Main Menu

Galleries

Home MFA in Art MFA Application Process

MFA Application Process


All graduate applicants to the University of Utah must meet the following minimum Graduate School requirements:

    • A bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited U.S. college or university. The Office of Admissions will determine if an applicant’s degree meets the Graduate School's requirement of a recognized Bachelor's degree.
    • A 3.0 or higher cumulative GPA in the undergraduate career or demonstrable academic readiness for graduate-level studies.
    • Meet the academic department’s admission standards and receive a recommendation for admission to their program.

We do not require a GRE score to apply. Please include all the necessary paperwork in your portfolio and ensure your letters of recommendation are submitted before the deadline. The faculty will review the applications after January 15th, and acceptance letters will be mailed around the beginning of March. We only accept applications for the fall semester of each year.

The deadline is January 15. 

 

We are currently not accepting applications from students interested in pursuing an MFA in ceramics until further notice. If you have questions, please do not hesitate to email us at info@art.utah.edu.

The University of Utah Admissions Office utilizes the Slate website for all online graduate applications. Please click the button to the right to begin your application process. You will then select the "Create an Account" hyperlink.

During the application process, you must submit the following items:

  • A letter of intent and a detailed artist statement that addresses the following:
      • Describe current artistic interests, the direction of your work, preferred area of study influences, and why.
      • Write t any relevant experiences that have prepared you as an artist and describe why this is the right to go to graduate school.
      • Describe your professional goals and how you plan to achieve them while in school and after actively.
      • Please describe what you can contribute, initiate, and risk as a community member.
      • Why is this program a good fit for you?

Please be aware the faculty most often recommend admissions to individuals with a studio art background, which generally includes 40 undergraduate credits and a minimum of 12 credits in art history (quarter equivalents apply).

  • A CV or resume that includes your complete contact information, your educational background, and any honors or awards. If you have any teaching experience, please list it as well.
  • Please provide the names and emails of three (3) people who can write letters of recommendation that speak to your creative talent and your ability to succeed in a rigorous academic program (academic references from former or current professors are preferable to those from employers). They will receive an email from the admissions office with a custom link where they will be asked to fill out a questionnaire and upload their letters.
  • Portfolio.
      • It needs to be a high-resolution (suggested 300 PPI) single PDF file.
      • Your portfolio should contain 20 images.
      • Post one work per page with a maximum of 2 images per page. For example, you might have a full view and then a detail on the same page. Use multiple pages if more views are necessary to understand the piece.
      • Add a text description at the bottom of each page with the following information: Title, Dimensions, Medium, Date completed (the year is sufficient).
      • To submit videos or sound files, you must first upload them to a website such as Box, Google Drive, DropBox, OneDrive, Vimeo, or YouTube. Once the file is hosted, please provide the URL in the PDF.
  • Transcripts from each college or university attended. They can be unofficial for now, but if you are offered a position in our program, the admissions office requires official transcripts.
  • Complete the application form and pay the applicable fee. The non-refundable graduate application fee for domestic applicants is $55, and for international students is $65.
  • For international students, an English language proficiency test score is required. Please visit the Admission's English Proficiency page to answer your questions and submit the scores. Your tests must have been completed within two years of submission and paying your application fee. This is the current list of acceptable tests and scores:
      • TOEFL: 80 or higher
      • IELTS*: 6.5 or higher
        • *IELTS Indicator is not approved for admissions at this time.
      • DUOLINGO: 105 or higher
      • ACT English score of 18 or higher
      • SAT Reading score of 27 or higher

Please visit the Graduate Students Admissions web page for further instructions about the application process. You can check the status of your submission by contacting info@art.utah.edu or (801) 581-8677.

International Applicants

If you are an international student, please visit the Graduate Admissions website for additional information you'll need to complete your application.