In the School of Design, Arts, and Communication at Stevenson University, we recognize that students in the visual arts and design programs have special talents and experiences that will be shown best in a portfolio of work. Therefore, we allow students planning to major in Fashion Design, Film & Moving Image, and Graphic Design to submit a portfolio of work to be considered for talent-based scholarships. Portfolio submissions are used for scholarship consideration and will not negatively impact a student’s acceptance to Stevenson University or the art and design programs within.
Portfolio Tips
- Select only your best work to present as professionally as possible.
- Select only original work of your own creation. Students should not submit work that is copied from photographs, films, television, illustrations, or other sources.
- Select work that best showcases your talent and areas of interest.
- Include work that is strong even if it is outside of your intended major (e.g. A film student may submit drawings, paintings, photographs, or screenplays for review.)
- Select 2-D, 3D, and/or multimedia work.
- Select work that shows your creative thinking and understanding of art and design principles.
- Digital work and work in time-based media should demonstrate a basic understanding of composition and the ability to use relevant technology effectively.
- Portfolios will be evaluated based upon the following criteria: creativity; level of experience as reflected in the range of work; aesthetics/craft; the essay
Applicant Instructions
The portfolio consists of:
- a portfolio of 10 examples or up to ten minutes of time-based media including, but not limited to: fine art, design, digital works, fashion design, graphic design, film, animation, illustration, storyboards, or videos.
- An Essay
- In 300 words or less, please tell us what you hope to achieve by studying Fashion Design, Film and Moving Image, or Visual Communication Design in the School of Design, Arts, and Communication at Stevenson University.
Deadlines
High School students: To be considered for a portfolio-based scholarship, students must have all application materials for university admission, including the portfolio and essay, submitted by January 15. The Admissions Office encourages you to complete your application by the priority scholarship deadline of December 1. Submitting all materials by December 1 allows you to receive an admission decision and academic merit-based scholarship notification, if eligible, by December 25. Learn more about applying to Stevenson at stevenson.edu/apply.
Transfer students: To be considered for a portfolio-based scholarship, students must have all application materials for university admission, including the portfolio, submitted by March 31.
Portfolios submitted after the above deadlines will not be given consideration for talent-based scholarships.
Submitting your portfolio and essay using SlideRoom
Submitting the Portfolio: Students must upload their work through SlideRoom, which will accept still images, digital files, video, audio, and 3D models in various file formats (.pdf, .jpg, .mov, .docx, YouTube and Vimeo links, and more). We encourage you to submit your portfolio to Stevenson for fall scholarship consideration. Students applying via the Common Application will also be able to access our SlideRoom page directly from their Common Application.
Allowed file sizes:
- Images (up to 5MB each)
- Video (up to 250MB each) Please note: video files over 250MB can be shared via a link to a live web site such as Vimeo or YouTube.
- Audio (up to 30MB each)
- PDFs (up to 10MB each)
- 3D Models
- Other Types (.jpg each) (up to 10MB each)
- External media from YouTube, Vimeo, and SoundCloud
Submitting the Essay:
Please type your essay in response to the question above and attach it as a .pdf, .doc, .docx, .pdf, or .txt. file type in SlideRoom.
Scholarship Details
Stevenson’s School of Design, Arts, and Communication offers competitive portfolio-based scholarships to high school seniors and transfer students who plan to major in Fashion Design, Film & Moving Image, or Graphic Design. Six to eight scholarships per program will be awarded to students starting in these majors at Stevenson. Awards are $2,000 and can be combined with a Stevenson merit-based scholarship award from Admissions. Awards are renewable for four years.
After the submission deadline, all portfolios submitted will be reviewed and scholarship finalists will be selected. Scholarship finalists will be invited to campus to meet with faculty for an interview. At that time, finalists will be asked to bring a resume and portfolio. Applicants for Fashion Design will also be asked to bring two sample garments.
FAQs
Is a portfolio required for admission?
No, a portfolio is not required. Students majoring in Fashion Design, Film & Moving Image, and Graphic Design are able to submit a portfolio and will automatically be considered for a scholarship if all required materials are received by the posted deadlines.
How will I know if I am a contender for the scholarships?
Finalists will be invited to campus to meet with faculty for an interview. At that time, finalists will be asked to bring a resume and portfolio. Applicants for Fashion Design will also be asked to bring two sample garments.
What if I don’t have a portfolio?
Most students who have been taking courses in art, design, fashion or film can put together a portfolio of work with the help of a teacher or mentor. Ask a high school art teacher or artists in your community for help selecting your best work to submit.
How should I photograph my work?
Submit only crisp, clear high-res images that accurately represent the work. To the degree possible, make sure the work is not distorted in the photograph and that the colors accurately reflect the original artwork. Consider what is showing in the background. When photographing two-dimensional work, you may choose to crop out the background. For three-dimensional work, you will want to place the work on a neutral background such as white, gray, or black.
I don’t know what to submit. Can you help?
Selecting your best work means choosing the work that you are most proud of. You may include pieces that show your sketches, your process, or finished work. Deciding what to include and not include—the editing of your work—is an important part of the application process. Therefore, we cannot give you individual feedback on what to submit.
I have more questions. Who do I contact?
Please direct questions about the portfolio-based visual arts scholarships to your admissions counselor.