Admissions Policies

Admissions Requirements

Candidates generally hold a degree from a four-year college or university. All candidates, however, must have a minimum of a high school diploma or GED certificate.

Admission is based on a representative portfolio of original work and creative samples and a broad academic background. Consideration is given to all applicants who have been actively pursuing professional creative goals.

Portfolio Center’s primary objective is to provide the most highly specialized two-year advertising and design education available. We measure our success by the degree of professional and personal achievement attained by our graduates.

Admissions Procedures

A full application to Portfolio Center includes a completed and signed application form, the application fee, and a photocopy of a college or high school diploma or at least two years of college transcripts. We also require a written statement of 500 to 1,000 words, stating your intent and reason for study, which should give us a sense of who you are, how you think, and what issues and ideas interest you most.

In addition, students must submit creative samples representing their personal interests and abilities. Applicants should submit enough work to indicate where talent development lies. Specific requirements for each program are outlined below.

Also, applicants are required to have a personal interview with an admissions representative and, in some cases, with the head of their program. An in-person interview at the school is highly recommended. A phone interview may suffice if a visit is impossible.

Once accepted, a $250 pre-registration fee should be sent in as soon as possible and no later than the deadline for the initial quarter of enrollment. Due to the abundance of qualified applicants reviewed for certain quarters, we prioritize spaces available in our programs according to the date by which this fee is received.

What Samples To Send

Design Program: Submit any examples of creative work that reflect a personal aesthetic style and dimension. These samples can be visual or literary, and they could include current everyday work. Appropriate submissions include, but are not limited to, graphic designs, ads, drawings, paintings, fiction or poetry, sculpture, photography, architecture, or electronic design.

Photography: Submit 12-18 photography samples. Samples should be originals. Slides, B&W or color prints, or electronic output may be submitted.

Illustration: Submit drawings, paintings, alternative media, or mixed media.

Art Direction: Submit ads, graphic designs, drawings, paintings, or any other examples of creative visual design and concepting.

Writing: Submit at least 10 ads. Evaluation is based on concepts, headlines, and body copy. Non-advertising writing may be included in addition to the 10 ads.

Provide a list of at least five books you have recently read and at least five magazines that you read most often.

Samples Format

Photocopies must be loose, unmounted, unbound, and fit easily into a letter-sized envelope. Slides should be submitted in a clear plastic viewing page and accompanied by a typed sheet stapled to the slide sheet that includes your name, address, the dimensions of the work, date, medium, and title. Interactive work is acceptable on CD-ROM, Zip disks, floppy disks, or videotape using either one-half inch or three-quarter inch tape. Web sites should include the URL.

All work submitted during an in-person interview will be returned immediately. In all other cases, with the exception of photography, samples will not be returned. While extreme care is taken regarding submitted samples, Portfolio Center does not accept responsibility for loss or damage to an applicant’s submission.