How to apply to visual arts at UC San Diego: five BA majors — Studio, Media, Speculative Design, ICAM and Art History — with an optional portfolio reviewed by the department; portfolio requirements and timelines for students in China, Canada and transfer students

UC San Diego’s art and design programs are in the Department of Visual Arts, part of the School of Arts and Humanities. It offers five Bachelor of Arts majors, all admitted through the UC application, and the portfolio is optional. Here is what UC San Diego 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. Five majors

• Studio: painting, drawing, sculpture, performance, installation and cross-disciplinary practice in the context of art history, criticism and theory, with wood and metal shops and 24-hour studio access.
• Media: hands-on training in film, video and photography, including narrative and documentary filmmaking, video art, sound design and digital and analog photography; eligible students can join the Honors track and make senior thesis projects with faculty.
• Speculative Design: an arts-based design approach that puts questions like “what if?” and “for whom?” ahead of market and industry imperatives.
• ICAM (Interdisciplinary Computing and the Arts): brings together computer science, art and cultural theory; no prior programming or technical experience is required.
• Art History, Theory and Criticism.
• Also: minors in Art History, ICAM, Digital Video and Film Production, Photography, Speculative Design, Studio, and History and Criticism of Film and Video. Art History can be combined with any of the other four majors as a double major, or a Visual Arts major can be paired with one from another department after meeting an advisor.
• Curriculum changes: the department is updating its curriculum; students declared in fall 2025 or later follow the new curriculum sheets.

2. The optional portfolio

• Who can submit: first-year and transfer applicants who choose Visual Arts on the UC application receive a notice and a submission link after submitting it; you can prepare in advance but upload only after the UC application is in. The portfolio is optional: faculty review it and share their evaluation with Admissions, which may help the overall application.
• Media, Studio, ICAM, Speculative Design: 1–4 images (up to 5MB each) or up to 5 minutes of video (up to 250MB each), plus an artist statement of no more than 500 words on your practice and how the chosen program would develop it.
• Art History: a previously written research paper or excerpt (up to three pages) and a personal statement of no more than 500 words.
• Deadline: the department pages still say “December 8, 2025”, which is last cycle’s date; the fall 2027 date has not been posted, so watch the date in your submission notice or ask the department.

3. After enrolling

• Declare the major in the student system; at least two-thirds of major coursework must be taken at UC San Diego, and all major courses must be taken for a letter grade with C- or better.
• Students who transfer in their second or third year may petition to substitute courses from other colleges.
• The department encourages prospective students to learn the curriculum and the college system early and to attend spring Triton Days.

4. Dates and requirements (UC-wide)

• Dates: submit the UC application between 1 October and 30 November 2026; decisions before the end of March; first-year applicants may opt into the waitlist by 15 April; accept by 1 May.
• College ranking: rank up to four undergraduate colleges on the UC application; the college does not limit your choice of major.
• Minimums: A-G courses with C or better; non-California residents, including international applicants, need a GPA of at least 3.4. The most competitive applicants are well above the minimum.
• SAT/ACT: not considered in admission or scholarship decisions.

5. International, Chinese and Canadian students

• English minimums: TOEFL iBT 4.5 from January 2026 (83 for earlier tests); IELTS Academic 7; Duolingo 115.
• Students in China: 12 years of education with the graduation certificate; all grade 12 subjects passed with C or better and an overall 3.0; grade 9 transcripts are required. A-Level students follow the British entry. The pages we read do not mention the Gaokao, art joint exams or school-run art exams.
• BC: the Secondary School Graduation Diploma (Dogwood Diploma); no grade requirement appears on the pages we read, so check with Admissions.

6. Costs and aid

• Students first enrolled in 2026-27 (USD, three quarters a year): student services fee 462, tuition 4,734 and nonresident supplemental tuition 13,090, or 18,286 a quarter and about 54,858 a year, plus college and campus fees. Housing and food are listed separately and not itemized here. Fees for fall 2027 entrants are not yet published.
• Department awards: such as the Adam D. Kamil Student Media Prize (open to all UC San Diego undergraduates; USD 4,000 grand prize and two USD 2,000 finalist awards) and the Russell Foundation Grant (applied for in fall, covering the cost of students’ work, not tuition). The pages do not say separately whether international students qualify.
• University aid: international students cannot receive federal or state aid and must show funds for the full cost when applying for a visa.

7. Transfer students

• Dates: also 1 October–30 November 2026.
• Portfolio: optional, with the same requirements as for first-years.
• Preparation: the department suggests completing IGETC, taking as many lower-division Visual Arts requirements as possible, checking transferability on Assist.org, and keeping syllabi, exams, essays and projects for courses not on Assist.org, which are needed for petitions.
• English: students at English-medium high schools or colleges can meet it with two English composition courses at B or better; otherwise TOEFL 4.5, IELTS 7 or Duolingo 115, taken no more than two years before transfer.

Checklist

Students at high schools in China:

• Submit the UC application by 30 November 2026, choosing a Visual Arts major and ranking four colleges
• After the portfolio notice arrives, send 1–4 images or up to 5 minutes of video with a statement of up to 500 words, by the date in the notice
• An A-G GPA of at least 3.4, all grade 12 subjects C or better and 3.0 overall; TOEFL 4.5 (new scale), IELTS 7 or Duolingo 115

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

• Apply with the BC Dogwood Diploma and confirm grade expectations with Admissions
• Also submit by 30 November; no SAT/ACT needed

Transfer students:

• Submit the UC application by 30 November; the portfolio is optional
• Complete lower-division Visual Arts courses where you are and keep course materials for petitions

Sources: UC San Diego, Visual Arts undergraduate; Freshman portfolio; Transfer portfolio; Major requirements; Studio major; Media major; Speculative Design major; ICAM major; Department scholarships and grants; First-year requirements; First-year timeline; International requirements; 2026-27 registration fees. Information is for fall 2027 entry (fees for students first enrolled in 2026-27). Check UC San Diego for the latest details.