Application Process for Graduate Students

Our graduate programs offer rigorous curricula that integrate practical and critical skills across diverse mediums and disciplines. You'll hone your practice through individual innovation, creative collaborations, mentorships, and academic discourse as you prepare for a career as a professional artist.

Students may apply for the Master of Fine Arts in Studio Art, the Master of Arts in Creative Practice, or the Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Studio Art for Fall enrollment.

A full list of the application requirements for these programs are available on the Office of Graduate Admissions' website, but students should be aware of specific requirements for these programs.

Deadlines:

The MFA and MA in Creative Practice priority application deadlines are both January 15. Following the priority deadline, the application will remain open and applications will be considered on a space-available basis. The final application deadline for both programs is April 15 for international applicants and August 1 for domestic applicants.
Tufts undergraduate students interested in the MA in Creative Practice as part of the GSAS Fifth-year Master's Program should apply by December 15 for seniors and March 15 for juniors.
The Post-Baccalaureate priority deadline for domestic applicants and final deadline for international applicants is May 15. Following the priority deadline, the application will remain open to domestic applicants who will be considered on a space-available basis through August 1.

Letters of Recommendation:

Applicants to the MFA program are required to submit three letters of recommendation, and applicants to the MA in Creative Practice and Post-Baccalaureate programs are required to submit two letters of recommendation. Letters should be submitted through the online application portal.

Other requirements:

All applicants must hold an undergraduate degree, such as a BA, BS, or BFA, from an accredited institution of higher education.
All applicants are expected to be engaged in an art practice or have had some art training, general education advancement, and/or professional experience.
Special requirement for the joint MFA and Museum Studies Program: Prospective students have the option of applying into a concentration in Museum Studies when admitted to the MFA program. With this option, the program’s five Museum Studies courses will satisfy the MFA’s non-studio course requirements. MFA applicants interested in the Museum Studies concentration should indicate their interest on the MFA application, which will prompt instructions for next steps once their admission decision is released. Admitted MFA students seeking additional admission to the Museum Studies concentration will be asked to submit a 400-word supplemental essay explaining their experience with and/or interest in museum work, as well as what they hope to gain from the concentration. This document can be submitted directly to Admissions via email. Learn more information about the Tufts Museum Studies program.

Portfolio

All applicants to the MFA, MA in Creative Practice, and Post-Baccalaureate programs are required to submit a visual art portfolio consisting of 10-20 images of recent work. Applicants who work in video, animation, or other time-based mediums may include up to 10 minutes of time-based work. We encourage you to submit work that you believe to be the strongest representation of your skills and experiences to date, regardless of medium. The ideal portfolio will demonstrate your conceptual development while highlighting your technical abilities.

Before you officially submit your portfolio, we encourage you to reach out to us for a personal portfolio review. Although portfolio reviews are not an admissions requirement, they are a great opportunity to receive valuable guidance on portfolio preparation, and a chance to meet with our admissions team to discuss any questions you have on the application process. You can find additional portfolio guidelines here.

Personal Statement

Your personal statement provides us with a deeper understanding of your studio practice and potential for growth within SMFA at Tufts programs.

The statement should not exceed three pages and should address the following questions:

Tell us about your most recent/current art work.
What would you identify as important artistic and intellectual influences on your art work? In addition to artists, this might also include writers, scientists, theorists, and other cultural producers.
In what ways do you hope to expand and further your art practice at SMFA at Tufts?

Important Dates

January 15*: Priority application and portfolio deadline for applicants to the Master of Fine Arts in Studio Art and the MA in Creative Practice.

May 15*: Post-Baccalaureate applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis beginning on January 15. May 15 is both the Post-Baccalaureate priority deadline and the final application and portfolio deadline for international Post-Baccalaureate applicants.

April 15: Final application and portfolio deadline for international applicants to the Master of Fine Arts in Studio Art and the MA in Creative Practice.

August 1: Final application and portfolio deadline for domestic applicants to all programs.

* Applications received after this date will be reviewed on a space available basis.

Tuition Scholarships

Tuition for the Post-Baccalaureate, MA in Creative Practice, and Masters of Fine Arts programs in studio arts can be found at the Graduate School of Arts and Science Admissions Homepage. Masters tuition is billed on a per-credit basis. To calculate your estimated tuition for a semester, multiply the per-credit cost of your program by the number of credits intended.

The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences offers a generous financial aid program for applicants to SMFA's graduate programs, which includes need and merit consideration. To be considered for maximum funding, please submit prior to each program’s priority deadline. Other scholarships, grants (including the Montague Travel Grant), and Teaching Assistantships are available to enrolled MFA students only.

Tufts undergraduates applying to the MA in Creative Practice as part of the Fifth-Year Master's Program can explore application and tuition benefits on the Fifth-year Master's Program page.

Alumni of the MFA, MA in Creative Practice, and Post-Baccalaureate programs are eligible for the Museum of Fine Arts’ Traveling Fellowship, which supports the exploration and research that are critical in an artist’s career. MFA program graduates are also eligible for the Post-Graduate Teaching Fellowship in the year immediately following program completion.

Please visit the Student Financial Services website and their page on the Cost of Attendance for Graduate School to help estimate your total program costs.

For more information about scholarship and grant opportunities, contact SMFA Graduate Admissions.