Art and Design BFA

Dates and deadlines

Portfolio requirements for first-year and transfer students

1. 10 good quality images of your strongest artwork. 2D and 3D work in any medium is accepted in jpeg or PDF file format. Time-based work, such as video and animation, should be submitted in up-to-3-minute samples of your current work. Images of your artwork should be numbered 1-10.
2. A corresponding numbered list, in PDF or MS Word format, including the title, media, size, and date of each artwork.
3. A personal statement of no more than 200 words including a description of your interest in and commitment to the BFA program and a summary of your art training and experience.

Additional materials for Visual Culture track

4. A personal statement of 300-350 words (Times New Roman 12 point, single spaced) describing your interest in and background experiences with Art History and Visual Culture.
5. Transfer applicants and current students: a writing sample for an Art History or Visual Culture course of not more than 5 pages (Times New Roman, 12-point, double spaced and including 1 full captioned image). Indicate the course this was written for and at what institution.

Portfolio submission guidelines

New students: submit electronic files through your application status page

• All work must be original. Applicants should not submit work copied or derived from film, television, photographs, magazine/book illustrations or other sources that are not their own work.
• Please don't submit a multi-page PDF or Power Point files with individual and unrelated works on each page as that may potentially exceed the limit of 10 examples requested. The only exception to this is a portfolio piece like a graphic novel where multiple pages are part of a single, cohesive work.
• Incomplete applications and work submitted as prints or on CDs will not be reviewed.
• We will consider the following when reviewing your materials:
  • Creativity & Evidence of Artistic Potential
  • Curiosity, Originality, and Ambition
  • Craftsmanship and Skill
  • Growth Potential
  • Presentation of required material
• Prospective art students should upload their portfolio when submitting all other Admission materials. Students must be academically admissible to SUNY Oneonta and meet all deadlines.

Students who are not accepted to the BFA program will be placed in the BS program and may re-apply for the BFA after they complete their first semester (to include at least two Art Department foundations classes).

SUNY Oneonta reserves the right to close admission at any time without prior notification to applicants. Space in the BFA program is limited.