BFA Applications

Entertainment Design

Graphic Design

New (and Improved!) Application Process

Please be advised that this page replaces the previous BFA application instructions. Please also note that the online application system this page links to replaces the previous method of emailing PDFs to a dedicated BFA email address.

All applications must now be submitted using this new system. Any applications submitted to the BFA email address will not be reviewed.

Eligibility

In order to be eligible to apply for the BFA Graphic Design program, you must have completed the following nine (9) required courses with a grade of C- or better (please note that good grades earned in any of the nine required courses do not guarantee acceptance into the BFA Graphic Design program).

ART 1120 2D Design
ART 1400 Graphic Computer Applications
ART 1410 Typography I
ART 1420 Graphic Design I
DGM 2120 Web Essentials or DWDD 1600 Web Essentials
ART 2280 3D Computer Modelling
ART 2400 Production Design
ART 2430 Branding I
ART 2440 Motion Graphics I

You may verify your eligibility at any time during the year by reviewing the course and grade information on the first page of the online application system. This information is drawn directly from your UVU academic records. If you believe there are any discrepancies with the course and/or grade information, please contact the Registrar’s Office.

Portfolio Guidelines

Your portfolio should consist of 8–12 pieces of your strongest work carefully selected from some or all of the courses listed in the Eligibility section above. Transfer students may include work completed in other courses at their former school(s).

Do NOT include personal, professional, or internship projects. The inclusion of such work may result in a score reduction.

You may optionally choose to include work you deem as exceptional from other ART classes you’ve taken such as drawing, photography, and sculpture. If you decide to do so, please place those projects at the end of your portfolio.

Portfolio Tips

For each of your projects:

Consider using digital mockups to enhance the presentation of your work instead of submitting flat artwork exported directly from your layout files. This is not a requirement and may not apply to some of your projects, but it is recommended for most projects.
Consider uploading more than one image. This might include close-ups of certain aspects of the design.
Make sure the resolution of your images is sufficiently high to allow your work to appear clearly.
Acceptable file formats include .jpeg, .jpg, .png, .gif, and .pdf.
For motion graphics projects, provide a link to the online video in the URL field. No images are required but may be included if desired.

Please see example images below:

Page Layout Design

Sarah Utley

Branding

Megan Barnum

Deadline

Applications must be submitted before 11:59 p.m. on March 1st in the spring semester or October 1st in the fall semester.

Review Process

After you have submitted your application:

An email will be sent to your UVU email address confirming receipt of your application.
You may return to your application and make changes at any time before the submission deadline.

After the application deadline has passed, the BFA Graphic Design Portfolio Review Committee will evaluate your portfolio based on the five criteria shown below:

Concept & Communication—Effective concept development and communication of information.
Typography—Effective typeface selection, typesetting, and creation of customized letterforms.
Image—Effective selection, creation, modification, and implementation of high-quality images.
Design—Effective use of hierarchy, space, pacing, and graphic elements such as line, shape, and color.
Presentation—Effective presentation of design work in high-quality images.

Within approximately 1–2 weeks, you will be notified whether or not you have been accepted into the BFA program. If you are accepted into the BFA program, registration blocks will be removed and you will be able to register for BFA-only courses. If you are not accepted into the BFA program, you may reapply once during a future spring or fall application period. Students are limited to applying to the BFA Graphic Design program a total of two (2) times. If you decide to reapply, we encourage you to make improvements to your portfolio within the framework of the original class assignments. If you decide not to reapply, we encourage you to meet with your academic advisor to discuss alternative degree options.

*The link to the application system has been temporarily disabled. We hope to restore it in late 2023 or early 2024. In the meantime, if you have any questions about how to submit an application, please contact Gareth Fry at gareth.fry@uvu.edu.