Undergraduate application to the University of Michigan School of Art & Design is a two-part process. Prospective students submit an application to the University Office of Undergraduate Admissions and submit a portfolio to the School of Art & Design for review. Errors in the submission of your materials may delay the processing and review of your application.
The Office of Undergraduate Admissions notifies students regarding the admission decision. Prospective students who have questions about the admissions process may call the School of Art & Design at 734.764.0397, or send email to a&d@umich.edu. Prospective students are also encouraged to schedule a visit to our facilities on North Campus. Call 734.764.0397 to schedule a meeting with the A&D Admissions coordinator and a tour of the Art & Design studios.
All in-state applicants must now submit their portfolios in person, either on campus or at an NPDA event.
Deadlines
The deadline for all application materials is February 1, 2010.
An online application is available. For information, see the University Office of Undergraduate Admissions website.
School of Art & Design Portfolio Review Policy and Procedure
Applicants may submit portfolios in one of four ways.
1. On Campus (both in-state and out-of-state applicants)
Attend a Portfolio Day (first year applicants) on campus on one of the dates listed below. Portfolio Days include an information session, tours of the A&D facilities, and a personal interview and portfolio review with faculty. Call 734-764-0397 to schedule your review. NOTE: You must submit an application to the School of Art & Design at least one week before your on-campus portfolio review.
Transfer applicants: please call to inquire about in-person reviews.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Sunday, January 31, 2010
2. Off Campus (both in-state and out-of-state applicants)
Attend a National Portfolio Day Association (NPDA) event in the U.S. No reservation necessary. You are not required to submit an application to the School of Art & Design before attending an NPDA event. See the National Portfolio Day Association web site for details.
October 4, 2009, Boston, MA
October 10, 2009, Austin, TX
October 11, 2009, Dallas, TX
October 25, 2009, Chicago, IL
October 31, 2009, Ann Arbor, MI
November 14, 2009, New York, NY
November 22, 2009, Philadelphia, PA
December 5, 2009, Washington, D.C.
December 6, 2009, Baltimore, MD
January 16, 2010, San Francisco, CA
January 17, 2010, Los Angeles, CA
January 23, 2010, Miami, FL
January 24, 2010, Sarasota, FL
3. By email (out of state applicants only)
Email the url for your web site or jpegs of your work to a&d@umich.edu.
4. By mail (out of state applicants only)
Mail photographs and/or electronic media to:
Undergraduate Admissions Committee, School of Art & Design Academic Programs Center
2038 Art & Architecture Building, 2000 Bonisteel Boulevard, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2069.
Slides are no longer accepted.
For digital images (mail or email), follow these requirements:
- Format images as jpeg (.jpg) files.
- Save images to no larger than 1000 pixels wide x 800 pixels high. Larger images will not be reviewed.
- Submit images on a regular CD-ROM (not CD-RW, VCD, mixed media, Audio CD, or DVD).
- Include a typed, numbered list that identifies each image by title, date, medium, size, and other appropriate information.
General portfolio guidelines
- Include 15 to 20 items representing work completed both in and outside of art classes.
- For a portfolio review by mail, include a reference sheet with your name, address, and social security number. Include media, size, and date. Number your entries to correspond to the reference sheet. Work in a digital format must be stand-alone work that does not require installation of your software on a School of Art & Design computer. Video work must be original video work or documentation of performance art, not documentation of static work such as painting and sculpture.
- Include a self-addressed mailer with postage if you want your portfolio returned.
- For transfer students, advanced standing will be dependent upon evaluation of your college-level studio courses.
What type of work should I submit for a portfolio review?
Include representative work in a variety of media to indicate your range of experiences. Include only your best work, work that demonstrates media skills as well as evidence of creativity, imagination, and risk-taking. Every portfolio varies; however, the following are expected in a competitive portfolio:
Drawings from direct observation. If you have in the past copied from photographs or other flat copy, you can improve your portfolio with drawings from observation. Include a sketchbook or individual sketches along with finished drawings. Include works that convey your strengths and interests in other 2-D media (for example: fibers, painting, photography, printmaking, and mixed media), 3-D media (for example: ceramics, metalwork, sculpture and installations), electronic media (for example: computer, video, sound, and audio), and performance, concept work, or other work not easy to categorize.
Karen Anne Klein: Room for Curiosity
Klein (BFA 1964) has a new blog in which she is chronicling the progress of turning a room in her house into a cabinet of curiosities.
Exhibition: Faces
Open Nov 20 - Jan 12 at the Dexter District Library, Faces features interpretations by twelve area artists.
Nick Tobier: Marvelous Guests
Tobier's Marvelous Guests will invite professionals to conduct business in unusual locations - a ballerina in a Laundromat, a stock trader in a funiculaire, a shepard and his flock on a football field.
Stewart Brand
On December 03, the Penny W. Stamps Distinguished Visitors Series presents Stewart Brand with Hacking Civilization at the Michigan Theater.
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The A&D website is produced with funding from Susan Smucker Wagstaff and Reid Wagstaff.