Admissions → First Time Undergraduates
Admissions Standards
At MassArt, we want every student to thrive academically and artistically.
To support that goal, we require certain academic and English language proficiency standards for admission. These requirements help ensure that students are prepared for college-level study in humanities, integrative sciences and biological arts, history of art, and art and design.
While meeting the minimum standards does not guarantee admission, we review every application holistically, considering academic preparation, creative potential, and personal accomplishments.
Academic Standards
Admission to MassArt is determined in accordance with the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education (DHE) Undergraduate Admissions Standards for the Massachusetts State University System and the University of Massachusetts; meeting the minimum standards does not guarantee admission.
MassArt welcomes applications from students who hold a high school diploma or equivalency, such as the General Education Development (GED) or the High School Equivalency Testing Program (HiSET)
Home-schooled students are subject to the same admissions standards as other students; as such, they must meet both academic course and GPA requirements. Students can be home-schooled in accordance with education plans that are approved by the superintendent of the school district in which the student resides.
All first-year applicants must successfully complete the following courses in each academic subject over their four years of high school:
| Subject | Minimum Years of Study | |
|---|---|---|
| English | 4 | |
| Math* (algebra I and II and geometry or trigonometry, or comparable coursework) | 2 | |
| Sciences (laboratory) | 2 | |
| Additional mathematics or science | 1 | |
| Social sciences (including one course in U.S. history) | 2 | |
| Foreign language* (in one language) Note: American Sign Language (ASL) counts as a foreign language. | 2 | |
| Visual art** | 2 | |
| Electives (from the above subjects or computer science, humanities, performing arts) | 2 | |
| Minimum Total Units | 17 | |
*Foreign-language or algebra courses taken in the eighth grade can satisfy the area requirements if they appear on the high school transcript and if the applicant successfully completes the next level course with a grade of “C” or better. Eighth-grade courses do not reduce the 17 units required in high school. Students may substitute additional electives or courses in other required subject areas.
**Students from high schools without art programs may substitute electives from other areas above but are expected to pursue art through outside classes. Exceptions to this requirement are rare.
A high school GPA is calculated for each applicant on a 4.0 scale; all college prep, honors, and AP courses are included, and the GPA is weighted for honors and AP classes. The recommended GPA for admission is 3.0, though students are admitted from a range of academic backgrounds, and applicants below a 3.0 are considered for admission. A student’s portfolio, essay, letter of recommendation, and activity list are also factors in the admissions process. Students are not admitted with a high school GPA below 2.3.
MassArt understands that transcripts may be affected as a result of schools moving to online/hybrid instruction due to COVID-19. Future applicants whose grades are affected will not be penalized for pass/fail grades, assuming the student receives a passing grade.
MassArt does not require SAT/ACT scores as part of our admission requirements or scholarship process.
Exemptions to the Academic Standards
Learning-disabled applicants may substitute two college preparatory electives for the two required foreign language courses only if they present results of a psycho-educational evaluation completed within the past three years that includes a specific diagnosis of a learning disability that leads to the inability to succeed in a foreign language.
ESL applicants must complete the 17 required college preparatory courses with two exceptions:
- ESL applicants may substitute two electives for the required foreign language courses.
- ESL applicants may substitute up to two years of college preparatory ESL English courses for college preparatory English courses provided they achieve a rank of at least the 62nd percentile on the TOEFL or the IELTS (550 on the paper TOEFL, or 85 on the internet-based test; 6.0 on the IELTS).
Vocational-technical students must complete 17 college preparatory courses, distributed in the same manner and with the same minimum grade point averages required of other high school graduates, with the following exceptions:
- Two vocational-technical courses may be used to fulfill the two required electives. Vocational-technical high school graduates who do not complete the two required college preparatory foreign language courses must complete an additional college preparatory elective course, for a total of three such courses, and satisfy one of the following options:
- Complete at least one foreign language course
- Complete an additional mathematics or science course
- Complete one computer science course
English Language Proficiency
Students whose native language is not English are required to demonstrate proficiency in written and spoken English with an official copy of one of the English proficiency exam scores.
Exams and Standardized Tests
MassArt no longer requires SAT or ACT scores, and we don’t factor them into admission or merit scholarship decisions. Eliminating these test requirements allows us to base our admission decisions on a more holistic review of applications.
If you decide to submit standardized test scores, we reserve the right to use them in institutional profile reports for enrolled students. MassArt’s SAT school code is 3516, and our ACT school code is 1846. Reports should be sent directly from the College Board, American College Testing, or through the high school guidance office.
