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Transfer Students
Approximately one-quarter of all new students enter MassArt as transfers. A transfer student is anyone who has earned college credit after receiving a high school diploma or equivalent. Typically, these students have either acquired or were pursuing degrees from accredited four-year liberal arts colleges, universities, two-year community colleges, or other colleges of art or design.
Learn more about undergraduate admissions and the application process, including important deadlines and requirements below. Before applying, applicants should review MassArt's admissions standards and transfer credit guidelines.
Application Deadlines
Transfer applicants who meet specific prerequisites may apply for the spring semester which begins in January. To be considered, students must have completed or be currently enrolled in at least three college-level studio courses including a drawing class and a class comparable to Visual Language (Two-Dimensional Design, Design and Color Theory). Additionally, students should also have completed or be currently enrolled in a 100-level or higher English Composition class as well as a history of art class. Students who do not meet these prerequisites should apply for the fall semester.
Please note enrollment for the spring semester is evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Depending on a student's completed coursework and intended major, some applicants may be reviewed for fall admission instead.
If you have questions about the process, please contact Shannon Gallagher, Transfer Admissions Counselor, at sagallagher@massart.edu.
The priority deadline for Fall 2024 for transfer students is March 1, 2024. Please submit all application requirements by this deadline.
Prospective students should apply for financial aid at the same time they are applying for admission to the College. Don't wait until you have been admitted to a program to apply! The only financial aid application that MassArt requires is the FAFSA, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Read more about how to apply for financial aid.
Please note that international applicants are not applicable and do not need to file the FAFSA.
Application Requirements
Transfer Students should apply online by completing Common App. The application form and a $70 fee must be submitted to be considered for admission. Please plan on completing the following steps before the appropriate deadline:
- Complete Common App and pay the application fee by credit card, following the link above
- Upload supplementary materials electronically or mail/deliver them to MassArt's Admissions Office
- Upload the portfolio; after submitting Common App, you will be emailed a link (within two days of receipt of your application) through which you can upload the portfolio
- Check the status of your application using the application portal
APPLICATION FEE WAIVER
An application fee waiver request will be considered in cases of extreme financial hardship substantiated by a College Board fee waiver form issued from your school counselor or a letter from your social worker, financial aid officer, or clergy person. This waiver may be submitted by fax, email, or mail. Your application will not be considered complete until this request is received by the Admissions Office.
The purpose of your essay is to show us how well you can write and to communicate something about yourself that we would not know otherwise based on the rest of your application. We recommend students put in the effort to make your writing personal and avoid clichés and generalizations.
The essay topic is open-ended; you can select one of the prompts Common App provides as listed below. For transfer students, it is often helpful to specifically address why they are transferring and why they are interested in MassArt and/or their program of choice. Your essay should be between 500 and 750 words.
- Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.
- The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?
- Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?
- Describe a problem you've solved or a problem you'd like to solve. It can be an intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma - anything that is of personal importance, no matter the scale. Explain its significance to you and what steps you took or could be taken to identify a solution.
- Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.
- Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?
- Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you've already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design.
If you have not taken any studio art or design courses at the college level, please submit a portfolio of 15-20 examples of your strongest and most recent artwork, reflecting your interests, skills, and willingness to explore, experiment, and express yourself. Your portfolio may concentrate on a single medium or may show a variety of media. We encourage you to include work representing a sustained interest and/or development over time.
If you have completed studio art or design courses at the college level, it may be appropriate to submit a portfolio with more than 15-20 examples of artwork. Keeping in mind the guidelines listed above, please submit 3-5 examples from each class, reflecting the knowledge gained in those courses. Transfer credit will be awarded based on the strength of the examples provided.
TIPS FOR DEVELOPING YOUR PORTFOLIO
SUBMITTING YOUR PORTFOLIO
The MassArt Application is completed in two phases:
Phase 1: Complete and submit Common App. After Common App is submitted, you will receive two emails with login information and a link to the MassArt Applicant Portal. It can take up to 24 hours after submitting Common App to receive these emails - plan your time accordingly.
Phase 2: Upload portfolio and submit remaining materials. On the MassArt Applicant Portal you will be able to upload your portfolio, see missing materials (transcripts, letters of recommendation, etc), and the check status of your application. The Applicant Portal has many resources for applicants about application requirements, financial aid, scholarships, next steps, and more. Decision letters are released on the Applicant Portal.
All transcripts must be official. High school/secondary school transcripts must include the most recent semester grades. If you have already graduated, please ask that school to send us your final transcript. If you are currently in high school and have taken college-level classes, please request an official college transcript to be sent. In order to be considered official, transcripts can be sent one of two ways:
- Directly to MassArt in an envelope stamped and sealed by a high school or a college registrar
- Electronically through Common App
HIGH SCHOOL EQUIVALENCY
If you have completed the General Equivalency Diploma (GED) or HiSET, please send us your official score report including percentages as well as your high school transcript. MassArt's HiSET code is MA1001010.
HOME-SCHOOLED STUDENTS
To be considered for admission, home-schooled students must submit transcripts or the GED/HiSET. Please note that the college does not consider applicants who do not have a high school diploma or equivalency.
International Students
International applicants are required to submit academic records that have been converted to the U.S. educational equivalents. This includes course-by-course evaluations for both secondary school (high school) and college transcripts. Massachusetts College of Art and Design requires official evaluations of secondary and post-secondary transcripts or records from other countries. These evaluations can take up to six weeks to complete, so please begin this process early. Evaluations must be arranged through NACES or AICE approved members.
- Center for Educational Documentation (CED)
- Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE)
- SpanTran
- International Education Evaluation (IEE)
- International Education Research Foundation (IERF)
- World Education Services (WES)
International applicants who have academic documents from institutions outside of the U.S. are required to submit official (original, attested, or certified true) copies of academic records for secondary school education and any college-level study. Please note that this should begin with the first year of secondary school or high school. Credentials in languages other than English must be accompanied by a certified literal English translation. Translations must be complete, literal, word-for-word translations and mirror the original document.
All secondary (high school) and post-secondary (college) transcripts should be converted into the U.S. educational equivalencies. Records that are not converted into the U.S. equivalencies must have a course-by-course evaluation by an external evaluation agency and should include:
- Name of the educational institution
- Country where it is located
- Length of study and its U.S. equivalent
- Courses studied by year
- A conversion of grades and/or examinations to the U.S. grade equivalents of A, B, C, D and F on a 4-point scale
- Total credits earned and conversion of course hours to U.S. semester hours
- U.S. degree equivalent
Massachusetts College of Art and Design will no longer require standardized tests scores (SAT/ACT) as part of our admission requirements.
MassArt reserves the right to contact the student during the admissions process to further determine a student's college readiness. International students whose native language is not English will be required to submit English proficiency exam scores to demonstrate language proficiency. If an applicant submits test scores, we will not factor these test scores into the admission decision, but will reserve the right to use these scores in statistical analysis if the student is admitted and decides to enroll at MassArt. In addition, test scores will not be used for merit scholarship consideration.
If you choose to submit test scores, MassArt's SAT school code is 3516. MassArt's ACT school code is 1846. SAT or ACT reports should be sent directly from the College Board, American College Testing or through the high school guidance office.
For any exceptions, more information can be found under admissions standards.
Students whose native language is not English are required to demonstrate English language proficiency by submitting official TOEFL, IELTS, DuoLingo, or the Pearson Test of English scores as part of the application process.
A letter of recommendation can be very helpful in consideration of your application. It's best to choose someone who can discuss your potential as a student, your motivation, skills, background, and character. This person should have first-hand knowledge of your art or academic achievements. We recommend asking someone, such as an art teacher, liberal arts teacher, school counselor, employer, or mentor.
Using Common App, you can provide the contact information of the recommender, and they will be able to submit an online form on your behalf. We will also accept letters of recommendation via postal mail, or e-mail sent directly from the reference's account to admissions@massart.edu. All recommendation letters must be sent by the reference, or be on signed high school, college, or business letterhead and sent in a sealed envelope. We will not accept recommendation letters sent by a student or a family member that have not been signed and sealed by the reference.
Please note Common App refers to recommenders as "Academic Evaluators."
Include a list of your activities including employment, community service, school clubs, organizations, and extracurricular interests. Specify positions held (if any), length of service, and awards or prizes.
MassArt requires proof of graduation for all first year and transfer students. This is necessary for both residency documentation and financial aid verification.
Transfer applicants with an academic transcript that indicates they have successfully completed at least two years of post-secondary education (48 or more credits, not including college credits completed while in high school), have adequate documentation to fulfill the proof of graduation requirement. If credits are currently in progress, you must provide the final college transcript noting successful competition of those course in order to enroll. Failure to do so will require you to submit your proof of graduation, and you will not be able to start classes without proper documentation. To satisfy this requirement, you may submit one of the following:
- A final high school transcript from a U.S. high school or U.S.-accredited high school, including a date of graduation; signed, stamped, or sealed by a school official, and sent from your high school or recognized third-party vendor
- A Graduate Equivalency Diploma (GED) or High School Equivalency Test (HiSET) results sent directly from the testing organization
- An official copy of documentation sent directly from the IB Organization indicating that a diploma has been awarded
- Some national exam results: GCE/GCSE exams (O-Level and AS-level), India Secondary School Examinations, Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) Exams, and CAPE I, etc.
- Home-schooled students have the additional option to submit a letter from a local school district official or state education agency certifying that the student received an education substantially equivalent to instruction given to students graduating from high school in a public or private institution
Once international students are formally admitted to MassArt, they are required to submit information in order to apply for F-1 student visa status.
Legal permanent residents of the U.S. must submit a copy of the front and back of your permanent registration card along with your application materials in order to be considered for admission.
If you are mailing materials, please address your package to:
Office of Admissions
Massachusetts College of Art and Design
621 Huntington Avenue
Boston, MA 02115
USA
DECISION LETTERS
Admissions decision letters are released electronically within a student's Application Portal on a rolling basis. Please allow 4-6 weeks for your application to be reviewed once it is complete (following the application deadline) to receive a decision.
Questions?
If you have questions about transferring, please contact Shannon Gallagher, Transfer Admissions Counselor, at sagallagher@massart.edu.
admissions@massart.edu • T: 617.879.7222 • F: 617.879.7250