B.F.A. Studio Art

New First-Year Students

All incoming first-year students admitted to a Pre-Bachelor of Fine Arts (Pre-BFA) program will begin their journey in the School of Art & Design’s First-Year Experience (FYX)—a common foundation designed to help you build the skills and portfolio needed to apply to your intended BFA major.

What is a Pre-BFA?

When you’re accepted to UW-Stout, you’re automatically placed into the Pre-BFA version of the program you chose on your application. During your first year, you’ll complete FYX courses that help you prepare for a successful portfolio review.

Two Pathways to a BFA Major

Starting with incoming first-year students for fall 2026, you have two potential pathways into your BFA major:

• Pathway 1: Submit a Portfolio Before Enrolling in Your First-Year Coursework.
  Before the start of school, you may submit an independent portfolio for review. If successful, you will be approved for direct-entry into your BFA major and will not be required to apply for the major later. You will still complete the School of Art & Design’s First-Year Experience (FYX) regardless of that outcome. If your portfolio review is unsuccessful, or if you choose not to pursue this pathway, you will still enroll as a “Pre-BFA” in your chosen BFA major. Deadlines and requirements are below. Ready to apply or have questions? Email artdesign@uwstout.edu.
• Pathway 2: Submit a Portfolio During or After Your First-Year Coursework.
  You enroll as a “Pre-BFA” student and develop a portfolio from the School of Art & Design’s FYX to apply for formal acceptance into your BFA major. After enrolling at UW-Stout, you have two opportunities to apply for acceptance.

What do I need to get accepted into my BFA program?

Pathway 1: After Admission to Stout, Submit the Following by Feb. 1 (Priority Deadline) or April 1 (Regular Decision).

• Your portfolio is the most important part of your application. It is evaluated on artistic and conceptual content, design, composition, technical skill, and creative potential. Your portfolio should contain 12 examples of your best and most recent work that showcases your technical skills and idea development. Select works that demonstrate the depth and breadth of your creative experiences and interests. Your portfolio may include works in a variety of media, including two-dimensional work, photography, three-dimensional work, design, architectural renderings, interactive media, websites, video and animation. Portfolio samples may come from formal assignments or outside of an art class.
• Submit an essay, saved as one PDF, that includes responses of 150 words or less for each of the three prompts below. Incorporate terms and concepts learned to discuss your work.
  • Please tell us about your pre-college background, including your experience with making art or design, your educational experience, and influences.
  • Tell us about a single project this year that has been included in the portfolio. Why did you include it? What skills did you learn from this project (technical, critical, creative/process)? Which of your strengths do you think it highlights?
  • Give us a vision for your future self: What areas will you improve on? What opportunities have been revealed with your learning at Stout? Describe your career objectives.
• A $10 application fee is assessed at the time you electronically submit your portfolio.

Pathway 2: Commonly submitted at the end of the second semester.

• 2.0 or higher UW-Stout cumulative GPA and a grade of C or better for all art, art history, and design courses.
• A personal essay of 300-500 words about how your Foundations work represents your preparedness for your intended major
• Your FYX portfolio

Transfer Students

• All transfer students will be admitted as a Pre-Bachelor of Fine Arts (Pre-BFA) student.  Upon acceptance to UW-Stout, information will be provided on how to submit a portfolio and essay to be reviewed by a committee of School of Art & Design faculty, who will determine direct admissions into the BFA major of your choice.

• There is a $10 application fee assessed at the time you electronically submit your portfolio.

  Transfer portfolio Review Information

Transfer student portfolio applications are considered throughout the year. Students applying for one of the BFA programs will remain admitted as a "Pre-BFA" student if you: 

• do not submit a portfolio/essay 
  or
• are not approved for the BFA program after submission of a portfolio/essay. 

You may then apply for a change of major in subsequent semesters, depending upon available openings in the program. If needed, BFA Foundations courses will be available to "Pre-BFA" students pending seat availability.