Attend National Portfolio Day events
Meet individually with admissions staff from art and design colleges across the country and get valuable feedback on your application portfolio.
National Portfolio Day Events
Learn how to make your application stand out
What to expect
This year, you’ll have opportunities to attend National Portfolio Day events virtually or in person at locations across the country. More than 40 leading art and design colleges accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design will participate and offer portfolio reviews. Representatives are there to answer your questions about their institution’s programs and application requirements and help you put together your best portfolio. (Please note: No admissions decisions are made or scholarships awarded at National Portfolio Day events.)
How to prepare
All virtual and in-person events require advance registration. Register by creating an account through the National Portfolio Day Association event page. Once you have completed the online registration form, you’ll be able to RSVP for virtual and/or in-person events.
You do not need to upload or submit your portfolio in advance of a National Portfolio Day event. For virtual events, you should have digital images of your work ready to share. You’ll be meeting with reviewers via Zoom and should be prepared to share your screen. For in-person events, you are welcome to bring a laptop or tablet to share your portfolio digitally or bring sketchbooks or pieces that you can carry with you easily.
What to include
Your portfolio should include your best and most recent work, but it can also include works in progress, sketchbooks, and first drafts. We recommend that you collect 10–15 pieces that show the range of your work. Schools are often interested to learn about your process, methods, and thinking. Before the virtual session or event, practice explaining how you develop your ideas, articulating where you want to go with those ideas, and sharing how you arrive at a completed work.
We encourage you to ask questions and take this opportunity to learn about the process of applying to an art and design college. This is your chance to learn how to apply with your best portfolio and find the best-fit schools for you.
Additional information
Whether you attend an in-person or virtual event, you can expect to receive the same high-quality, engaging experience with the colleges’ admissions staff. We encourage you to choose the events that best suit your schedule, location, and comfort level.
All in-person events will require attendees to wear masks and practice social distancing. Students may only bring one guest. Each host school may have additional rules and regulations, such as vaccination verification, for its in-person events. Learn more with NPD’s FAQs.
San Francisco Undergraduate National Portfolio Day
Attend this in-person event at CCA
2022 Undergraduate National Portfolio Day
CCA is hosting Northern California’s in-person Undergraduate National Portfolio Day event. Meet one-on-one with admissions counselors to find out what colleges are looking for and get feedback on your application to make your portfolio stand out!
Sunday, November 13, 2022
10 am–2 pm PT
CCA
1111 Eighth St.
San Francisco, CA 94107
All attendees must register in advance. We will not be able to accommodate any walk-ins to this event.
Important Information for National Portfolio Day Guests
We appreciate your understanding and cooperation with our health and safety protocols, which keep our staff and students healthy. All guests on campus will be asked to comply with the following guidelines:
- Students are allowed only one guest to accompany them to the event.
- All persons on campus are asked to wear a mask covering their nose and mouth at all times..
- CCA requires students and their guests to show proof of a completed COVID-19 vaccination regimen to enter CCA’s buildings.
- Be prepared to show ID during proof of COVID-19 vaccination review at the event check-in.
- The COVID-19 vaccination card must show a completed regimen that concluded at least 14 days before the date of the event.
- Proof of vaccination must be shown at the time of check-in.
- Guests may present a physical vaccination record card or a digital document on a mobile device (such as a photo image of a vaccination record card).
If you have a medical exemption, please contact CCA's Office of Admissions in advance of the event to discuss accommodations.
Colleges and universities represented
- Alberta University of the Arts
- Alfred University School of Art and Design and Performing Arts Division
- Art Academy of Cincinnati
- California College of the Arts (CCA)
- California Institute of the Arts (Cal Arts)
- Cleveland Institute of Art
- College for Creative Studies (CCS)
- Cornish College of the Arts
- Emily Carr University of Art and Design
- FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising
- Kansas City Art Institute
- Laguna College of Art + Design
- Lesley Art & Design
- Maine College of Art & Design
- Maryland Institue College of Arts (MICA)
- Massachusetts College of Art and Design
- Minneapolis College of Art and Design
- Moore College of Art and Design
- New York School of Interior Design
- OCAD University
- Otis College of Art and Design
- Pacific Northwest College of Art at Willamette University (PNCA)
- Parsons School of Design/Parsons Paris at The New School
- Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA)
- Rhode Island School of Design (RISD)
- Ringling College of Art & Design
- Rochester Institute of Technology
- School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC)
- School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University
- School of Visual Arts (SVA)
- Syracuse University College of Visual and Performing Arts
- The Cooper Union
- The Glasgow School of Art
- The University of British Columbia
- Tyler School of Art and Architecture at Temple University
- University of Illinois
- University of the Arts
- Virginia Commonwealth University (VCUarts)
- Washington University in St. Louis
San Francisco Graduate National Portfolio Day
Attend this in-person event at CCA
2022 Graduate National Portfolio Day
CCA is hosting the West Coast in-person Graduate National Portfolio Day event. Meet one-on-one with faculty and graduate admissions staff to get feedback on your graduate admissions portfolio. You’ll be able to ask questions and find out what an ideal portfolio looks like for your program of interest. To prepare for this event, we recommend researching portfolio application requirements that pertain to your program of interest.
Saturday, October 29, 2022
10 am–2 pm PT
CCA
1111 Eighth St.
San Francisco, CA 94107
All attendees must register in advance. We will not be able to accommodate any walk-ins to this event.
Important Information for National Portfolio Day Guests
We appreciate your understanding and cooperation with our health and safety protocols, which keep our staff and students healthy. All guests on campus will be asked to comply with the following guidelines:
- Students are allowed only one guest to accompany them to the event.
- All persons on campus are asked to wear a mask covering their nose and mouth at all times..
- CCA requires students and their guests to show proof of a completed COVID-19 vaccination regimen to enter CCA’s buildings.
- Be prepared to show ID during proof of COVID-19 vaccination review at the event check-in.
- The COVID-19 vaccination card must show a completed regimen that concluded at least 14 days before the date of the event.
- Proof of vaccination must be shown at the time of check-in.
- Guests may present a physical vaccination record card or a digital document on a mobile device (such as a photo image of a vaccination record card).
If you have a medical exemption, please contact CCA's Office of Admissions in advance of the event to discuss accommodations.
Colleges and universities represented
- ArtCenter College of Design
- Boston University School of Visual Arts
- California Institute of the Arts
- California College of the Arts (CCA)
- College for Creative Studies (CCS)
- Cranbrook Academy of Art
- Emily Carr University of Art and Design
- FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising
- Laguna College of Art + Design
- Maine College of Art & Design
- Massachusetts College of Art and Design
- MICA
- Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD)
- New York Academy of Art
- New York School of Interior Design
- Norwich University of the Arts
- Otis College of Art and Design
- Pacific Northwest College of Art at Willamette University
- Parsons School of Design/Parsons Paris at The New School
- School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC)
- School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University
- School of Visual Arts (SVA)
Put your best portfolio forward