Information for Transfers

Incoming Students

Deadline for Portfolio Review Application Materials:  April 1 (Applications must be received in the Art Department Office by that date- not just post-marked)

Although Art is not a screening major at UCSC, transfer students must complete one of two requirements to declare the Art major. One option is the portfolio review, and the other option is to complete two ART 10 equivalent courses before entering UCSC. See section on “Portfolio Review” for more information on the requirement. Transfer students must identify themselves as proposed art majors when applying to the university in order to receive information on the portfolio review deadlines and the materials required for the review. In January, list of names and addresses of students indicating an interest in majoring in art is sent to the Art Department by Admissions. In turn, the Art Department sends out information (via the student’s email address) about the portfolio review a portfolio application to those identified students by late January.

Junior Transfers Should Take these 3 Steps:

1. Apply to UCSC in November through the general admissions office for the following Fall quarter. Make sure you indicate you want to be an art major on your application. If you fail to do this, the subsequent steps will not take place.
   
2. If you indicated you want to be an art major on your application, then the admissions office will contact the art department with a list of art students applying to UCSC in early January. We will then send you a portfolio review application and information on applying to the art major via your email address. Please make sure the email address on your UC application is where you want your portfolio application sent.  If you don’t receive the info by March 1, please contact the Art Department’s Undergraduate Advisor to send you the information.  Applicants will need to submit unofficial transcripts, with classes in progress with the portfolio application.
   
3. Submit the art portfolio application by the deadline indicated on the application or send a PDF of unofficial transcripts to artadvisor@ucsc.edu to show that you have completed the two Art 10 foundation courses at your prior institution. in lieu of the review.

Before attending UCSC (if accepted), students should have completed a minimum of three lower division studio art courses (in different areas of emphasis) that are comparable to the UCSC Art Department lower division courses.* Equivalent courses can be found at assist.org.  It is advised that students complete all three of their lower division studios at the community college, to be able to submit a high-level portfolio.  Transfer students who pass the portfolio review will be assisted by the undergraduate advisor in enrolling in art classes their first quarter of attendance at UCSC. 

Applicants who do not pass the portfolio review (or complete the ART 10 equivalent courses), and are accepted to UCSC will not be allowed to take art classes at UCSC during the fall, winter, and spring quarters and must realize they need to pursue another major if they decide to attend UCSC.  Students will be notified of the results of the review before they need to submit their Statement of Intent to Register for UCSC.

*Acceptance to UCSC does not guarantee admission to the Art Program, nor does passing the portfolio review guarantee that UCSC will accept you to the University.

More information on the portfolio review

Getting into classes

Art classes are very small (average 25 students) compared to courses from other departments on campus that can accommodate large numbers of students. No matter what the demand, our budget will only allow us a limited number of classes.

To get into a studio art class, if you were not able to pre-enroll, get on the wait list (making sure the desired class doesn’t have a time conflict with currently enrolled classes). You will then need to attend the first day of class to see if any spaces are available. If there are open spaces, the instructor will issue permission codes that can be used to enroll the day after the first class meeting. It is imperative that if you want to add a class, or stay in a class that you have enrolled in, you must be at the first class meeting. If you miss the first class meeting, you may be dropped from the class or it will fill and you won’t be able to add.

History of Art & Visual Culture (HAVC) Classes

If you are having difficulty getting into studio art classes, you can try to enroll for a History of Art and Visual Culture course, if you haven’t taken comparable courses at your community college. Two History of Art and Visual Culture classes are required for the art major (one from the category of Europe & the Americas; and the other from the category of Africa, Asia, Oceania, Native Americas, Mediterranean. See the General Catalog for course numbers). You may substitute appropriate upper division HAVC classes for the lower division requirements.  If you are thinking of pursuing a minor in another subject, you can enroll in one of those required classes.

General Education (GE) Requirements

If you have general education requirements to complete, you should enroll in them along with required art courses throughout your attendance at UCSC.

Art is a very desirable subject to many, many students — not just art majors. Most art classes are only accessible to students who are serious about studying art as art majors. Without the restrictions, art majors would not be able to complete their education in the time allowed by the University.

For more information

Contact the Art Department undergraduate advisor
Email: artadvisor@ucsc.edu