Undergraduate Admissions
The Department of Fine Arts is a selective admissions department, which means that acceptance is limited and competitive. Submission of an application does not guarantee admission. Acceptance depends on satisfactory academic performance, as well as artistic, educational, and career goals which meet the Departmental standard.
Admission to Bachelors of Arts (BA) Programs
All Undergraduate students wishing to take studio art classes in the Department must first submit an Application for Admission for a Major in Fine Arts. BFA applications are accepted only from students currently in the BA program.
The Department of Fine Arts offers the BA in Art
History and Studio Art. Admission to these programs is selective and
competitive. All students wishing to major in fine arts specializing in
art history or in studio art must complete and submit an Application for Admission for a Major in Fine Arts to the Department of Fine Arts. (Applications are available from the Department or as a
downloadable pdf file below).
Acceptance
as a major is determined by an evaluation of an applicant’s artistic
and academic potential for success in the Fine Arts program. To
ascertain this, factors such as previous academic performance, a
written statement of artistic, educational, and career goals, and a
submitted portfolio or art history essay are considered. Applicants who
do not meet the minimum overall grade point standards for the College
of Arts & Sciences and are not in ‘good standing’ will not be
considered. Submission of an application does not guarantee acceptance.
In addition, a grade of "D" in any department course 300 level or above
may not be used to fulfill a departmental requirement.
Applicants
for studio art should submit a portfolio which shows potential as an
artist and demonstrates an aptitude for perceptual and conceptual
development (sometimes students may possess these capabilities,
however, their portfolios do not reflect it. In this instance students
should complete ART 101–Fundamentals of Drawing and Design in order to
acquire more experience and build their portfolio toward application).
Art history applicants must submit an essay which demonstrates
sufficient grammar and writing skills and the ability to succeed in the
art history coursework.
Application for Admission for a Major in Fine Art (BA Program) [pdf]
Applying to the University of Louisville
Admission to the Bachelor in Fine Arts Program
The BFA degree is primarily intended for professionally oriented students and those planning to pursue graduate work in the studio arts. Admission is competitive and highly selective. Enrollments are limited. Accepted majors for the B.A. in Studio Art may apply to the B.F.A. program after they have completed the Foundations Program in studio art, or its equivalent, plus have completed or are currently enrolled in the 300 level course in the Program track area for which they intend to apply (e.g. ART 361 for Interior Architecture, ART 371 for Communication Arts & Design), have a GPA in departmental courses above a 3.01, and a minimum overall GPA of 2.25. (Applications are available from the Department or as a downloadable pdf file below).
Application for Admission to the BFA Program [pdf]
Guaranteed Early Admission for Communication Art & Design BFA Track
The BFA Program in Communication Art & Design currently admits approximately 15 students per academic year into the program. Due to the high number of students interested in pursuing a BFA in Communication Art & Design, we have a “Guaranteed Early Admission” option with a supplemental application. This is available to incoming freshman who have a GPA of at least 3.2 and an ACT score of 24 or higher. If you meet this criteria you have the option to submit this supplemental application. This is not mandatory. You may still enter our program in the traditional route – applying to a BFA track as outlined above. However, the Guaranteed Early Admission program gives you an assurance that if you continue to meet the program standards, you will be admitted to the BFA track for Communication Art & Design. More information is available in the following two documents:
Program information and admission options for Communication Art & Design [pdf]
Supplemental Application for Guaranteed Early Admission to Communication Art & Design [pdf]
All our downloads are in PDF format (you must have Adobe Acrobat)
