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 applications to the BFA and Combined Degree BFA + BA/BS programs must include an art portfolio. 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. We encourage students to submit work that they believe to be the strongest representation of their skills and experiences to date, regardless of media.
Submit 15-20 images of recent work and/or up to 10 minutes of time-based work.
Allowed Media Types:
- Images (up to 10MB each)
- Video (up to 500MB each)
- Audio (up to 60MB each)
- PDFs (up to 20MB each)
- 3D Models
- External media from YouTube, Vimeo, and SoundCloud
After submitting your application, you will receive a link to your Tufts applicant portal. Submit your portfolio by selecting the “Digital Portfolio” tab in your applicant portal, where detailed upload instructions can be found.
Portfolio Submission Deadlines:
| Early Decision I | November 7 |
| Early Decision II | January 9 |
| Regular Decision | January 9 |