College Of Humanities and Fine Arts

Bachelor of Fine Arts Portfolio Review

Application Procedures

  • The BFA Application for Art Studio will require submission of paperwork via Email and an in-person portfolio review.

Please read these procedures carefully. Discuss your intention to apply with your professors in advance and listen to their advice. Set up an advising appointment to ensure that you have the prerequisites. They may advise you to proceed or to wait another semester or two. Ultimately, the decision is yours, but it’s important that your professors and potential BFA mentors know of your plans. Students may apply a maximum of two times for entry into the BFA program

Please review the following information carefully:

  • You can fill out the BFA application forms digitally by opening them in Adobe Acrobat and inputting text or adding your own text fields through the “edit” option. You may type your name in any location that asks for a signature.
    How to Edit a PDF
  • Paperwork portion of Applications will be submitted via email. (TIP: Submit your application at least 24 hours before the deadline. Late or incomplete applications will not be reviewed.)

 

The BFA Application includes the following: 

  1. BFA Application Form
  2. BFA Advising Form
  3. Unofficial Transcripts from CSUC and other universities/junior colleges attended
  4. One-page personal statement about your artistic/professional goals and creative work
  5. Digital Portfolio:
    • Create a digital portfolio of 10 artworks (or 5 if you are applying for a second time). Follow these instructions:
      • Create a PowerPoint, Keynote, or Google slides document. Use a plain white background for your presentation.
      • Add one image of artwork per slide. Include title, medium, date, dimensions, and any other relevant information about the work on each slide. You may include a short description of the work on the slide if necessary.
      • Save your presentation as a PDF and submit digitally with other materials.

(https://support.office.com/en-us/article/save-powerpoint-presentations-as-pdf-files-9b5c786b-9c6e-4fe6-81f6-9372f77c47c8)

  • Set up your work in the best possible natural lighting before taking a photo. Be mindful of what is in the frame, and crop and edit your photos as necessary. For more help, check out these tutorials for photographing 2D Art and 3D Art.
  1. In Person Portfolio Review - You will need to bring 10 artworks ready for installation for the in-person Portfolio Review. Contact the BFA Coordinator for specific details.
  2. (optional) Other support materials, such as a resume
  3. Recommendation Forms:
  • Ask two faculty members if they are willing to recommend you for the BFA program. One faculty should be from the studio area that you are applying in and be willing to be your mentor upon acceptance into the program.
  • You must complete the top portion of the recommendation form. Email the form to the faculty recommenders at least two to three weeks before the application deadline. The faculty will fill out the form and email it to emacdonald1@csuchico.edu 
  • Suggestion: follow up on your request a few days before the deadline by confirming that the faculty member has indeed submitted the form.

DIGITAL SUBMISSION FORMS

  • Email Submission Forms to emacdonald1@csuchico.edu  before 5:00 PM on the application due date.
  • The subject heading of your email must read: “BFA APPLICATION SUBMISSION.”
  • Late submissions will not be accepted.

Notification of Results:

The results of the Portfolio Review will be emailed to you within 7 days of the review. If you have any questions, please contact Eileen Macdonald, BFA Coordinator, at emacdonald1@csuchico.edu