Considering studying art in university? The good news is you have many options to choose from. The bad news is on top of needing the usual high marks you would for any other course, you also have to submit a portfolio to apply to art courses. Also, remember that good news about having options? Well, it gets considerably less good if you have many talents and interests and struggle to choose from the many options. We’ll try to help!

Since there are many disciplines under the umbrella of “art”, it can be difficult to pinpoint the exact subject you might want to study. Even though many art courses take students through many branches of art, so you should be prepared to show your skills at photography or sculpting projects as well as writing essays or reports, before you get to work on meeting the minimum qualifications for courses, and you will need to work quite hard on them, you should at least have decided if your chosen field would fall under performing arts, fine arts, or art and design. This is clearly not a perfect categorisation but one that will do the job of helping narrow down. Most courses under any of these three would blend theoretical and historical knowledge with practical experience and require hands-on practice during your university career. Don’t forget that you will have to perform and/or constantly add to your portfolio not only during your university education but also before it, too.. Recently, technology has become quite an integral part of the art scene, so let your imagination run wild! The possibilities are endless for there are infinite permutations to combine your personality and creativity with any topic you might tackle.

Let’s talk about requirements for applications. Many universities ask for the typical high grades, A levels, AP scores, or IB diploma score (with varying ranges depending on your school of choice) in addition to more art-focused requirements, so you can’t just rely on your artistic talents to feel free to neglect your GPA! No matter which high school you go to or which high school diploma program or curriculum you may be following, art school applications are similar to all other university applications in that they often require academic excellence. They can often ask for Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma, preferably including modules relating to art history, art, and design. Performing arts courses often have an audition or performance component to complete the application, and…We’ve saved what is arguably the most important for last: fine arts and art and design courses also ask prospective students to submit a portfolio. Your portfolio is crucial because it must demonstrate who you are, your artistic talent, your personal style and outlook, and that you are clearly interested in and ready for the course you are applying to because you have already put in a considerable amount of effort building what they are looking at to judge your candidacy. You should be trying to convince schools that you are suited to be an artist, and you must show not tell through your portfolio that you have an open mind and a wide range. Therefore, it would be prudent to start working on your portfolio in Year 10 (UK) or 9th grade (international.)

As for your personal statements, like with applications to most other courses, motivation for and previous experience in the area are key. The best way to demonstrate both could be to document and discuss meaningfully the time you have dedicated to your chosen field(s) of art and the impact this work had on your personal, academic, and professional development. Even if you have yet to make money on these endeavours, and again, bear in mind that in many fields of art you’ll constantly be building a portfolio, so it is never too early to think of the works you create even now as stages in your professional development. Tutors will want to read how you engage with and interpret experiences as it is the essence of art.