Current Students

For readmitted students only. Students interested in this program will apply to Art, then be asked for more specific information as current students to gain admission to the sequence.

Digital Portfolio Requirements

With the exception of Art History students, all students seeking to major in art must submit a digital portfolio for review directly to the School of Art. Once you have submitted your completed application to Illinois State University Admissions, you will receive an email from the School of Art including directions about how to submit your portfolio. For admission to the Art Major, the portfolio will be considered in relation to all other admission materials, including class standing, ACT/SAT scores, and prior college-level records. Transfer students: work submitted should re ect college-level art classes already taken. Each review session lasts approximately 2-3 weeks. At the end of that time, decision letters will be mailed to the address you supplied in your portfolio. Decisions will NOT be available over the telephone. Late portfolios will be considered, but you must submit to one of the official deadlines below in order to be considered for School of Art scholarships.

When ready, attach all necessary materials to an email, and send to either Nancy Fewkes (nfewkes@ilstu.edu) or Kelly Peiffer (kdpeiff@ilstu.edu). Along with your application, your digital portfolio must include:

• Five artworks that you consider to be your best work in any medium. Digital images should approximately meet these specifications:
  File Format: JPEG file format only
  Resolution: 300 dpi
  File Size: Approximately 1.0 MB (1000 KB) EACH
  File Name: identify each image with name and number (e.g., Redbird-001.jpg; Redbird-002.jpg;)
• One indexed list of these five artworks
  Include the title, description, medium, and size of each artwork on the list, identify each with the same number as the JPEG filename..
• Any necessary weblinks (including YouTube and Vimeo) may be embedded into the indexed list, a PDF, or a document file.

Make sure that the artwork is squared in the view finder, is well-lit, and in focus. It is important to record color and exposure accurately, so be sure to set the proper camera "White Balance" and exposure for the lighting conditions. (Consult your camera manual.) It is also important to eliminate distracting backgrounds by filling the view nder as much as possible with the artwork without cropping the artwork itself. Use a neutral cloth or wall as a backdrop. If these cannot be controlled, then you are encouraged to carefully crop out any distracting background in a photo editing program. Accurate and simple representations of your artworks are paramount.

Transfer students: work submitted should reflect college-level art classes already taken.

Portfolio review sessions (2016-2017)

All portfolio review sessions are open to both freshman and transfer applicants.

Applications valid for Spring and Fall 2017

• September 19: Ensures consideration for advanced registration
• October 10: Regular submission date
• October 24: Regular submission date
• November 14: Regular submission date
• December 5: Final review session for spring 2016 semester

Applications valid for only Fall 2017

• February 6: Ensures consideration for advanced registration
• February 20: Transfers are strongly encouraged to submit by this date
• March 13: Final review session for spring 2017 semester

Portfolios should be submitted to:

The School of Art Admissions Committee
Illinois State University
Center for the Visual Arts Room 119 
Campus Box 5620
Normal, IL 61790-5620

Portfolio Delivery and Return

For return shipping, include a self-addressed mailing container and sufficient postage. Portfolios must be mailed to the address below or delivered to the office of the ISU School of Art, Center for Visual Arts (CVA), room 119. Portfolios not ready for return shipping will be held for pickup, and will be discarded according to the following process: When the review committee has made a decision, you will receive a letter from the department informing you of your admission status. You will have 3 weeks from the date of that letter in which to pick up your portfolio if you did not include postage. Please note: any portfolios not picked up within the 3-week time period will be discarded.