Fine Arts: How to Apply

APPLY NOW for fall 2013
Applications are now being reviewed for fall 2013.

Please contact Noel Dahl, Director of Graduate Admission at ndahl@cca.edu for further information about submitting a late application.

Application Requirements:
* Application ($70 nonrefundable fee required)
* Portfolio
* Personal essay
* Résumé / Curriculum vitae
* Two letters of recommendation
* Official college transcripts

Application
Applicants must complete and submit the application online. (Note: Due to the volume of applications received, CCA is unable to return any materials; please do not submit any original artworks or writings.) Apply online now.

Personal Essay
A personal essay of 500 to 1,000 words must accompany the application. Describe your work and outline your artistic and educational objectives.

Portfolio
Applicants should submit their portfolio online by registering for a SlideRoom account specifically for CCA applicants. Once an account is registered, instructions on how to create the portfolio will be provided. In addition to academic and professional work, applicants are encouraged to include examples of personal work, too. CCA faculty reviews all submitted portfolios. (Note: Supplemental portfolio materials sent separately to the Admissions Office are reviewed at faculty discretion.)

The portfolio can include up to 15 still images (not to exceed 5 MB each), video, time-based, or interactive media (not to exceed 60 MB each).

PLEASE NOTE: Applicants who wish to submit video or time-based media should submit a 5-minute sample reel that the review committee will watch in its entirety. Supplemental reels of up to 10 minutes in length can be submitted but will be viewed at the discretion of the committee. The 5 minute sample reel should be labeled clearly with the title, date, running time, and description of the piece, or pieces, it contains.

Please keep in mind that once your portfolio has been uploaded and submitted to the college no further changes can be made. Portfolios are due January 5, 2013. (Note: A $10 administrative fee is charged at the time you submit your portfolio with SlideRoom.)

For technical issues with your portfolio, please email for assistance.

Résumé / Curriculum Vitae
Please outline your educational and professional background and relevant experiences and activities, including community work.

Transcripts
Official college transcripts are best to use for the application, however, unofficial transcripts are acceptable for review purposes only. These should be scanned, front and back, and uploaded with your other application documents. Should you be accepted and choose to enroll with CCA, the official, sealed transcript of your undergraduate coursework must be sent to Graduate Admission by August 1, 2013. Applicants who have taken graduate coursework are welcome to also send transcripts in support of their graduate application.

For international applicants, all transcripts must be in English or accompanied by a certified English translation of the original.

All admitted students who were still in the process of completing a bachelor's degree at the time of applying must send the final transcript before enrolling to verify completion of the bachelor’s degree, including official notation of date of graduation, no later than August 1, 2013.

Mail your official transcript to:

California College of the Arts
Enrollment Services Office—Graduate Admissions
1111 Eighth Street
San Francisco CA 94107-2247

Letters of Recommendation
Two letters of recommendation are required from academic or professional sources. No personal recommendations please. We highly recommend that you take advantage of our electronic recommendation process. This will ensure that we receive your recommendations in a timely fashion and it is convenient for your recommenders.

When submitting your electronic application, you can provide the email address for your recommenders. Your recommenders will receive the recommendation form electronically and then return it electronically to CCA.

Interview
Applicants may be contacted to arrange an interview with the graduate program manager or a faculty member.

International applicants must submit additional requirements in support of their application to the graduate program.

Dual Degree
Students interested in applying to the dual-degree program with the Visual and Critical Studies must complete the dual degree application under the Visual and Critical Studies application and follow the admissions requirements for each program.

Graduate Fine Arts Merit Scholarships
The graduate fine arts admissions committee selects a limited number of outstanding students for the prestigious graduate merit scholarships. For the 2012–13 academic year the renewable awards ranged from $18,000 to $36,000 per year.

Diversity Scholarships
The graduate division awards several entering students special diversity scholarships. Last year these renewable awards ranged from $11,000 to $22,000 per year.

Teaching Assistantships
Teaching assistantships are based on merit and are awarded by the graduate chairs in conjunction with graduate faculty in the second year.

California College of the Arts

Secondary menu

Fine Arts: How to Apply