Undergraduate Admission Requirements

Admission to the school is based on general admission to the University. See the PSU Bulletin for more information.

When a student is accepted to Portland State University and selects a major within the School of Art+Design, the student is formally admitted to the university and is pre-admitted to the department. Pre-admission ends however, in a student’s junior year.

When a student reaches the junior year based on the University’s definition of class standing (90-134 credits), the student is formally and automatically admitted into the School of Art+Design and College of the Arts.

Formal admission allows the student to continue on his or her degree path unhindered. Once admitted, the student will be authorized to take otherwise college restricted upper-division courses.

After being admitted to the school and college, Graphic Design students must also pass a sophomore portfolio review to be eligible to take 300 and 400 level graphic design courses. Students hoping to be accepted to the BFA program in Art Practices must submit a formal application near the end of their third year and be formally accepted into that degree program.

Changing majors or opting–out

Once formally admitted into the College of the Arts a student may decide he or she would rather not continue working toward a degree in the School of Art+Design. In this case, the student will need to formally change the major through the Office of Admissions. In addition, the student must notify the School of Art+Design by e-mail of this status change (art@pdx.edu). Once the major change has been verified, admission to the College of the Arts will be cancelled and the student will no longer be able to register for college restricted courses.