How to Apply to Cal Poly's Art & Design Major
STEP 1 — Apply Online by December 1
Apply to Cal Poly for Fall 2027 through the Cal Poly Admissions website. When you apply, select Art and Design as your intended major.
The Art and Design program admits new students for Fall semester only. Applications are open October 1–December 1.
STEP 2 — Receive Portfolio Submission Instructions
After Cal Poly receives and processes your application, you will receive an email from Admissions confirming your application and explaining how to submit your portfolio through the Application Status Portal.
STEP 3 — Submit Your Portfolio by January 31
Your portfolio submission includes two parts:
1. Personal Statement
350–550 words, submitted as a PDF
2. Portfolio
8–10 examples of original creative work
Personal Statement
In 350–550 words, tell us why you are applying to Cal Poly’s Art and Design program and identify your intended concentration:
- Graphic Design
- Photography and Video
- Studio Art
We are interested in the experiences, interests, and creative influences that have shaped your work, what you hope to explore at Cal Poly, and your educational or career goals.
Include your name, date, and intended concentration at the top of the document.
Portfolio
Submit 8–10 examples of original creative work completed within the last three years.
Choose work that reflects your creative interests, experimentation, and experience with different materials, media, or processes. Your portfolio may include work in any medium and may include both finished work and sketches/storyboards or works in progress.
We encourage you to include some work related to your intended concentration, but your portfolio does not need to be limited to that area.
For each work, include a brief description identifying the medium, size, and any relevant information about the project.
Technical Requirements
Submit all portfolio materials through the Application Status Portal.
Recommended file formats include:
- Images and documents: JPEG, PNG, GIF, PDF
- Video: MP4, MOV / maximum running time of 10 minutes total for all videos
- Web-based work: Public web links may also be included.
Files up to 5GB can be uploaded. Please do not submit Google Drive links or native application files, such as Adobe Illustrator/Photoshop files.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) Disclosure
If AI tools contributed to any work in your portfolio, identify the tool and briefly explain how it was used in your creative process within the project caption.
For example:
- AI Tool: Adobe Firefly. Used for: Generating reference images for composition and color exploration.
- AI Tool: Midjourney. Used for: Creating concept sketches that informed the final hand-drawn piece.
Using AI does not replace the need to submit original creative work. The disclosure simply helps reviewers understand your process and your role in producing the work.
STEP 4 — Receive Your Admission Decision by April 1
All applicants will be notified of their admission status by April 1, 2027.
Portfolio Review Policy
To ensure a fair and consistent review process, the Department of Art and Design does not provide individual feedback on portfolios outside of formal portfolio reviews or information sessions.
Please review the published requirements carefully and use them to make your own decisions about what best represents your work.
After the portfolio review, the department is also unable to provide individual feedback or recommendations on an applicant’s portfolio.
For more specific information about applying to each concentration, please visit our portfolio FAQs page.