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 or the Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Studio Art for fall enrollment.

A full list of the application requirements for Master of Fine Arts in Studio Art and the Post-Baccalaureate students is available on the Office of Graduate Admissions' website, but students should be aware of specific requirements for these programs.

The MFA priority application deadline is January 15. Following the priority deadline, the application will remain open and applications will be considered on a space-available basis. The final MFA application deadline is April 15 for international applicants and August 1 for domestic applicants.
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.
All applicants to the MFA 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 experience to date, regardless or medium . We kindly request that applicants do not upload multi-page PDFs in the portal, and instead follow the prompts to upload separate images of work or files one at a time.
Applicants to the MFA program are required to submit three letters of recommendation, and applicants to the Post-Baccalaureate program are required to submit two letters of recommendation. Letters should be submitted through the online application portal.
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.
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 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.

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.

August 1: Final application and portfolio deadline for domestic applicants to both the Master of Fine Arts in Studio Art and Post-Baccalaureate Program.

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

Tuition Scholarships

Tuition for the Post-Baccalaureate and Masters of Fine Arts programs in studio arts can be found at the Graduate School of Arts & 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 MFA program in studio art is a full-time, 68 credit program.

Both the MFA and Post-Baccalaureate programs are supported by a financial aid program, 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 masters students.

Alumni of the MFA 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 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.