graduate application process
General Requirements
Applicants must submit all of the forms and application materials listed below in order to be considered for admission. If possible, please submit all required application materials in one package. This will ensure a more timely response to your application.
1. Completed and signed application for admission.
SFAI provides two application options:
1) Apply using our Online Application. We encourage you to apply online.
2) Download a printable copy of the Graduate Application Form. Please sign your completed application form and mail it together with the rest of your application materials.
Please send your supporting documentation (if you are applying online) or your complete application packet (if you are submitting a paper application form) to:
Admissions
San Francisco Art Institute
800 Chestnut Street
San Francisco, CA 94133
2. Non-refundable application fee of $75
There are three payment options:
-Pay the application fee online by credit card, at the end of the online application.
-Send a check payable to San Francisco Art Institute.
-Call 1.800.345.SFAI or 415.749.4500 to pay by credit card.
3. Official sealed transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate work, both completed and in-progress
Completion of an undergraduate degree from a regionally accredited institution is required for all domestic applicants. International applicants must document the equivalent. Transcripts must be sent directly to SFAI, or submitted by the applicant in an envelope sealed by the institution. High school/secondary school transcripts are not required.
MFA, Low-Residency MFA, and Post-Baccalaureate Applicants
Admission to the MFA programs is highly selective and may involve a personal interview for those candidates who have been recommended by the Graduate Faculty Review Committee in each area of study. The following materials are also required:
4. Two Letters of recommendation
Letters should come from art professors or artists familiar with your work and your goals, and must be in English.
You have two options for submission of your references.
- You can submit your references online via Slideroom. This process requires you to submit the contact information for each of your references. Once you have submitted your Slideroom application your references will be contacted by Slideroom directly to submit your reference to SFAI.
OR
- Your references can be sent by mail. Your references are welcome to mail these letters directly, or you can include your sealed letters of recommendation with your mailed application.
The SFAI Letter of Recommendation Form should be included with any letters of recommendations sent by mail.
5. Artist statement
The artist statement should be approximately one page and should place the applicant’s work in the context of art history and theory while focusing on the body of work being presented. You may briefly address relevant specific interests and goals, but the priority of this statement is creating a context for the understanding of your portfolio.
You can submit this online via Slideroom or send a printed copy with your portfolio by mail.
6. Portfolio inventory sheet
Please include your name, address, telephone number, and email address at the top of this document.
For each work, include an entry on your portfolio inventory sheet with corresponding numbers and the title, date, medium, and dimensions (height by width by depth, e.g., 21 in. x 42 in. x 36 in.; dimensions given in centimeters are also acceptable). For time-based submissions, please include the total running time for each piece.
You can submit this online via Slideroom or send a printed copy with your portfolio by mail.
7. A highly accomplished portfolio of artwork
Portfolios for the MFA programs should include a cohesive body of work that, while demonstrating your interests and ideas, also communicates substantial conceptual risk-taking and rigorous thought. The portfolio should focus on work from the past two to three years. Rather than documenting your development as an artist or striving to convey too broad or diverse a range of work, you should display your best and most recent work. In general, showing a small body of outstanding work is preferable to showing a large mixture of work at varying levels of accomplishment.
You should present your portfolio in the simplest and most professional manner possible.
Specific Requirements for Area of Study
Design and Technology
The committee recommends that you submit a portfolio of up to 20 images or documentation of one or more significant projects (e.g., websites, sound works, video installations, interactive media projects). Work may be submitted on CD, DVD or via Slideroom (https://sfaicalls.slideroom.com).
Film
The committee recommends that you submit at least two examples of work in which filmmaking is a major component. The total length should be between 10 and 15 minutes (no longer). Documentation of extended film pieces may be submitted in the form of slides, photos, drawings, regular 8 mm, Super 8, or 16 mm, videotapes (8 mm, Hi 8, VHS [NTSC only]. Scripts will be accepted as supplemental material only. Work may be submitted on CD, DVD or via Slideroom (https://sfaicalls.slideroom.com).
New Genres
The committee recommends that you submit examples or documentation of performance or video work in the form of photos, drawings, videotapes (8 mm, Hi 8, VHS [NTSC only], CD, or DVD). Removable or external-drive formats are not acceptable. Work may be submitted on CD, DVD or via Slideroom (https://sfaicalls.slideroom.com).
Painting and Sculpture/Ceramics
The committee recommends that you submit a portfolio of 20 images of work completed within the last two years. Image quality is of the highest importance. Work may be submitted on CD, DVD, Slides, or via Slideroom (https://sfaicalls.slideroom.com).
Photography
The committee recommends that you submit a portfolio consisting of 15 to 25 actual photographs. Unmatted work is preferred; framed work is not acceptable. Work may be submitted on CD, DVD or via Slideroom (https://sfaicalls.slideroom.com).
Printmaking
The committee recommends that you submit a minimum of 20 examples of original prints or drawings completed within the past year. Image quality is of the highest importance. Work may be submitted on CD, DVD or via Slideroom (https://sfaicalls.slideroom.com).
If you are unsure which program to apply for, please contact the Assistant Director of Graduate Admissions directly. If you plan to apply for more than one program, please submit a separate and distinct portfolio and artist statement for each program that you are applying to.
Interdisciplinary portfolios
If your work is interdisciplinary in nature you have two options for your submission.
1. If you have cohesive bodies of work in multiple disciplines, the committee recommends that you submit a separate and distinct portfolio and artist statement for each program that you are applying to.
2. You can also apply to a single area of interest with a cohesive interdisciplinary body of work.
If you are unsure which program to apply to, please contact the Assistant Director of Graduate Admissions.
Return of Portfolios
Due to the large volume of applications, SFAI does not return portfolios unless arrangements are made by the applicant to have it returned. Also, SFAI will not be able to store portfolios past the term in which you originally applied. If you would like your portfolio materials returned to you, please include a self-addressed, prepaid envelope or mailer. Should you wish to insure your portfolio, you should make the necessary arrangements for such coverage through the shipping company of your choice. SFAI assumes no responsibility for any damage to portfolios either in transit or during the review process.
MA Applicants
Admission to the MA programs is highly competitive. Selection for admission is based on the degree to which your essay and statement of purpose demonstrate your writing skills and ability to articulate a personal vision; on the overall quality of your academic performance; and on your other artistic or academic achievements and your community or professional leadership experience. The following materials will also be required to complete your file for admission review and can be submitted online with your application:
4. Two Letters of recommendation
Letters should come from professors or mentors familiar with your academic work and goals, and must be in English.
Your references should be sent by mail. Your references are welcome to mail these letters directly, or you send your sealed letters of recommendation with your remaining application materials.
The SFAI Letter of Recommendation Form should be included with any letters of recommendation.
5. Statement of Purpose
Your statement should explain why you have chosen to study in an art school environment or specifically how studying at SFAI will help you reach your educational and professional goals.
You can submit a printed copy of this statement by mail or it can be submitted online via the online application.
6. One or more writing samples
The committee recommends that you submit a body of critical writing, ideally 10 to 20 pages, that includes an essay based on one of the topics provided below or a critical writing sample from work you’ve done in the past. You may also include with your application optional supplemental material as described below.
You can submit a printed copy of these samples by mail or they can be submitted online via the online application.
Essay Topics
If you choose to write a new essay, please select one of the topics below and compose an essay of 750 to 1,500 words.
1. What leading role do you see the contemporary artist taking in a global society?
2. Provide a synopsis of a contemporary art exhibition or performance that you have viewed in person. The exhibition or performance may have taken place in a traditional space (for example, a gallery or a museum), or it may have occurred nontraditionally (for example, in a public space, on the Internet, as an intervention, etc.).
3. How might your point of view on urban issues be influenced by working and learning in an environment with artists?
Critical Writing Sample
Your critical writing sample should reflect your critical thinking and writing skills. It can be, for example, a review or essay you’ve written, your senior thesis, an excerpt from a longer research paper, or any other piece of nonfiction writing in which you’ve critically reflected on a particular issue.
Optional Supplemental Material
Though not required, supplemental materials are highly encouraged as a way for you to strengthen your application.
Writing Portfolio: the supplemental writing portfolio may include creative writing (fiction, poetry, drama), scripts, journals, sketchbooks, blogs, spoken-word documentation, sound documentation, and other forms of primarily verbal expression.
Dual Degree Applicants
Applicants to the Dual Degree MA/MFA program must fulfill all application requirements for both the MA and the MFA programs. See the Dual Degree Application Process for more details.
