, a portfolio review in the second year

• Applying: all undergraduate applications go through Undergraduate Admissions, and the Department of Art does not accept or review portfolios at the time of application; Studio Art applicants are evaluated like any other program.
• Foundations: everyone starts with five courses: ART 2000 (Encountering Contemporary Art), 2100 (Beginning Drawing), 2200 (Real and Recorded Time), 2300 (Two-Dimensional Studies) and 2400 (Three-Dimensional Studies).
• BFA Portfolio Review: the BFA is open enrollment, but students continuing beyond four semesters must pass the review in their chosen emphasis. Requirements:
  • the five foundations courses completed or in progress, and generally about two courses at the 2500 level or above in the intended area;
  • a GPA of at least 2.25 in Art major courses and at least 2.0 overall;
  • generally 12–15 pieces, 4–8 of them reflecting the intended area, plus a four-page packet: application form, a three-paragraph statement of intent (under 500 words), advising report and program plan;
  • a presentation of the work on review day with questions; results by email within about 15 business days.
• Inconsistencies on the site: the review page says “seven emphasis areas” but lists eight, and it names the registration course as both Art 2900 and ART 2990 (the degree plan says ART 2990). Follow the department’s guidance when you register.

3. Department of Design: a year of Design Foundations, then a portfolio for the major

• Step 1, apply to Ohio State: on the Common App, choose one of the four Design majors marked “(Pre)”, such as “Design - Industrial Design (Pre)”. The department notes that “Art” or “Arts, Innovation and Design Exploration” elsewhere on the application are not Design majors. No portfolio is needed to apply.
• Step 2, Design Foundations: every Design student starts with the 18-credit-hour Design Foundations year: DESIGN 2110 and 2310 in autumn, DESIGN 2130 and 2330 in spring, plus an online lecture (DESIGN 2700 or 2750) each semester. The sequence starts only in autumn, runs once a year and must be taken in order; students who do not complete a course cannot continue. It is offered only on the Columbus and Newark campuses.
• Applying to a major: in spring, with the year’s work. The application opens on 15 March and portfolios are due on the last Friday of spring classes before finals week; some students are invited to interview, and decisions come out before the end of finals week. Admission is not based only on the portfolio: faculty also weigh growth over the year, response to feedback and design process.
• Competitive: the department describes admission as competitive; each year 15%–20% of students choose another path, and those who complete Foundations can earn the Design Foundations Minor.
• Tools: the department runs a shared tool-lending library and partners with Blick on supply kits.

4. Dates and requirements (university-wide)

• Early Action (non-binding): everything by 1 November 2026; international applicants hear on 22 January. Design strongly recommends this deadline for scholarship and honors consideration.
• Regular Decision: 15 January 2027, decisions 5 March.
• Testing (the pages differ): the international first-year page says SAT or ACT scores are required for first-year applicants to the Columbus campus, sent by the testing agency, with superscoring; for Early Action the last test dates are 3 October (SAT) and 17 October (ACT). The Department of Art FAQ instead says applicants without scores can choose “do not consider ACT or SAT scores” on the Common App. International applicants should follow the university’s international page and confirm with admissions.
• Materials: Common App, the application fee (the amount is not on the pages we read), and official transcripts for grades 9–12 with English translations; recommendations are optional, up to two.

5. International, Chinese and Canadian students

• English minimums: TOEFL 79 for tests before 21 January 2026 or 4.0 on the new scale after; IELTS 6.5; Duolingo 120; ACT English 21; SAT EBRW 550. The American Language Program needs a separate application and does not come with conditional admission.
• Waivers: three full years at, and graduation from, a U.S. accredited high school, or citizenship of a listed country such as Canada (except Quebec), the UK, Australia or Singapore. It goes by citizenship, so a non-Canadian at a Canadian high school still needs a score.
• Students in China: the pages we read do not mention the Gaokao, art joint exams or school-run art exams; check with Undergraduate Admissions.
• Canada and BC: no BC grade requirements appear on the pages we read.

6. Costs and scholarships

• 2026-27 international estimate (USD): tuition and fees 47,374 (including the 3,103 annual International Undergraduate Student Fee), housing and food 15,630, books and supplies 1,020, student health insurance 4,108 and personal expenses 4,046, about 72,178 in total. Most new first-years on the Columbus campus must live on campus for two years.
• University merit scholarships: international students are not eligible, and neither are transfer students.
• Department of Art awards: for enrolled Art majors, such as the Undergraduate Juried Exhibition scholarships (full-time, GPA 3.0+, three images and an artist statement via SlideRoom), the John Fergus Family Scholarship (USD 1,000 for winners) and materials grants of up to USD 300. The pages do not say separately whether international students qualify.
• Department of Design scholarships: applied for through ScholarshipUniverse; amounts are not published.

7. Transfer students

• International transfer deadlines: 1 March 2027 for autumn 2027 and 1 October 2026 for spring 2027; the application fee is USD 70, non-refundable.
• Art: transfer credit must be evaluated in the first semester of enrollment: email the syllabus for each course and the transfer credit report to art@osu.edu. Students credited with core courses follow a different portfolio review timeline.
• Design: after admission to Ohio State, the department decides the entry point:
  • with fewer than 18 semester credit hours of design, art or architecture coursework, usually Design Foundations, planning for four years with no acceleration;
  • with about two years and at least 18 semester credit hours of discipline coursework, a Direct-to-Major request with a portfolio, in the same window (from 15 March to the last Friday before finals week). General education and art history do not count toward the 18.

Checklist

Students at high schools in China:

• Submit the Common App by 1 November 2026 (Early Action) or 15 January 2027, choosing Studio Art or a Design major marked “(Pre)”
• Take the SAT or ACT and have scores sent; TOEFL 4.0 (new scale), IELTS 6.5 or Duolingo 120+
• No portfolio at application, but both the BFA and Design majors are entered by portfolio after enrolling, so keep building work in high school
• Budget about USD 72,000 a year; university merit scholarships are not open to international students

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

• The same deadlines and the same SAT/ACT requirement
• Canadian citizens (except Quebec) are exempt from English tests; non-citizens are not

Transfer students:

• Autumn deadline 1 March
• For direct entry to a Design major, check you have 18+ credit hours of discipline coursework and contact the department; Art transfer credit must be evaluated in your first semester

Sources: The Ohio State University, Department of Art undergraduate studies; Art: how to apply; Art: BFA portfolio review; Art: BA/BFA degree plans; Art: transfer credit; Art: scholarships; Department of Design undergraduate studies; Design admissions; Design majors and Design Foundations; Design transfer admissions; Design funding; International first-year steps; International transfer steps; 2026-27 costs; Merit scholarships. Information is for fall 2027 entry (2026-27 cost estimates). Check Ohio State for the latest details.