How to Apply to Art and Design at the University of Regina: Enter the Visual Arts BA on Your High School Grades, Then Book a Portfolio Review to Move into the BFA, with Requirements and Timeline for Chinese and Canadian High School Students and Transfer Students

The University of Regina (U of R) is in Regina, the capital of Saskatchewan. Its art and design degrees are in the Faculty of Media, Art, and Performance (MAP). Here is what you need to know, based on the University of Regina’s official information, for students at high schools in China, students at Canadian high schools (including BC and Vancouver), and transfer students.

1. Degrees

• BFA in Visual Arts: four years and 78 credit hours of art courses, with fewer general education and elective requirements, more 300- and 400-level studio and art history courses, and a graduating group exhibition. The program page lists optional concentrations in ceramics, drawing, painting, photography, printmaking and sculpture; the Visual Arts department page says that after a year and a half students choose ceramics, drawing, intermedia, painting, photo-based media, printmaking, sculpture or open studio. The two lists differ slightly.
• BA in Visual Arts (and BA Honours): four years and 54 credit hours of art courses, leaving 30 credit hours for electives. It suits students who want a double major, a minor such as Arts Administration, or a later after-degree in Education or another professional program.
• The university says the first year and a half of the BA and BFA are the same.
• Creative Technologies: a BA major and a BFA, both four years, plus a two-year diploma whose courses can count toward a Creative Technologies or Design degree. Topics include interactive media and installation, creative coding, virtual and augmented reality, 3D animation, sound art, digital storytelling and games.
• Bachelor of Design: a 2+2 degree for students who have finished a two-year design diploma, who complete it in two more years. Eligible diplomas listed are the U of R Creative Technologies Diploma and Computer Science Diploma, and Saskatchewan Polytechnic’s Graphic Communications, Interactive Design and Technology, and Engineering Design and Drafting Technology diplomas.
• Indigenous Fine Arts: a BFA and BA offered through the First Nations University of Canada.
• Visual Arts and Creative Technologies are also offered through Campion College, Luther College and the First Nations University of Canada. MAP offers professional placement courses for credit at local arts organizations, and the student-run Fifth Parallel Gallery is on campus.

2. How to Apply

• Online application: create an account in the U of R’s own application system and complete the form (about 30 minutes), then upload documents and pay the fee in the Student Application Portal.
• Application fee: CAD 100 for undergraduate applicants and CAD 200 for post-secondary transfer applicants. International applicants pay by credit card or Flywire.
• Intakes: fall, winter and spring/summer.
• International high school deadlines: fall August 15, winter December 15 and spring/summer April 15, all subject to change based on application volume. The university recommends applying at least three months before your start date.
• Canadian high school deadlines: the early application deadline for fall is March 15 (recommended for the best course selection, and the deadline for entrance awards); the regular fall deadline is August 15.
• These deadline pages give no year, so check them again before applying for fall 2027.

3. Portfolio (Visual Arts BFA)

• Enter the BA, then review into the BFA: the Visual Arts department says that when you are first admitted you are automatically enrolled in the BA in Visual Arts. To enter the BFA (or the Visual Arts certificate), you complete a portfolio review. Reviews are held in November and March.
• The admissions application guide states that the Visual Arts BFA and certificate and the Indigenous Fine Arts certificate require a portfolio; follow the department’s portfolio review instructions for how it works.
• Booking: email MAP.AdminHub@uregina.ca or call 306-585-5572.
• Work: 10 to 20 recent works in any medium—drawings, paintings (including digital), photo-based media, video, sculpture, ceramics, prints, comics, cosplay designs—and “the wider the range the better.” Bring sketchbooks if you have them.
• Letter of introduction: about 250 words on why you want to study there, who you are and what you have made, plus any career plans. Email it three days before your review, named lastname_firstname_letter.
• The review: about 15 minutes with two or three Visual Arts professors, who look at your work and ask about it and your letter. You may be told on the spot or by email within two days. Applicants who are not admitted can continue in the BA, take more studio courses and reapply.
• Online reviews: out-of-town applicants can review on Zoom. Send up to 20 jpg images (1MB max each, numbered with your name and the title), videos of two minutes or less, and an image list (filename, title, date, size, medium) by Dropbox or Google Drive link three days before. Do not use PowerPoint.
• The department says it looks for potential rather than fully formed artists, and applicants without access to quality art instruction should bring what they have.
• The admission requirements for Creative Technologies and the Bachelor of Design do not list a portfolio.

4. Students at Canadian High Schools (Including BC and Vancouver)

• Early conditional admission (while in Grade 12): a 65% average for MAP on four Grade 11 or 12 courses: one English or French Language Arts course; two approved math, science, social science or language courses; and one more approved course, which may be a fine arts or other approved course.
• Final admission: English Studies 12 or English First Peoples 12, two approved Grade 12 math, science, language or social science courses, and one more approved Grade 12 course, with a 65% average.
• BC’s “other approved courses” list includes Art Studio, Studio Arts 2D/3D, Graphic Arts, Photography and Visual Arts: Media Studies; AP or IB courses not listed may be used if they fit a category.
• Grade 12 students can send an interim grade report and course schedule by email, fax or mail; after graduation, official transcripts must come directly from the issuing authority. Early conditionally admitted students must send final transcripts by August 1 for fall.
• English: graduating from a Canadian high school with 75% or higher in a Grade 12 English Language Arts course meets the requirement.

5. Students at High Schools in China

• Documents: for China the university lists the senior middle school diploma, a transcript for Years 10 to 12, and the Joint Graduation Examination (huikao). Students in their final year can apply for early conditional admission with completed grades and a list of current courses. You also need a passport copy, and all documents need certified English translations; originals are required on arrival in Regina.
• Courses and average: at Grade 12 level or equivalent, one language arts course, two language, math, science or social science courses, and one more approved academic course, with a 65% average.
• Gaokao: the China document list does not mention the Gaokao, and no Gaokao score is published; ask International Enrolment Services.
• English: IELTS Academic 6.5 with no band below 6.0; TOEFL iBT 4.5 with 4 in each section on the scale used from January 21, 2026, or 83 with 20 in each before that; PTE Academic 59 with 59 in each; Duolingo 120 (for tests from July 1, 2024: literacy 105, comprehension 100, conversation 115, production 115). Scores are valid for two years. Students who meet academic requirements but not yet English can receive conditional acceptance.
• Admitted international students pay a CAD 1,000 deposit before registering, applied in full to tuition; CAD 500 is refundable only if the study permit is denied.

6. Transfer Students

• Applicants with 15 or more credit hours of post-secondary study are admitted on an admissions GPA (AGPA) of 60% on their most recent 30 credit hours; if that is not met, the whole record is reviewed. Those with fewer than 15 are assessed on high school requirements.
• The Visual Arts BFA still requires a portfolio. Both the Visual Arts and Creative Technologies pages say you can transfer in from another U of R program or another institution.
• Graduates of a two-year design diploma can apply for the 2+2 Bachelor of Design.
• The fall deadline for domestic transfer students is August 15; international transfer requirements are on the international page of the same application guide.

7. Tuition and Scholarships

• International students: the fall 2026 fee schedule (May 12, 2026) charges MAP students CAD 1,037 per credit hour; five classes (15 credit hours) in a term total CAD 16,145.40 with mandatory fees. The international cost page estimates about CAD 32,500 in tuition and fees for 10 classes in 2026-27, noting that fees vary by faculty. From fall 2026 the international tuition multiplier rose from 3.0 to 3.5.
• Canadian students: CAD 296.25 per credit hour; 15 credit hours in a term total CAD 5,034.15 with fees.
• The 2027/28 fee schedules have not been published. Some visual arts courses charge material fees.
• Automatic entrance awards for Canadian students (fall entrants directly from high school who apply for early admission by March 15; no application needed): CAD 3,000 for an early admission average of 95%+, CAD 1,500 for 93–94.99%, CAD 1,000 for 90–92.99%, and an Out of Province award of CAD 1,500 for 85–94.99% for students finishing high school outside Saskatchewan (for example in BC). Students can receive only one.
• International entrance scholarship: the university’s pages differ. The international scholarships page says students with an admission average of 83%+ automatically receive CAD 5,000 toward their first term, effective fall 2026; the automatic entrance awards table lists CAD 3,000 for 85%+. Go by your admission notice.
• International Student of Distinction Scholarship (direct from high school, automatic): a 90%+ average earns four years of on-campus housing and a meal plan (valued at about CAD 90,000); 85–89.99% earns four years of housing (about CAD 45,000). Neither is a tuition credit. Renewal requires 24 credit hours a year and an 80% average. For fall, apply with all documents by April 30. The university notes that winter and spring/summer 2027 spots are full and suggests applying for fall 2027.
• International Undergraduate Student Bursary: CAD 5,000 a year in tuition credit, up to CAD 20,000 over four years. One condition is prepaying two years of tuition before applying for the study permit; payments begin after the first year.
• Visual Arts awards: the department lists more than a dozen, including the Fine Arts Entrance Scholarships in Visual Arts and the Martha McConica Entrance Scholarship in Visual Arts, applied for through the SAMS awards system. Entrance award applications for 2027 open January 15, 2027 and close March 17, 2027.

Checklist

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

• English Studies 12 or English First Peoples 12 plus three approved Grade 12 courses, with a 65% average
• Apply for early admission by March 15 for entrance awards; the fall deadline is August 15
• For the BFA, prepare 10 to 20 works and a 250-word letter and book a November or March review

Students at high schools in China:

• Diploma, three-year transcript and huikao results, with a 65% average on four Grade 12-level courses
• IELTS 6.5 (6.0 each) or TOEFL 4.5 (new scale) / 83 (old scale); application fee CAD 100
• For the Student of Distinction Scholarship, submit everything by April 30 for fall; BFA reviews can be held on Zoom

Transfer students:

• With 15+ credit hours, a 60% AGPA on the last 30 credit hours; CAD 200 application fee; a portfolio for the BFA; design diploma graduates can apply for the 2+2 Bachelor of Design

Sources: University of Regina, Visual Arts (BFA); Visual Arts (BA); Creative Technologies; Design; Indigenous Fine Arts; Visual Arts special admission requirements (portfolio review); MAP application guide for international high school students; MAP application guide for BC and Yukon high school students; MAP application guide for domestic transfer students; English language proficiency; How to apply and application fees; International student costs; Fall 2026 international undergraduate fee schedule (PDF); Fall 2026 domestic undergraduate fee schedule (PDF); Automatic entrance awards; International scholarships; Scholarship deadlines. Fee schedules are for fall 2026; 2027/28 tuition has not been published, and the application deadline pages give no year. Check the University of Regina for the latest details.