Fine art schools
Schools that teach fine art, painting, sculpture or studio practice, compared on their official portfolio, English, tuition and deadline requirements.
21 schoolsUnited States · United Kingdom · Australia · Japan · France · Italy · GermanyNot a ranking
What to compare between fine art schools
Body of work
Fine art portfolios are usually read as evidence of a practice. Several schools ask for a written statement alongside the images.
Selection process
Interviews, entrance exams and studio tests are all used; each school page shows which this school states.
MA or MFA
Postgraduate fine art may be an MA, an MFA or a national diploma; the degree line shows which.
The schools
21 entries, ordered by search demand
| School | Degrees | Portfolio (key points) | International tuition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parsons School of Design, The New SchoolNew York, United States | BFA, BBA; MA, MFA, MPS, MS | First-year and transfer BFA applicants must submit 8–12 slides (images) of work; transfer applicants may submit up to 20. The portfolio is optional for the BBA in Strategic Design and… | Parsons full-time tuition is $31,174 per semester (12–18 credits), 2026–27 academic year; per-credit tuition… |
| Central Saint MartinsLondon, United Kingdom | BA (Hons); MA / MFA / MArch / MRes | Digital portfolio submitted via PebblePad (UAL's online portfolio tool) after the UCAS initial application. Example BA (Hons) Fine Art: maximum 25 pages; include finished projects and works… | £31,510 per year (International) for 2027 entry, e.g. BA (Hons) Fine Art. 'May increase by up to 5% in each… |
| University of the Arts LondonLondon, United Kingdom | BA (Hons) / BFA; MA / MFA | Many practice-based courses require a digital portfolio, requested by email after UCAS application and submitted via PebblePad (UAL online portfolio tool). General portfolio advice: include… | Varies by course; representative International fee £31,510 per year for September 2027 entry (e.g. LCF BA… |
| School of Art & Design, UNSW SydneySydney, Australia | Bachelor of Fine Arts (Program 4830) / Bachelor of Design (Program 4825); Master of… | UNSW Portfolio Entry Early Conditional Offer Scheme: for domestic Australian students only. Category A degrees (including Bachelor of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Design) require a cover letter… | Bachelor of Design 2026 indicative: full first-year fee AU$49,500, complete-degree fee AU$158,000; Bachelor… |
| Tokyo University of the ArtsTokyo, Japan | BFA (Bachelor of Fine Arts); MFA (Master's programme) / MA | Undergraduate entrance examination for privately financed international students is assessed by a combination of the Examination for Japanese University Admission for International Students… | Admission fee 338,400 JPY; annual tuition 642,960 JPY (standard for entrants from academic year 2019 onwards… |
| Musashino Art UniversityTokyo, Japan | BFA (Faculty of Fine Arts / Faculty of Design); MFA (Master's programme) / MA | Special selection for international students: the Departments of Japanese Painting, Oil Painting (Painting course / Graphic Arts course) and Sculpture must submit a portfolio (A4-size… | For 2027 entrants: admission fee 260,000 yen; annual tuition 1,270,000 yen (635,000 x 2 terms); those with… |
| Tama Art UniversityTokyo, Japan | BFA (Faculty of Fine Arts); MFA (pre-doctoral course) | The international-student selection requires submission of work / portfolio, varying by discipline: Japanese Painting (about one work of around 50-gou, submitted on interview day)… | 2027 academic year tuition: admission fee ¥230,000; annual tuition ¥1,247,000; facility fee ¥350,000… |
| École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts de ParisParis, France | Diplôme de premier cycle (valant grade de licence) / DNSAP pathway; DNSAP (Diplôme… | First-year (Parcoursup): artistic portfolio in PDF only, max 10 MB, and/or two MP4 videos (max 2 min each); CV on provided template; letter of intent ~2000 characters PDF. In-course entry… | €458 per year (2025-2026) + €103 CVEC, regardless of nationality or country of origin (scholarship/CROUS… |
| NABA Nuova Accademia di Belle ArtiMilan / Rome / London, Italy | Bachelor of Arts (BA); Master of Arts (MA) / Academic Master | Portfolio not mandatory; may be shown at interview. Applicants must submit a 'Portfolio of projects or/and project assignment' (per application form guidance). A portfolio of 5-10 projects… | Non-EU students: Bachelor of Arts EUR22,250/year (including regional tax, A.Y. 2026/27); Diploma Programme… |
| Universität der Künste BerlinBerlin, Germany | Bachelor (e.g. BA Visual Communication, BA Design, BA Stage Design); Master (e.g. MA… | Varies by programme. Example Visual Communication BA: artistic sample (portfolio + Hausaufgabe) uploaded on Bemus platform (https://bemus.udk-berlin.de); max 4 files, max 350 MB; PDF max 50… | No tuition fees (except a few continuing-education Master programmes); all students pay semester fee ~€370… |
| Royal College of ArtLondon, United Kingdom | MA / MFA / MArch / MRes / MPhil/PhD | Digital portfolio, specific to the programme applied for. General guidance: School of Communication & Design (incl. Architecture, Communication, Design) should include both finished… | £39,250 (Overseas and EU) for Service Design MA, September 2027 entry (representative; varies by programme).… |
| The Glasgow School of ArtGlasgow, United Kingdom | BA (Hons) / BDes (Hons) / BArch (Hons) / BEng / MEng; MA / MFA / MDes / MArch / MSc /… | Digital Portfolio in PDF format, maximum 15 pages, plus a Portfolio Statement (max 500 words / 3000 characters), submitted via the GSA Digital Portfolio site after the UCAS application.… | £24,800 per year (International, including EU), fixed for the duration of the programme, for new students… |
| School of the Art Institute of ChicagoChicago, United States | BFA, BA; MFA, MA, MArch, MDes, MS, Low-Residency MFA | Submit 10–15 best and recent works, uploaded via SlideRoom within the Common Application; no media restrictions, no set topic; images .jpg/.gif/.png (72 dpi, no side exceeding 600 px)… | $59,460/year (30 credits), 2026–27 academic year; $1,982 per credit. Also includes technology fee… |
| School of Visual ArtsNew York, New York, United States | BFA; MFA / MA | Submission via SlideRoom is encouraged. Most BFA programmes require 15–20 images, of which at least 3 must be direct-observation work; BFA Film requires a 3–5 minute film reel or a two-part… | $55,270 per year (2026–27 academic year; full-time $27,635 per semester). |
| ArtCenter College of DesignPasadena, CA, United States | BFA / BS; MFA / MS / MDes | Portfolio must be specific to the applied major. Requirements vary by major, e.g.: Entertainment Design (Concept) requires a 20–25 page portfolio; Fine Art requires 15–20 works; Graphic… | Full Time Undergraduate Tuition (per term): $28,681 (Fall 2026 through Summer 2027 academic year); plus… |
| Maryland Institute College of ArtBaltimore, MD, United States | BFA; MA / MFA / MPS / MAT | Must submit 10-15 pieces of artwork (portfolio of 10-15 pieces of artwork), no prompts, no home exam; may include class and independent works, and should show finished pieces. Uploaded via… | 2026-2027 full-time undergraduate tuition: Full-Time Academic Year $58,310 (per credit $2,430, 12.0-19.5… |
| Slade School of Fine Art, UCLLondon, United Kingdom | BA (Hons) Fine Art / BFA (Hons) Fine Art; MA Fine Art / MFA Fine Art | Upload invitation sent by email after UCAS application; one PDF (maximum 20 pages, maximum 450MB, recommended above 300dpi) + up to two optional videos (MPEG/.MOV/MP4, each maximum 450MB, 5… | BA Fine Art International: £44,400 per year (2027/28) |
| Goldsmiths, University of LondonLondon, United Kingdom | BA (Hons) / BFA; MFA / MA | Submitted through the online application system; up to 12 works (JPG/PDF images and documents, MOV video, MP3 audio); also a Foundation or A-level (or equivalent) essay. BA Fine Art… | BA Fine Art International full-time: GBP31,700 (2026/2027); BA Design International full-time: GBP28,100… |
| Kingston School of Art, Kingston University LondonKingston upon Thames, United Kingdom | BA (Hons); MFA / MA | Digital portfolio, 15-20 pages; PDF preferred, may include website/Instagram/Flickr/Vimeo links; demonstrate four values: questioning, curiosity, technical ability, enthusiasm. Fine Art BA… | Fine Art BA International: Year 1 (2027/28) £22,900; Year 2 (2028/29) £23,800; Year 3 (2029/30) £24,800… |
| RMIT University - School of Art / School of DesignMelbourne, Australia | Bachelor of Fine Arts (BP201, School of Art) / Bachelor of Design (e.g. BP203 Animation… | Bachelor of Fine Arts selection task: two applicant statements (each up to 100 words) plus choosing 1–3 majors and stating the first-preference reason (up to 100 words) plus creative works… | Bachelor of Fine Arts 2027 tuition AU$43,200/year; Bachelor of Design (Animation and Interactive Media) 2027… |
| Victorian College of the ArtsMelbourne, Australia | Bachelor of Fine Arts (Visual Art); Master of Contemporary Art | A portfolio (folio) must be submitted via SlideRoom: up to 20 individual files/works (drawings, paintings, photographs, sketchbooks, 3D objects, new media, etc.); a visual diary sample (up… | 2024 indicative tuition: AU$34,880/year; three-year indicative total tuition AU$110,016 (university… |
Requirements are summarised from each school’s admissions pages, usually for the undergraduate route where one exists; the school page has both levels in full with sources. Master’s routes are compared on Masters programmes.
Which are the best fine art schools?
There is no single best school for fine art; this page does not rank. It lists the 21 catalogued schools whose own websites name fine art among their programmes, with what each officially asks for, so you can judge fit by portfolio, language, cost and deadline.
Do fine art schools require a portfolio?
Most of the schools listed here ask for one, but the format, size and upload platform differ. Some, such as programmes that select by entrance exam, do not. The portfolio column below is taken from each school’s admissions page.
Which fine art school fits your work?
Tell Yixiaoliu what you make, your English scores and budget; it will weigh the schools above against them and point you to each official page.
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