Students are admitted to Yale’s M.F.A. program for the fall term of each year only. Applicants are notified of the admissions committee’s decisions on preliminary selections in early February, and of final decisions are sent in early March. To apply for more than one area of concentration, separate applications, fees, and supporting documentation must be submitted. The work submitted should be representative of the applicant’s experience in that particular field. Applicants are advised that applying to more than one program does not increase chances of selection.

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 2023–2024 academic year will go live on October 1, 2022, at https://apply.art.yale.edu/apply. The information that follows will assist you in filing the application online. For an explanation of specific requirements for each area of study, please refer to the departmental sections that follow.

Application deadline Online applications for programs beginning in the 2023–2024 academic year must be uploaded no later than 11:59 p.m. EST on Monday, January 9, 2023. Applicants will not be allowed to submit applications after the deadline has passed, although recommendation letters and English Proficiency exam scores may follow shortly thereafter. Please note that when many applicants are uploading simultaneously near the deadline, it is possible that lengthier pre-processing times will be experienced. To avoid this, please consider submitting prior to the deadline day.

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

1. Submit the online application and the application fee of $100. Online applications can be worked on from October 1 until the deadline. It may take several weeks to complete an application therefore it is recommended that applicants prepare their materials early to ensure completion. 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. Please follow payment instructions at https://apply.art.yale.edu/apply. Payment can be made by credit or debit card. In its commitment to equity and access Yale School of Art practices need-blind admission, meaning that a candidate’s financial need or ability is never disclosed to the admissions committee during review of M.F.A. applications. For this reason, and because the processing and careful review of each individual application demands considerable time and human resources, we regret that the School does not waive the application fee.

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

   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. Three letters of recommendation, preferably from individuals familiar with the applicant’s practice, who are able to attest to the applicant’s abilities and competence in the field in which they seek to pursue an M.F.A. Note: The admissions committee reviews applications shortly after the deadline. While it is not uncommon for letters of recommendation to come in past the deadline, please impress upon those who will be writing on your behalf that late submission of supporting documentation may risk exclusion from the review. Applicants may view the receipt status of recommendation requests on the application status page.
5. Unofficial transcripts of the academic record for the bachelor’s degree and/or transcripts from professional art schools attended. A student copy or unofficial transcript may be uploaded for the preliminary jury. Official transcripts will be required for applicants invited to interview.
6. Portfolio of work (content): The portfolio should represent images of your best work, indicate your current direction, and demonstrate your ability. The committee advises that the portfolio should represent recent work, i.e., work produced within the past twelve to eighteen months. Chronological order of year is embedded in our system, and you will not be able to override it. Do not include composite images (more than one image on the screen) or embed other pages of a publication or video within the images you place in your portfolio. Do not include detail photos of work in your portfolio unless you consider them absolutely necessary. Portfolio requirements differ depending upon area of concentration; be sure to follow the instructions carefully for the area to which you are applying.
7. Portfolio of work (format): Portfolios are submitted online as part of the online application. The portfolio submission interface will allow you to label each image with a title, date, the materials used, and a brief description of the work. (Please do not embed your name in the title or description.) The application system used by Yale requires that one image from the portfolio be designated as a “representative work.” This selection is the default image for the cover page of each application file. As such, applicants generally select the piece that most strongly represents ideas central to their current body of work. Digital files should adhere to the specifications outlined below.

Graphic Design Portfolio Requirements

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.

Portfolio contents Upload a total of twenty (20) still image 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. As it’s necessary to view the work quite quickly and at a relatively small scale, each of the twenty (20) file uploads should be as clear as possible. Each individual image should include only one work or one view of a project. The assessment of work is compromised when composite or multiple views, pages, and/or works placed are presented within one individual file upload. When presenting book-related designs, show a cover and one representative spread in a single image file, at maximum. Alternately, 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.

File format for still images Still image files may be sent in JPEG, PNG, BMP, or TIFF format. To conform to our viewing format, each still image and photograph should be at least 1920 pixels wide x 1080 pixels tall and should not exceed 3840 pixels wide x 2160 pixels tall. Portfolio images will be reviewed on screen, and a resolution of 96 dpi is recommended. Do not format images in any presentation program (e.g., PowerPoint, Keynote, PDF) or include composite images (more than one work per file). PDFs and presentation program formats are not viewable in our system; only the first page/slide will display.

File format for videos and moving images Moving images (including animated GIFs) should be saved as an MP4 with a resolution of 1920 wide x 1080 tall. Video files should be no longer than two minutes long, and the size of a video upload is limited to 64 MB. If you upload a video that is longer than two minutes, it will automatically time out at two minutes. Please note that videos are considered as part of your selection of twenty files and should not be used as a method of showing examples of additional still images. Titles or credits within video files are not necessary.

If you are primarily a video artist and wish to submit a longer video, you may post the video to your own website and provide the link at the end of your statement.

Résumé In addition to its content, your résumé will be assessed for its layout and typography. The résumé should not be longer than two pages.

Painting/Printmaking Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio contents Upload a total of sixteen (16) still image and/or moving image files. Only work completed within the past two–three years should be included, and at least half (8) should be work made in the past twelve months. In the review process, the admissions committee is concerned with scale and the tactility of the work. For this reason, paintings, drawings, and prints should be photographed showing the edges of the work, i.e., the edges must not be digitally masked or cropped. Three-dimensional works should also show the surrounding space and context. Do not include detail photos of work in the portfolio unless they are considered absolutely necessary; under no circumstance should more than two detail shots be included. 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.

File format for still images Still image files may be sent in JPEG, PNG, BMP, or TIFF format. To conform to our viewing format, each still image and photograph should be at least 1920 pixels wide x 1080 pixels tall and should not exceed 3840 pixels wide x 2160 pixels tall. Portfolio images will be reviewed on screen and a resolution of 96dpi is recommended. Do not format images in any presentation program (e.g., PowerPoint, Keynote, PDF) or include composite images (more than one work per file). PDFs and presentation program formats are not viewable in our system; only the first page/slide will display.

File format for videos and moving images Moving images (including animated GIFs) should be saved as a .mp4 with a resolution of 1920 wide x 1080 tall. Video files should be no longer than one minute long, and the size of a video upload is limited to 64 MB. If you upload a video that is longer than one minute, it will automatically time out at one minute. Please note that videos are considered as part of your selection of sixteen 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, you may post the video to your own website and provide the link at the end of your statement.

Photography Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio contents Upload a total of twenty (20) still image and/or moving image files. A significant number of the images should represent work done within the past twelve months. If you are 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. Chronological order is embedded in our system, and you will not be able to override it.

File format for still images Still image files may be sent in JPEG, PNG, BMP, or TIFF format. To conform to our viewing format, each still image and photograph should be at least 1920 pixels wide x 1080 pixels tall and should not exceed 3840 pixels wide x 2160 pixels tall. Portfolio images will be reviewed on screen and a resolution of 96 dpi is recommended. Do not format images in any presentation program (e.g., PowerPoint, Keynote, PDF) or include composite images (more than one work per file). PDFs and presentation program formats are not viewable in our system; only the first page/slide will display.

File format for videos and moving images Moving images (including animated GIFs) should be saved as an MP4 with a resolution of 1920 wide x 1080 tall. Video files should be no longer than two minutes long, and the size of a video upload is limited to 64 MB. If you upload a video that is longer than two minutes, it will automatically time out at two minutes. Please note that videos are considered as part of your selection of twenty 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, you may post the video to your own website and provide the link at the end of your statement.

Sculpture Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio contents Upload a total of twenty (20) still image and/or moving image files. A significant number of the images should represent work done within the past twelve months. Three-dimensional works should show the surrounding space and context. If you are 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. Chronological order is embedded in our system, and you will not be able to override it.

File format for still images Still image files may be sent in JPEG, PNG, BMP, or TIFF format. To conform to our viewing format, each still image and photograph should be at least 1920 pixels wide x 1080 pixels tall and should not exceed 3840 pixels wide x 2160 pixels tall. Portfolio images will be reviewed on screen and a resolution of 96 dpi is recommended. Do not format images in any presentation program (e.g., PowerPoint, Keynote, PDF) or include composite images (more than one work per file). PDFs and presentation program formats are not viewable in our system; only the first page/slide will display.

File format for videos and moving images Moving images (including animated GIFs) should be saved as an MP4 with a resolution of 1920 wide x 1080 tall. Video files should be no longer than two minutes long, and the size of a video upload is limited to 64 MB. If you upload a video that is longer than two minutes, it will automatically time out at two minutes. Please note that videos are considered as part of your selection of twenty 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, you may post the video to your own website and provide the link at the end of your statement.

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, applicants invited to interview are required to submit official transcripts and prepare for an interview with the admissions committee. Individual interviews will be scheduled for mid- or late February, depending on the program. The interview is an important component of the final selection process. Finalists will present work during the interview which may differ from or expand upon that which was submitted with the application, or the the same selections may be shown. In some cases, detail and surface image shots may be requested.

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, motion graphics, letterform design, web or interactive media, and other related projects in the visual arts. Applicants are encouraged to present bodies of work that demonstrate special areas of interest. 

Applicants in Painting/Printmaking Applicants should prepare four paintings and four drawings, studies, graphic works, or videos. (These are not required to be pieces from the application portfolio.)

Applicants in Photography Applicants should prepare a portfolio of no more than twenty unmatted photographic proofs that are no larger than 20 x 24 inches each.

Applicants in Sculpture Applicants should prepare digital files that document their latest work as well as additional images representing earlier work. Additional documentation related to the work in the preliminary portfolio may be brought to the interview.

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 15. All matriculating students must submit a transcript that certifies their undergraduate degree. Admission is not binding unless this certification is received.