Graduate Admissions

To be admitted into the MFA program, students must have undergraduate backgrounds judged by the graduate faculty to be appropriate preparation for graduate study in visual art. A strong preference exists for applicants whose undergraduate backgrounds are in visual art.

Departmental faculty selection and review committees evaluate each applicant's transcripts, portfolios, and letters of recommendation to determine their qualifications for admission. The committees expect applicants to have the B.F.A. or B.A. degree or equivalent experience. In general, committees expect applicants to present about 70 hours of undergraduate credit in studio or related professional courses, to have maintained an undergraduate overall grade-point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, particularly in visual art courses, and to have had a minimum of 9 hours of credit in art history. The department encourages full-time enrollment in the M.F.A. program.

We offer online info session options for prospective graduate students. During these sessions, you will have the opportunity to learn more about the program, meet faculty, current graduate students, staff, and alumni. These info sessions are typically scheduled in December and January of each year. Please follow our social media or subscribe to our newsletter to be alerted to when the next session will be.

Application Materials

All admissions materials must be received by February 1st (or the next business day, if Feb 1 falls on a weekend) to be considered for admission. Admission is for the Fall semester only. GRE scores are not required.

Complete the online application available at KU Graduate Admissions and submit it.

There is an application fee which can be paid online as the last step of the application. Application forms submitted without a fee cannot be processed.

Application Fees:

Domestic Application: $65.00
Degree Seeking International Application $85.00

These letters should be from former or current instructors and/or those able to recommend you on the basis of professional experience. Provide names and email addresses for each recommender on your application. Once submitted, your recommender will receive instructions to upload your recommendation letter. Applicants should communicate with their recommenders to ensure the department receives their letter. However, letters can be accepted after application submission.

Applicants must provide an official copy of their transcript from all colleges and universities attended. The transcript must bear an official signature from the institution. Upload a copy of each transcript to your application. If admitted, applicants will need to also send an official copy of all transcripts to Graduate Admissions. It can take three weeks for transcripts to arrive.

Include a concise 1-2 page double-spaced statement of purpose stating the objectives you hope to achieve through graduate study. Please specify your preferred area of study: Ceramics, Drawing/Painting, Expanded Media, Metalsmithing/Jewelry, Printmaking, Sculpture or Textiles/Fibers.

You may include the following information in your artist resume/cv: relevant professional art-related details, education, exhibitions, workshops, curatorial projects, art reviews, collections, awards, or residencies. Please list information that you feel will assist the review committee in evaluating your application materials.

Applicants must upload 15 to 20 images of their artwork via Slate. Instructions regarding image size and formatting are listed on the website. Each image must have the title, dimensions, medium, and date to be considered complete.

Interactive or time-based works (a reel of excerpts with intertitles) can be also submitted. Examples should not exceed five minutes in duration and can be combined with an image-based portfolio.

Applicants who provide documentation in the graduate application of the following will not be charged an application fee and will not receive a prompt for payment: participation in a federally funded TRIO program; attendance at Haskell Indian Nations University; participation in KU’s Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program (PREP); and current domestic undergraduate students who are receiving the US Federal Pell Grant.

If you do not meet these criteria, you may request an application fee waiver. Please complete the Application Fee Waiver form, by January 17th, 2025 to be considered. You will be notified of the results of the fee waiver selection process.

Graduate Program

International Students

There are two additional requirements for International students.

Immigration regulations require every international student to verify the availability of financial resources to pay for all education, living and other expenses before the visa form is issued. Please see the International Degree-Seeking Application for Admission form for further details.

Non-native English speakers must demonstrate proof of English proficiency before gaining admission to a graduate program.

More information can be found on the Graduate Studies English Proficiency Policy page.