Portfolio Reviews

Admission to PAFA is contingent on submission of your creative work through a portfolio. In addition to determining admission, portfolios allow us to determine a student's eligibility for scholarships.

PAFA Admissions Counselors welcome the opportunity to guide prospective students through the preparation process with informal portfolio reviews. In a portfolio review, students can expect:

  • Guidance on how to prepare work to meet PAFA's Portfolio Guidelines
  • Information on submitting portfolios through the SlideRoom platform
  • Advice and feedback on work presented
  • An opportunity to provide reviewer(s) with more information about you and your work
  • Time to ask any questions you may have about the school

Please note that these informal portfolio reviews are not required for prospective students to apply. PAFA does not make admissions decisions at Portfolio Reviews. Additionally, meeting PAFA for a Portfolio Review or related events does not eliminate the need to submit your portfolio as part of our application requirements.

Undergraduate Portfolio Guidelines
Graduate Portfolio Guidelines

The quality of each image in your portfolio is extremely important. Do not submit images that are outdated or low-quality. Make sure that each image is clear and correctly formatted.

  • Artwork should be photographed with sufficient lighting and a neutral background.
  • All images must be saved as JPEG (.jpg) files.
  • Image files should be sized with a maximum dimension of 1240 pixels wide at 72 dpi (dots per inch). Higher resolutions will make your images unnecessarily large and make the uploading experience difficult.
  • When uploading your work, please include the following information for each piece of work—SlideRoom will prompt you to fill this information out as you go along: Title, Medium, Size, Year.

Portfolio Review Options

PAFA offers a few different methods for portfolio reviews. Please note that portfolio reviews cannot be accommodated at college fairs.

On-Campus Portfolio Reviews

Informal on-campus portfolio reviews are available by appointment only to prospective students of all programs. To schedule an on-campus portfolio review, schedule through the online campus tour form, or contact the Admissions Office by telephone.

National Portfolio Days

PAFA attends various National Portfolio Day events (NPDs) across the US during the fall and winter of every year. All NPDs are free and open to the public, for any student seeking information on undergraduate degree programs. At these events, prospective students can meet with their PAFA Admissions Counselor or Admissions Representative to discuss the admissions process, get feedback on their portfolio, and learn about PAFA’s programs and scholarship opportunities.

Virtual Portfolio Reviews

For those who cannot make it to PAFA's campus but are interested in obtaining a Portfolio Review, we offer virtual reviews by appointment. To schedule a virtual portfolio review, schedule through the online campus tour form or contact the Admissions Office.

Graduate Portfolio Days

For students seeking more information on graduate programs, PAFA also attends Graduate Portfolio Days.

Undergraduate Portfolio Requirements

  • 12-15 images of best, recent work
  • Images saved as JPEG files
  • Submit through SlideRoom

Undergraduate applicants must submit a portfolio of 12-15 images of their best recent work through SlideRoom.  Selectivity and proper presentation is crucial when preparing a portfolio. It is up to each applicant to choose work that best exemplifies their talent and ambition.

Graduate Portfolio Requirements

  • 20 images of most recent work
  • Images saved as JPEG files
  • Submit through SlideRoom

PAFA’s Master of Fine Arts, Low-Residency MFA, and Post-Baccalaureate programs are strongly studio driven and self-guided. A diverse faculty mentor students through discussions built around the studio work being produced.

These are the standard expectations of a Graduate Portfolio:

  • A consistent body of work that exhibits a sustained investigation through content and/or process. In most cases, they do not include classroom-based or commissioned artworks.
  • Work that expresses a self-motivated artistic exploration. Display themes that are central to your research as a potential graduate student.
  • Work that displays technical and intellectual rigor.
  • Your portfolio should display consistency; organizing your images properly will strengthen the overall presentation. Chronological order is not necessary unless it best suits the transition from image to image.