Students are admitted to Yale’s M.F.A. for the fall semester of each year only. Applicants are notified of the admission committee’s decisions on preliminary selections in February, and final decisions in early March. No information about decisions will be given over the phone or in advance of the batch-written release to all finalists.

To apply for more than one area of concentration, separate applications and supporting documentation must be submitted. The work submitted should be representative of the applicant’s experience in that particular field. Applying to more than one program does not increase an applicant’s chances of selection.

Please note: Yale School of Art does not practice admission deferment; An offer of admission is valid only for enrollment for that year regardless of the in-residence conditions of the Yale campus at that time. Applicants who are offered admission but choose not to enroll are welcome to reapply to the school in a future cycle.

Admission Procedures for Preliminary Selection

Instructions for All Applicants

An application to the School of Art requires forethought and planning. It is important to read all of the application instructions carefully. Following these instructions will ensure that your application is viewed to best advantage.

The Yale School of Art application for the 2025–2026 academic year will be available October 2024 at https://apply.art.yale.edu/apply. For an explanation of specific requirements for each area of study, refer to those sections that follow.

Application Deadline Online applications for programs beginning in the 2025–2026 academic year must be uploaded no later than 11:59 p.m. EST on Friday, January 10, 2025. Applications may not be submitted past the deadline, although recommendation letters and English Proficiency exam scores may follow shortly thereafter. Please expect that when many applicants are uploading simultaneously near the deadline, lengthier processing times will be experienced. Consider submitting prior to the deadline day to avoid this.

Application Materials The following materials are required for consideration of your application for admission.

1. Online application: Please note that the School of Art is not part of the Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and it is not possible to apply by using application materials found on the Graduate School’s website.
2. Application fee: $100 US, non-refundable as of January 11. Payment can be made by credit or debit card. In its commitment to equity and access Yale School of Art practices need-blind admission (candidate financial need or ability are unknown to the admissions committee during review of M.F.A. applications). For this reason graduate fee waivers are not available. Applicants with primary citizenship in the following nations with the lowest U.S. exchange rates—Venezuela, Iran, Vietnam, Indonesia, Uzbekistan, Sierra Leone, Laos, Guinea, Paraguay, and Cambodia—may contact art.admissions@yale.edu to request a waiver.

3. Statement: A one-page statement that addresses influences, interests, current work direction, lived experience (as it relates to art/design practice), and reasons for applying to graduate school at this time. Statements should be limited to one page or no more than 500 words.

   Applicants to the Painting/Printmaking program should make reference in their statement to the “representative work” in the portfolio; this is not critical for the other programs.

4. References: From three persons, preferably individuals practicing/teaching in the field or who know the applicant’s practice well and can attest to their ability, competency, potential, etc. in Yale’s M.F.A. program. Note: Request all letters with lead time. While it is not uncommon for letters of recommendation to come in past the deadline, those writing on your behalf should be alerted that late submission of supporting documentation may risk exclusion from the review. Receipt status for each reference request can be viewed on the application status page.
5. Transcripts of academic record for the bachelor’s degree and/or professional art schools attended. Student/unofficial copies may be uploaded to the application for the preliminary jury. Official transcripts will only be required for applicants invited to interview.

6. Portfolio of work: The portfolio should represent images of your best work, indicate your current direction, and demonstrate your ability. At least half the images should represent work done within the last twelve months, and all should be from within the last three years. Chronological order of year is embedded in our system, and you will not be able to override it. Yale School of Art uses an application system that requires applicants to designate one image from the portfolio as a “representative work.” This selection is simply the default image for the cover page of each application file.

   Composite images (multiple views of a work or works embedded into one image file) are discouraged. Do not include detail photos of work in your portfolio unless you consider them absolutely necessary; no more than two detail shots be included. Portfolio requirements differ depending upon area of study, so be sure to follow the instructions accordingly. 

Part-Time Students No programs are offered for transfer, special, or part-time students.

Portfolio Formatting

As it’s necessary to view the work quite quickly and at a relatively small scale, each of portfolio item file selected for submission should be as clear as possible. Individual image files should include only one work or one view of a project; composite images should be avoided. The committee's assessment of work is compromised when composite or multiple views, pages, and/or works are places within one individual file upload. Applications consisting primarily of composite image portfolios may be disqualified.

File Sizes and Types The Yale School of Art application supports media files as large as 5 MB. Larger files, however, take longer to upload. Uploaded documents, such as transcripts, may contain no more than fifty pages. Do not format images in a presentation program (e.g., PowerPoint, Keynote) or include composite images (more than one work per file). The application supports the following file formats:

• Video: .3g2, .3gp, .avi, .m2v, .m4v, .mkv, .mov, .mpeg, .mpg, .mp4, .mxf, .webm, .wmv
• Audio: .aac, .m4a, .mka, .mp3, .oga, .ogg, .wav
• Slide: .bmp, .gif, .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .tif, .tiff

File Format for Videos and Moving Images Video files should be no longer than two minutes long, and the size of video uploads is limited to 64 Mb. Please note that videos are considered as part of your selection of files and should not be used as a method of showing examples of additional still images. Do not include titles or credits within the video files. 

If you are primarily a video artist and wish to submit a longer video, include a up to a two-minute selection per video in the portfolio. You may post full video files to your own website and provide the link at the end of your statement. Note, however, that the admission committee will not be in the position to review works of extensive length.

Graphic Design Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Contents Submit a total of twenty still images and/or moving image files that represent your strongest work. Please do not include only video in your portfolio; your portfolio should include both still and moving image examples of your work in design. When presenting book-related designs, show a cover and one representative spread in a single image file, at maximum. Alternatively, a short video showing a few spreads may be prepared. For websites, show just one still web page per image file, or prepare a short video showing three to four frames being clicked or scrolled. A complex, systems-related project should be edited to two or three of the strongest components. Three-dimensional works should show the surrounding space and context. Limit the use of detail images to situations where they are considered absolutely necessary. When presenting both still and moving images, please present them in two groups, with all still images followed by all moving images. Within these groups, place files in chronological order starting with the oldest and ending with the most recent work.

Résumé In addition to a portfolio, all graphic design applicants should upload a résumé or CV, which will be reviewed for content as well as form of the typography; the résumé may not be longer than two pages.

Painting/Printmaking Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Contents Submit sixteen still images and/or moving image files that represent your strongest work, ideally completed within the last two years. We recommend selecting work made in the last twelve months for at least half the total portfolio selections. The admissions committee is concerned with scale and the tactility of the work; as such, paintings and drawings should be photographed showing the edge of the work (do not digitally crop the file or mask in black to the edges of the work). Documentation of three-dimensional works should consider the surrounding space and context. Image details should only be included if considered necessary. If you are presenting both still and moving images, group still images first, followed by time-based files. 

Photography Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Contents Submit a total of twenty still images and/or moving image files that represent your strongest work and indicate subject matter(s) of interest. We recommend selecting work made in the last twelve months for at least half the total portfolio selections. Indicate the photographic format used to make your pictures. If you are presenting both still and moving images, group still images first, followed by time-based files. 

Sculpture Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Contents Submit a total of twenty examples of work (still images and/or moving image files), ideally completed within the last two years. We recommend selecting work made in the last twelve months for at least half the portfolio selections. The admissions committee is concerned with scale and the tactility of the work, as well as fabrication techniques. Documentation of three-dimensional works should consider the surrounding space and context. Detail photos of works may be included if considered necessary; limit to no more than two details. If you are presenting both still and moving images, group still images first, followed by time-based files. 

Application Status

Once an application has been submitted, applicants can track the status of their application and the receipt of required supporting materials (such as recommendations) online. Applicants are encouraged to check the status of their application materials and follow up as necessary.

Final Selection

Applicants who have passed the Preliminary Selection Jury will be notified in early February. At this time, official undergraduate transcripts should be requested and sent to the school, and an interview time will be selected for applicants to meet with the faculty committee. Final candidates may be asked to prepare supplemental portfolio materials to be presented digitally during or in advance of the interview. Detailed instructions will be included in the invitation to interview, though most often this process is conducted virtually/via video conferrence. Admission interviews take place in mid- to late February and are a critical component of the final selection process.

Applicants in Graphic Design Applicants should prepare a portfolio of their work in any or all of these areas: graphic design print work, environmental design, broadcast/video graphics, letterform design, interactive media, and other related projects in the visual arts. Applicants are encouraged to present bodies of work that demonstrate special areas of interest. Academic or research papers may also be submitted in support of the application. For two year program applicants at least twelve examples of work and for the preliminary program at least ten examples of work will be presented at interview. Detailed instructions will be included in the invitation to interview.

Applicants in Painting/Printmaking Applicants should submit no more than four artworks and four drawings, studies, graphic works, or videos (these are not required to be pieces that were in your application portfolio) as well as prepare a PDF of these works and provide them to the admissions committee. Detailed instructions will be included in the invitation to interview.

Applicants in Photography Applicants should prepare a portfolio of no more than twenty images to present and discuss during the interview. Detailed instructions will be included in the invitation to interview.

Applicants in Sculpture Applicants should prepare digital files that document the individual’s latest work as well as additional images representing earlier work. Additional documentation to the work in your preliminary portfolio may be presented during your interview. Detailed instructions will be included in the invitation to interview.

Final Notification of Admission Final notification of admission will be emailed in early March. Offers of admission are applicable only for the year in which they are made. The School of Art does not practice deferred admission. A Financial Aid package will be sent shortly after notification of admission for those who have completed their application filing and submission of required documents. No decisions relating to admission or financial aid will be given in person or over the telephone.

An individual’s acceptance of admission to the School of Art must be received by April 10. All matriculating students must submit a transcript that certifies their undergraduate degree. Admission is not binding unless this certification is received.