A portfolio is required for all B.F.A. programs in the School of Art, School of Design, and Department of Film and Media Arts. A portfolio is also required for the B.I.D. program in the School of Design. A portfolio is not required for the School of Art’s B.S. in studio arts program or the School of Design’s B.S. in design studies program.
Select your area of interest below for specific instructions for each individual program. Students are responsible for submitting their portfolios online per the “Submitting Your Portfolio” instructions at the bottom of this page and for meeting our deadlines.
Please note: Applicants must submit the portfolio online through the applicant portal (see “Submitting Your Portfolio” below). You must complete the Syracuse University application prior to submitting your portfolio. You will receive an email notification with details on how to access the applicant portal within 72 hours of submitting your application. Please plan accordingly.
The portfolio should be a collection of 12-20 images of your most recent work.
The portfolio should represent your interests, highlight your ideas and conceptual abilities, demonstrate your technical skills, your willingness to experiment, and your commitment to visual expression and communication.
You should select works that demonstrate the depth and breadth of your experiences.
The composition of the portfolio should be balanced to emphasize your strengths and should consist of a variety of media and approaches. This may include examples related to your program of interest; for example, if you’re interested in the studio arts, you may want to include painting, sculpture, printmaking, illustration, ceramics, metalsmithing, etc. If your interest is in our design programs, you may want to include examples of design, typography, textiles, perspective, fashion drawings, product, and furniture.
It is strongly suggested that a minimum of six drawings from observation be included if you are applying to illustration or have strong interest in painting and printmaking. Observational drawings can include still lifes, figure drawings, landscapes, etc.
You can include examples of assignment-based projects that are the product of instruction, but we also want to see work that reflects your individual ideas and direction outside of the classroom.
Descriptions of the work submitted are strongly recommended to provide insight to your creative and conceptual thinking as well as the describe purpose/concept of your pieces. These descriptions should be added in the applicant portal during image upload.
Please include one of the following writing samples (300 words maximum):
Statement of Interest: why you are applying to this particular program of study
Artist/Designer Statement: a general introduction of your work as an artist or designer, why you chose particular subject matter, why you work in a certain medium, etc.
Identify one piece in your portfolio that you are most passionate about and tell us the story behind it.
All first-year and transfer applicants to the School of Design's B.F.A. and B.I.D. programs must submit a portfolio.
The portfolio should be a collection of 12-20 images of your most recent work.
The portfolio should represent your interests, highlight your ideas and conceptual abilities, demonstrate your technical skills, your willingness to experiment, and your commitment to visual expression and communication.
You should select works that demonstrate the depth and breadth of your experiences.
The composition of the portfolio should be balanced to emphasize your strengths and should consist of a variety of media and approaches. This may include examples related to your program of interest; for example, you may want to include examples of design, typography, textiles, perspective, fashion drawings, footwear, and furniture.
You can include examples of assignment-based projects that are the product of instruction, but we also want to see work that reflects your individual ideas and direction outside of the classroom.
Descriptions of the work submitted are strongly recommended to provide insight to your creative and conceptual thinking as well as the describe purpose/concept of your pieces. These descriptions should be added in the applicant portal during image upload.
Please include one of the following short answer questions (200 words maximum):
Statement of Interest: why you are applying to this particular program of study.
This choice is strongly recommended for communications design applicants.
Identify one piece in your portfolio that you are most passionate about and tell us the story behind it.
Please provide a 500-word writing sample that answers the following questions and then upload your essay through the online applicant portal:
What is design? What can it do in the world?
What about design inspires you?
Department of Film and Media Arts Portfolio Requirements Link
Art Photography
Note: traditional work is also acceptable if the applicant has not worked in the area of interest.
Art photography applicants should:
Present a minimum of 12 and a maximum of 20 images of your best and most recent photography work.
Descriptions of the work submitted are strongly recommended to provide insight to your creative and conceptual thinking as well as the describe purpose/concept of your pieces. These descriptions should be added in the applicant portal during image upload.
Please include ONE of the following writing samples (300 words maximum):**
Why you are applying to the B.F.A. art photography program at Syracuse University? Be specific.
Describe why you explore particular subject matter, your artistic goals, and explain the issues and concerns that inform your artistic practice.
Identify one piece in your portfolio that you are passionate about, tell the story behind it and explain why it highlights your strengths as an artist.
Computer Art and Animation
Note: traditional work is also acceptable if the applicant has not worked in the area of interest.
Computer art and animation applicants should:
Present a portfolio that represents your artistic interests, exhibits your willingness to experiment, and demonstrates your conceptual abilities and technical skills.
Include a minimum of 12 and a maximum of 20 recent works from last three years; these may include drawings, paintings, prints, sculpture, animation, code art, film, video, photographs, sound art, video games, graphic design, websites, or any combination of the above.
A minimum of five drawing samples from the direct observation of life are required and may include figure drawing, still life, and landscape work.
Descriptions of the work submitted are strongly recommended to provide insight to your creative and conceptual thinking as well as the describe purpose/concept of your pieces. These descriptions should be added in the applicant portal during image upload.
Include ONE of the following writing samples (300 words maximum):
Why you are applying to the B.F.A. computer art and animation program at Syracuse University? Be specific.
Describe why you explore particular subject matter, your artistic goals, and explain the issues and concerns that inform your artistic practice.
Identify one piece in your portfolio that you are passionate about, tell the story behind it and explain why it highlights your strengths as an artist.
Please note:
Computer-generated images can be included in your portfolio but should be kept to a minimum. Work should show what an artist can do with a computer program, not what a computer program can do.
Film, video, animation, and sound work may not exceed a total of five minutes; thus, it may be appropriate to submit excerpts of longer work.
Students interested in computer animation should have strong drawing skills. Strong math skills are critical for special effects.
Film
Film applicants should:
Pick one of the following options:
a. Short film: Submit a film- or video-based work that is no longer than five minutes. b. Film excerpt: Submit a five-minute excerpt from a longer work (excerpts over five minutes will not be reviewed). c. Multiple films/videos: Submit multiple films and/or videos with a total runtime of five minutes or less. These should be complete shorter pieces, not a montage or reel of shots from films. d. Still photographs: Present eight to 12 still photographs that you have taken for this piece. When viewed in order they either tell a story with a beginning, middle and end, or portray a unique character. Please include a no more than 200-word written narrative about the character in the photos.
Note: Submit your very best work. You must be the author or have had a major creative responsibility in the project. Make sure to properly identify your role in the submission.
2. Provide the following writing submission:
In 500 words or less write a personal statement where you discuss your submitted work. In your statement, please answer the following questions:
What was your role in the project?
What is this work about?
How does this work relate to the kinds of stories you want to tell?
How did you make decisions about the style and aesthetics of this work?
How have your distinctive experiences, identities or views of the world shaped you as an artist?
Transfer students are encouraged to complete the application and portfolio review as soon as possible as space is limited in some programs. It is strongly recommended that transfer applicants to VPA follow the first-year application deadlines. Please note:
Online submission of transfer portfolios is required as they are reviewed by a faculty member in the student’s proposed major.
If you have experience in the area in which you hope to major, please show examples of work in that area.
Please upload an unofficial college transcript along with your portfolio through the applicant portal. This is in addition to the official college transcript required for your application that is submitted via the Syracuse University application.
Include a paragraph explaining why you wish to study art, design, or film and media arts, what major you hope to pursue and why, what you expect from the major, and your career aspirations.
Applicants must submit the portfolio online through the applicant portal. You will receive an email from the Office of Admissions within 72 hours after submitting your application confirming receipt of your application and providing instructions to log in to your applicant portal. In your portal, you will find your Application Checklist which will include a hyperlink to complete the portfolio submission. It is acceptable if you submit your portfolio a few days after you submit your application once you have access to your portal.
Get Feedback on Your Portfolio Before Final Submission with Virtual Advisory Reviews Link
Virtual advisory portfolio reviews are available to students who would like to share their work and get advice on strengthening the portfolio prior to the final online submission. These can be scheduled on an individual basis by contacting the Office of Recruitment and Admissions at or by participating in Virtual National Portfolio Days. View our Visit VPA page for more information. We also offer sessions on portfolio preparation twice monthly; you can find registration information on the VPA Visit page as well.
