Admissions

Art is a Dual Admit Program:
In order to pursue a B.F.A. or B.A. degree in Art at SMU, you must be admitted both to the Meadows School of the Arts (via your portfolio submission), as well as to SMU (via your undergraduate application for admission).

Admission Checklist for Art applicants

1. Review Portfolio Deadlines here

   • Early Action & Early Decision 1 — Submit portfolio by November 15
   • Regular Decision & Early Decision II — Submit portfolio by February 1
   • Transfer (Spring) — Submit portfolio by November 15
   • Transfer (Fall) — Submit portfolio by August 1

2. Determine which application deadline is right for you: Click here for guidelines

   Which is right for me: Early Action, Regular Decision, or Early Decision?

   Early Action: Apply by November 1, submit your portfolio by November 15. The benefit of applying Early Action is that a student will receive their portfolio results and their SMU admission decision by mid-December. If you apply Early Action, but do not submit your portfolio by November 15, your application to SMU will be deferred until Regular Decision. Early Action is not binding.

   Regular Decision: Apply by January 15, submit your portfolio by February 1. Regular Decision applicants typically receive their portfolio results in mid-late February and their SMU admission decision by late March.

   Early Decision is a binding application whereby students commit to attend SMU if admitted: Be sure to review the Early Decision FAQ. Early Decision I: Apply by November 1, submit your portfolio by November 15, receive portfolio results and SMU admission decision by mid-December. Early Decision II: Apply by January 15, submit portfolio by February 1, receive portfolio results in mid- to late February and SMU admission decision by early March.

   Information for transfer students:

   Fall Transfer: Apply by April 1, submit your portfolio by August 1

   Spring Transfer: Apply by November 1, submit your portfolio by November 1

   Note that all transfer students are required to complete college algebra or a college-level math course before transferring to SMU. We strongly encourage you to plan ahead and check with your transfer admission counselor to ensure that you have satisfied this admission requirement. Plan ahead to optimize your possibility of earning a Transfer Scholarship, and check out the Transfer Equivalency Guides.

3. Review the Test Optional Policy here and determine whether or not to submit test scores with your application

   Test Optional Policy for Dual Admit Applicants to SMU Meadows School of the Arts:
   An SAT or ACT score report is not required for admission consideration from applicants who are seeking admission to Dual Admit programs in the Meadows School of the Arts (Music, Theatre, Dance, Art, Film - B.F.A.). Applicants should only submit an SAT or ACT score report for academic merit scholarship consideration. The recommended combined score to be considered for academic merit scholarships is 1330 on the SAT or 29 on the ACT.

   Note that students who do not submit test scores will be considered only for artistic scholarship and need-based aid; they will not be considered for scholarships based on academic merit.

   Students who do not submit test scores should list their Meadows major first on their application for admission. Students not admitted to Meadows via their portfolio or audition, but who still wish to be considered for admission to SMU, will be required to submit test scores at that time.

4. Review portfolio guidelines here

   Portfolio Guidelines

   All students applying for study in the Division of Art for the B.A. or B.F.A degree programs must submit a digital portfolio of about 15 works.

   You should include work from direct observation and your imagination; work that shows your experience with different media; and work that demonstrates both your skills and interests. This should include work based in school assignments as well as work done on your own.

   Note that when you submit your portfolio, you will be asked to provide additional information about the artwork and will be asked to provide answers to the following questions:

   1. With what media are you comfortable? What media would you like to explore? This includes both traditional media as well as experimental and digital media. How do you see that exploration as important to your study?
   2. Tell us something about one of your works in this portfolio. Why is it important to you? What were the obstacles you encountered working on this project? What inspired it? Is it an individual investigation, a response to an assignment, a work within a larger series?
   3. Why are you interested in the study of art, in general and at SMU? Do you have any specific interests you’d like to explore? Is there something specific about our program at Meadows that will aid that exploration?

5. Review the note at the end of this page⁺⁺ about Meadows submission and then submit your portfolio online here (selecting "Meadows Portfolio").

6. Apply to SMU. Review the guidelines in #2 above

7. Review the Financial Aid process and submit the CSS Profile and the FAFSA, or, the Meadows Waiver Form as soon as possible