High School Visual Arts Admissions

The School of Design & Production offers a one or two year high school Visual Arts program for incoming grade 11 and 12 students. Students in either grade 10 or 11 are eligible to apply.

Applicants for the 2025-2026 academic year will be pre-screened. Faculty offers or declines interviews based on the submitted application and required pre-screen materials.

Application Deadline

In order to qualify for prescreening, the application, transcript(s), portfolio, and application fee must be submitted by January 15, 2025 (11:59 p.m. EST).

Interview Dates

Interviews for the 2025-2026 academic year will be held in person on the UNCSA campus. Applicants bring a portfolio of original work to their interview. In addition to an interview with faculty, applicants share and discuss their portfolio in a group critique with fellow applicants. Admission is based on a combination of artistic and academic merits.

Applicants will be contacted by Admissions by Monday, February 10, 2025, if they have been selected to interview with faculty. Admissions will provide instructions for scheduling the interview. There are a limited number of interview slots per date, so it is recommended that applicants have availability on multiple dates.

Interview Dates Required Materials Deadline *

Friday, February 28, 2025

Monday, February 24, 2025

Friday, March 14, 2025

Monday, March 10, 2025

Friday, March 21, 2025

Monday, March 17, 2025

* Interviewing applicants must have all Required Application Documents uploaded into their application portal according to the deadlines above. Failure to upload these documents by the deadline will result in an applicant not moving forward for an interview.

Interview days begin at 12 p.m. with an informational session for applicants and guardians. When the session ends, guardians will be excused so that interviews and portfolio group critiques may begin. A detailed schedule will be provided to applicants 72 hours prior to their interview. Interview days conclude at 5 p.m. 

GPA & Academic Requirements

Applicants should have a minimum unweighted GPA of 2.3 (C+), no more than one failing grade in the previous year's work and no more than two failing grades in their overall coursework.

Completed Application, Fees & Required Documents

  1. Complete the online application.
  2. Pay the Application Fee: $95 for U.S. citizens and permanent residents, $130 for international applicants. Application fees are non-refundable.

    Payment Options
    • Online: Follow payment instructions at the end of the application or on your Admissions Portal.
    • Check or Money Order (through a U.S. bank): Make payable to "UNCSA" and include your full legal name. Mail your payment and fully legible name of the applicant to the Office of Admissions.
    • International Applicants: Use Flywire to pay your application fee online through an international bank or pay by check or money order through a U.S. bank as listed above.
  3. Upload all Required Application Documents prior to your listed Required Materials Deadline.

Please note: If applying to two different UNCSA art schools (Dance, Drama, Music, or Visual Arts), a second application and application fee is required.