High School Visual Arts Admissions

The School of Design & Production offers a one or two year high school Visual Arts program for incoming grade 11 and 12 students. Students in either grade 10 or 11 are eligible to apply.

Application Deadline

Thursday, January 15, 2026 (11:59 p.m. EST)

Deadline

Applicants must submit the following in order to meet the January 15, 2026 deadline:

UNCSA online application
application fee
transcript(s)
portfolio

Applicants for the 2026-2027 academic year are pre-screened. Faculty offers or declines interviews based on the submitted application and required pre-screen materials.

Interview

Applicants selected to advance after prescreening will be notified by Admissions by Monday, February 9, 2026, with instructions for scheduling an interview. Since interview slots are limited on each date, applicants are encouraged to keep multiple dates available.

Applicants are required to bring a portfolio of their original work with them to campus for their interview. Interviews for the 2026-2027 academic year will be held in person on the UNCSA campus. A detailed schedule is provided to applicants 72 hours prior to their interview.

Interview Dates	Required Application Documents Deadline *
Friday, February 27, 2026 (12 - 5 p.m.)	Monday, February 23, 2026
Friday, March 6, 2026 (12 - 5 p.m.)	Monday, March 2, 2026
Friday, March 20, 2026 (12 - 5 p.m.)	Monday, March 16, 2026
*Interviewing applicants must have all Required Application Documents uploaded into their application portal according to the deadlines above. Failure to upload all documents in time will result in an application being considered incomplete and the candidate not allowed to move forward to interview.

Interview days begin at 12 p.m. with an informational session for the attending applicants and guardians. At the conclusion of this, guardians are excused so that interviews may begin.

Applicants share and discuss their portfolio in individual interviews with faculty. Applicants also share their work in a group critique with the day's other applicants.

Interview days conclude at 5 p.m.

Admission is based on a combination of artistic and academic merits.

Admissions Criteria

GPA & Academic Requirements

Applicants should have a minimum unweighted GPA of 2.3 (C+), no more than one failing grade in the previous year's work and no more than two failing grades in their overall coursework.

Completed Application, Fees & Required Documents

Complete the online application.
Pay the Application Fee: $95 for U.S. citizens and permanent residents, $130 for international applicants. Application fees are non-refundable.

Payment Options
- Online: Follow payment instructions at the end of the application or on your Admissions Portal.
- Check or Money Order (through a U.S. bank): Make payable to "UNCSA" and include your full legal name. Mail your payment and fully legible name of the applicant to the Office of Admissions.
- International Applicants: Use Flywire to pay your application fee online through an international bank or pay by check or money order through a U.S. bank as listed above.
Upload all Required Application Documents prior to your listed Required Materials Deadline.

Please note: If applying to two different UNCSA art schools (Dance, Drama, Music, or Visual Arts), a second application and application fee is required.