Graduate Admissions: Art

Master of Fine Arts in Creative Visual Arts (M.F.A. Creative Visual Arts)

Program Information

• Applicants must hold a bachelor’s degree, but it does not have to be related to art.
• The M.F.A. in Creative Visual Arts program does not accept transfer credits from other institutions.

The deadline for receiving all application materials for the M.F.A. in Creative Visual Arts program is January 15. This includes both the online application submitted through ApplyWeb and a portfolio of creative work submitted through Slideroom. Required materials include:

• Two letters of recommendation
• Transcripts from each college or University previously attended
• All applicants must meet the English Language Proficiency Requirement.
• Academic statement of purpose
• Portfolio of creative work. The portfolio should consist of no more than 20 electronic files. These may include any combination of still images, videos, URLs, sound-based work, web-based work, or other work. Applicants should also upload their statement of purpose in Slideroom. If you have difficulty uploading your portfolio to Cornell AAP Slideroom, please email aap-admissions@cornell.edu.
• Interviews are not required as part of the initial application process; however, shortlisted candidates will be asked to interview either in person or virtually. 

Master of Fine Arts in Image Text (M.F.A. Image Text)

Program Information

• Applicants must have a four-year bachelor’s degree. We welcome applicants with backgrounds in writing, photography, film/video, digital and studio arts practices, and artists working across these forms and disciplines.
• The M.F.A. in Image Text program does not accept transfer credits from other institutions.

The priority deadline for receiving all application materials for the M.F.A. in Image Text program is February 1. This includes both the online application submitted through ApplyWeb and a portfolio of creative work submitted through Slideroom. Required materials include:

• Two letters of recommendation
• Transcripts from each college or university previously attended
• All applicants must meet the English Language Proficiency Requirement.
• Academic statement of purpose
• All applicants must submit a portfolio with their application. The portfolio should consist of a PDF of no more than 20 pages. There are no word or image count requirements beyond the 20-page limit. Additionally, applicants may submit links to no more than 3 supplemental work samples in any media (websites, Vimeo URLs, etc.). Portfolios are to be submitted through Cornell AAP SlideRoom. If you have difficulty uploading your portfolio to Cornell AAP Slideroom, please email us at aap-admissions@cornell.edu. Applicants will also be asked to submit the following statements through Slideroom:
  • Statement of goals. The statement of goals should address why you are applying to M.F.A. Image Text and what you hope to learn and achieve as a graduate student in the program. Please limit to 500 words.
  • Statement of creative work. The statement of creative work is an artist statement; it is an opportunity to frame and give context to the work that you are submitting in your portfolio. Please limit to 500 words.
• Interviews are not required as part of the initial application process; however, shortlisted candidates will be asked to interview virtually. Applicants interested in meeting with the program directors should contact them directly. 
• Partial tuition scholarships are available on a competitive basis.