BFA Photography and Media: Admission Requirements

Create an account to begin the application process. This is where you’ll complete each step in the application and receive updates on your application status. Add your personal background and academic history.

The portfolio should indicate what your artistic interests are and how you represent them in your practice. Your work can be in any medium, and we encourage applicants to submit a variety of types of work. In order for your portfolio to be seriously considered by the faculty reviewing your work, it’s important to follow the following guidelines. 

• Your portfolio must be submitted through the portfolio section of the  CalArts application, and should include approximately 20 images representative of your most recent or current work. You do not need to submit 20 distinct works or projects, but please make sure that each image you submit shows us different content. Sketches and works-in-progress are welcome.
• Submit individual images of individual works. Do not submit a pre-formatted portfolio. Do not submit composite images, PDFs, or links to websites, and please make sure that the image fills the slide. Otherwise, we will not be able to view the work.
• We are not able to zoom in on images so please submit detail shots on a separate slide.
• Enter any captions, descriptions, or titles of your work in the “edit details” fields of the upload tool. Do not add captions, descriptions, titles, or other extraneous text within the area where you upload your image.
• We are looking for personal work that gives us a sense of who you are as an artist, rather than academic work. Please do not include generic class assignments (i.e., technical exercises, figure/life drawing, still life drawings).

If you experience technical difficulties while uploading your portfolio, please email admissions@calarts.edu.

An artist statement is very important in the admissions process and should answer the following three questions:

• What are your artistic interests/goals?
• What issues and concerns inform your art-making practice?
• Why are you applying to this program at CalArts?

Your artist statement should be between 500 and 1,000 words. 

BFA students are required to submit a video introduction. Although we’d love to meet you in person, this wouldn’t be practical, so we ask that you send a brief video introducing yourself. 

• Duration: minimum of 30 seconds, maximum of 90 seconds.
• Speak directly to the camera.
• No edits.
• No special effects or on-screen overlays.
• File should be uploaded or linked directly in your portfolio.
• Does not require professional-level equipment; cell phone cameras are fine.

Two letters of recommendation are required. At least one recommendation should be written by a person who understands your work, such as a performance instructor or art teacher.

All letters of recommendation should be received by the application deadline, so it’s important that you contact your recommenders months before. We ask that you submit the requests for your letters of recommendation through the online application, as it will allow you to track when we receive your requested letters.

Only if this is not possible, you may download the Letter of Recommendation Form (PDF) and have your recommender send their letters by mail to the Office of Admissions. Please choose only one method--either through the online application (preferred) or by mail--per recommender. Letters of recommendation will not be accepted via credentialing services such as Parchment or Naviance.

Mailed letters of recommendation should be sent to:

CalArts Office of Admissions
24700 McBean Pkwy.
Valencia, CA 91355
United States of America

Letters of recommendation must be written in English or accompanied by a certified English translated document.