The interdisciplinary Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree is designed to develop the commitment, conceptual thinking, and technical skills necessary to work as an artist in a rapidly changing world. The Intercollege BXA degrees allow exploration into hybrid ways of art-making, pairing an intensive Art studio curriculum with the academic concentration curriculum of your choice in Sciences (BSA), Humanities (BHA), Computer Science (BCSA), or Engineering (BESA).
Please Note: The information below is only for Art-BXA applicants. Refer to the specific guidelines of each College of Fine Arts School to apply for Architecture-BXA, Design-BXA, Drama-BXA, and Music-BXA. Only Art-BXA applications are reviewed by the School of Art. The academic college does not review applications or portfolios.
When you apply to the Carnegie Mellon School of Art BFA or BXA degrees, we look at your portfolio, academic record, extracurricular activities, recommendations, and personal statements. Ultimately, We’re looking for portfolios that show your personal vision, original ideals, and unique artistic voice.
Admission to the School of Art Undergraduate programs is a two-part application process. You will need to complete:
- Common App, administered through the CMU Office of Admission
- School of Art Slideroom Portfolio & Writing Prompts
Deadlines
| Early Decision (binding) | Regular Decision & Transfer Applicants (non-binding) |
| CMU Common Application: November 1 School of Art Slideroom: November 1 | CMU Common Application: January 2 School of Art Slideroom: January 10 |
| Notified by: mid-December Enroll by: mid-February | Notified by: No later than March 30 Enroll by: May 2 |
| Early Decision applicants can only apply to one College or School. Applicants denied admission cannot apply for Regular Decision. Financial Aid packages for Early Decision admitted students will be released in April. If admitted and you choose to enroll, this is binding and you will be required to withdraw your application from any other University. | Regular Decision applicants can apply to two Schools within the College of Fine Arts. Please consider your choices carefully. If you are admitted to your first choice program, you may be denied your second choice. |
Note: Transfer students applying to the School of Art BFA program follow the same deadlines as first year applicants. Transfer is only open for the Fall semester. Transfer students cannot apply to the BXA program unless they have been admitted to the School of Art and completed at least one semester in the School.
Application Steps
- The Common Application opens August 1. The application fee is $75.
- Carnegie Mellon accepts fee waivers from students who meet one of the indicators of economic need as outlined on the Common Application. Contact admission@andrew.cmu.edu if you have questions.
- The School of Art Slideroom Portfolio & Writing Prompts opens September 1. See Portfolio Guidelines.
- There is an application fee of $20. If you receive a Common App fee waiver, you may also qualify for a Slideroom fee waiver. Reach out to slugtu@cmu.edu to request this before submitting your portfolio.
- Domestic students only: Fill out your FAFSA. Form opens early 2024. See deadlines for your home state here.
- The FAFSA is not required to be admitted to CMU, but it is required to be considered for Scholarships, grants, and other institutional funding.
- Carnegie Mellon’s federal code is 003242.
- Use last year’s tax information to complete the FAFSA. You will need to fill out the FAFSA every year, no matter what University you choose to attend.
- Some applicants may be randomly selected for IRS verification. This is annoying but normal. Make sure to check your status after completing the form in case this happens, which can cause your FAFSA to be considered incomplete.
- Domestic students interested in being considered for potential institutional funding and scholarship: Fill out the CSS Profile.
- The CSS Profile is not required to be admitted to CMU, but it is required to be considered for Scholarships, grants, and other institutional funding.
- Carnegie Mellon’s CSS College Code is 2074.
- Carnegie Mellon receives your data electronically from CSS, so there is no need to send copies.
- In the case of divorced or separated parents, the noncustodial parent will complete an additional CSS Profile application using different College Board accounts/log-in credentials. For more information, see Info for Divorced and Separated Parents.
- Within one to five business days of submitting your Common Application, the Office of Admission will send you an email notifying you that we’ve received your application and how to set up a Where Am I in the Process? Portal. If there are any issues with your application, missing documents etc. this will be requested through the portal.
- International students do not qualify for fee waivers, Scholarships, or institutional funding at the point of Admissions.
Application Requirements
High School Applicants
- Completed Common App, including:
- Common App essay
- Carnegie Mellon three writing prompts
- High school counselor evaluation
- High school transcripts. Translated into English if necessary.
- Teacher letter of recommendation
- Completed Slideroom Portfolio & Writing Prompts. See Portfolio Guidelines.
- Official Test scores
- TOEFL / IELTS / Cambridge English Assessment / DuoLingo test scores for non-native English speakers
- Optional SAT/ACT test scores
- Completed high school academic requirements for the BFA or BXA program you’re applying for:
| Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) | Bachelor of Science and Arts (BSA) | Bachelor of Humanities and Arts (BHA) | Bachelor of Computer Science and Arts (BCSA) | Bachelor of Engineering Studies and Arts (BESA) |
| 4 years English 10 Electives | 4 years English 4 years Mathematics* 1 year Chemistry 1 year Physics 1 year Biology 2 years Foreign Language 3 Electives | 4 years English 3 years Mathematics* 1 year Science (2 years or more preferred) 2 years Foreign Language 6 Electives | 4 years English 4 years Mathematics* 1 year Physics 2 years of Chemistry, Biology or Computer Science 2 years Foreign Language 3 Electives | 4 years English 4 years Mathematics* 1 year Chemistry 1 year Physics 1 year Biology 2 years Foreign Language 3 Electives |
* Four years of mathematics should include at least algebra, geometry, trigonometry, analytic geometry, elementary functions (pre-calculus) and preferably calculus. Advanced mathematics courses are strongly encouraged for BCSA and BESA applicants.
BXA Applicants
BXA applicants are highly encouraged to attend both a School of Art info session and meet with Stephanie Murray, Director & Academic Advisor of the BXA program.
BXA applicants follow the same application process and materials above. Please note the high school academic requirements of the X college you are applying for.
BXA admission is a multi-step process involving a holistic review of your artistic and academic goals, as well as the Slideroom essay explaining ways you envision combining these interests.
- The portfolio requirements are the same for both BFA and BXA applicants. Your Portfolio will be reviewed by the School of Art faculty.
- If your portfolio is admissible, your academics will be evaluated based on the academic requirements of the partner college.
- If your application presents a strong BXA candidate, you will be admitted to the BXA program. You will then have a choice of enrolling into the BFA program or the BXA program. Otherwise, you may be offered a BFA admission based on the strength of your application. Internal transfer into the BXA program may be an option following your first year. White transfer is not guaranteed, about 50% of students in the BXA program successfully transfer in their Sophomore year.
Please note that your portfolio and application are only reviewed by the School of Art. The partner college does not review your portfolio and does not make admission decisions on your application.
Credit for AP / IB / College-level Work
Advanced Placement (AP)
Contact the College Board by July 1 to have AP scores from the current and past years sent directly to Carnegie Mellon University. Credit may be awarded for AP classes where you have earned an AP exam score of four or five.
Academic AP credits may be used to fulfill academic course requirements and electives (English, Humanities, Technical Science and Social Science).
See all AP credit awarding assignments.
International Baccalaureate (IB)
Credit may be awarded for IB classes where you have earned an IB higher level exam score of six or seven. Note that credit can only be awarded for Higher Level (HL) exams.
Academic IB credits may be used to fulfill academic course requirements and electives (English, Humanities, Technical Science and Social Science).
See all IB credit awarding assignments.