How to Apply to Art and Design at the University of Saskatchewan: Studio Art Direct from High School with No Portfolio Listed in the Admission Requirements, BFA Honours After 60 Credits, with Requirements and Timeline for Chinese and Canadian High School Students and Transfer Students

The University of Saskatchewan (USask) is in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Studio Art is offered by the Department of Art and Art History in the College of Arts and Science, leading to a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) or a Bachelor of Fine Arts Honours (B.F.A. Honours). The admissions page states you can enter directly from high school. Here is what you need to know for September 2027 entry, based on USask’s official information, for students at high schools in China, students at Canadian high schools (including BC and Vancouver students), and transfer students.

1. Degrees and courses

• Options: four-year B.A., three-year B.A., Double Honours B.A. (for example Art History and Studio Art) and B.F.A. Honours in Studio Art. USask suggests choosing with an academic advisor once you start. Study can be full- or part-time and can begin off-campus.
• What you study: painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, photography and digital imaging, plus mixed media such as installation and performance, alongside required art history. The department describes its studio and art history programs as interdependent.
• Sample first-year courses: Art and Visual Culture I and II, Drawing I Foundation, Introductory Printmaking, Sculpture I Foundation and Digital and Integrated Practice I Foundation, plus college requirements in English writing, Indigenous learning and quantitative reasoning.
• Design: the Studio Art description does not include a separate design major; USask lists other programs such as Urban Design, which are outside this guide.

2. Portfolio and B.F.A. Honours

• Admission: the admissions page lists high school courses, average and English only, with no portfolio or supplementary material. Check with the Department of Art and Art History for anything else.
• Applying to B.F.A. Honours: after 60 credits, apply using the form from the Arts and Science Undergraduate Student Office, due May 31 each year, then declare the major in PAWS.
• Graduating exhibition: B.F.A. Honours students must pass ART 495, the B.F.A. Exhibition (a zero-credit required course). In the final year, with a 70% average and at least 90 credit units, you find a full-time faculty advisor, submit the permission form by November 8 and the scheduling form by January 23; exhibitions run in late spring with a one-page artist’s statement.

3. Students at Canadian high schools (including BC)

• BC requirement: Foundations of Mathematics 12 or Pre-Calculus 12; USask recommends Foundations of Mathematics 12 for B.A. students or those who are undecided.
• You can be admitted with a math deficiency but should plan with the college how to clear it.
• Minimum admission average: 70%; applications are considered until the deadline and offers continue until seats are filled.
• Applicants below the minimum may be considered for the Transition Entrance Program (USTEP) or special (mature) admission.

4. Students at high schools in China

• Minimum admission average: 70%.
• Prerequisites: the page says they are “currently not available” and does not mention the Gaokao.
• Applicants below the minimum may also be considered for USTEP.

5. English requirements

• IELTS Academic 6.5 with 6 in each band;
• TOEFL iBT 4.5 with 4 in each section (institutional TOEFL not accepted).
• See USask’s English proficiency page for other tests and exemptions.

6. Timeline and fees

• December 1, 2026: apply, pay the fee and submit documents by this date for automatic consideration for the CAD 5,000 USask entrance scholarship.
• May 1, 2027: international application deadline for fall, with documents by June 1.
• July 15, 2027: Canadian application deadline for fall, with documents by August 1.
• Other intakes: January 2027 (Canadian December 1, 2026; international September 1, 2026), May (April 1 / February 1) and July (May 1 / March 1).
• Application fee: CAD 120, non-refundable.

7. Transfers

• University or college transfer: minimum admission average 60% (for applicants from BC institutions), with the same math requirement and rolling admission. With fewer than 18 transferable credits, you are assessed as a high school applicant.
• Transfer credit: assessed during admission; each institution attended must send official transcripts directly.

8. Tuition and awards

• First-year estimate (2026–27, full course load): tuition CAD 8,059 for Canadians and CAD 39,007 for international students; student fees CAD 1,331.66 (health and dental, bus pass, fitness centre and more); books about CAD 1,500 (USask suggests budgeting CAD 1,500–2,500). Totals are about CAD 10,890.66 and CAD 41,838.66.
• USask Entrance Scholarship: 600 awards of CAD 5,000 each year, automatic for high school students in direct-entry programs based on admission average, if the application and documents are in by December 1.
• International awards: apply by February 15 for awards such as the International Excellence and IB Excellence awards; by May 1 for the BC International Student Award (CAD 10,000, one award) for international students who attended high school in BC and are temporary residents in their first year.

Checklist

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

• Foundations of Mathematics 12 or Pre-Calculus 12; minimum average 70%
• Apply with documents by December 1, 2026 for the CAD 5,000 entrance scholarship; international students in BC should note the BC International Student Award
• After 60 credits, apply to B.F.A. Honours by May 31

Students at high schools in China:

• High school transcript; minimum average 70%
• IELTS 6.5 (6 per band) or TOEFL 4.5 (4 per section)
• Apply by May 1, 2027 and submit documents by June 1

Transfer students:

• Minimum average 60%; official transcripts sent directly from each institution

Sources: University of Saskatchewan, Studio Art program; Art and Art History undergraduate programs; B.F.A. Honours in Studio Art; English language proficiency; International applicants; Transfer credit; Scholarships. Information is for September 2027 entry. Check the University of Saskatchewan for the latest details.