Application Process
Students interested in pursuing the Bachelor of Fine Arts or the 5-year Combined Degree BFA + BA/BS will apply to Tufts University using either the Common Application, the Coalition Application powered by Scoir, or the QuestBridge Application.
What's Different about a BFA or BFA + BA/BS Combined Degree Application?
Your application to the BFA Program or the Combined Degree BFA + BA/BS Program must fulfill all of the requirements for a Tufts application, with the following exceptions/additions:
- You must indicate on your application the program to which you are applying.
- Visual Art Portfolio: Required only for all students applying to the BFA or Combined Degree (BFA+BA/BS) programs, a visual art portfolio should consist of 15-20 images and/or up to 10 minutes of time-based work. The ideal portfolio will demonstrate your conceptual development while highlighting your technical abilities. We encourage you to submit work that you believe to be the strongest representation of your skills and experiences to date, regardless of medium. You will upload your visual art portfolio after submitting your application by logging in to your applicant portal. Find more information and resources about portfolio guidelines here.
- Letters of Recommendation: BFA applicants must submit two letters of recommendation: one from a school counselor and one from an art teacher. Combined Degree (BFA + BA/BS) applicants must submit three letters of recommendation: one from a school counselor, one from an art teacher, and one from a teacher in a junior or senior year major academic course.
- Tufts Short-Answer Questions: All applicants to Tufts will respond to two short-answer questions. For BFA and Combined Degree BFA + BA/BS applicants, the second prompt will challenge you to reflect specifically on your art practice. Click here to find the short-answer questions.
You can see the full list of application requirements here.
SMFA at Tufts Portfolio (Required for BFA and Combined Degree BFA + BA/BS applicants)
All first-year and transfer applicants to the BFA and Combined Degree programs are required to submit a visual art portfolio consisting of 15-20 images of recent work. Applicants who work in video, animation, or other time-based mediums may include up to 10 minutes of time-based work. We encourage you to submit pieces that you believe to be the strongest representation of your skills and experiences to date, regardless of medium.
SMFA at Tufts offers a conceptually rigorous, interdisciplinary visual arts program. At SMFA, the development of ideational and technical skills is supported by access to working across media—addressing issues in contemporary art, art history, and the liberal arts. The ideal portfolio will demonstrate a student's conceptual development while highlighting their technical abilities.
Please include detailed descriptions in the 'Details' section of each piece including materials used, size, title, and any other contextual information you'd like to provide to help us understand your process.
Collaboration and Group Projects
Tufts University values collaboration across mediums and disciplines. If you're already working with collaborators on projects, be sure to provide clear information on your role and how you worked with your collaborators.
Generative AI
SMFA at Tufts supports the ethical use of artificial intelligence (AI) as one of many tools used in your creative practices. To ensure that the Admissions committee has a thorough understanding of your artistic skills and creative process, we require that you provide a description alongside each piece for which AI was used. In your description, provide details about how you incorporated AI technology in your own creative voice. We will ask you to acknowledge this requirement upon submission of the portfolio in your Tufts applicant portal.
How to Submit
- After submitting your application, you will receive an email with login information and a link to your applicant portal. Please allow for up to 24 hours after submitting your application to receive this email.
- Submit your portfolio by logging into your applicant portal and selecting the "Digital Portfolio" tab or navigating to the "Digital Portfolio" requirement in your applicant checklist, where detailed upload instructions can be found.
- Do not submit your portfolio as a single multipage file. Please upload each individual piece as a separate document with descriptions included in the 'Details' section.
Portfolio Submission Deadlines:
| Early Decision I | November 7 |
| Early Decision II | January 9 |
| Regular Decision | January 9 |