Applying

All completed application materials and portfolio are due February 1.

• Completed application
• Unofficial transcripts
• GRE scores
• Personal statement
• Three letters of recommendation
• Art portfolio

Submit your application online via the UIC Website—just follow the instructions listed there. There is a non-refundable application fee of $70 for all applicants.

You don’t have to enter and submit all application information in one sitting. You can return to the system as many times as you need to. You can also return to the system checklist as often as you like to see what materials have been uploaded and verified as received.

Submit unofficial copies of registrar-issued official transcripts from institutions where you earned degrees and transcripts from all colleges and universities you attended within the last eight years.

GRE scores are required for all applicants. Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores should be sent directly from Education Testing Service to UIC. If you have taken the GRE within the past five years, you must request that scores be sent from ETS to UIC. Our ETS Institutional Code is 1851. Preference will be given to applicants with a combined Quantitative and Verbal score above 300 (revised General Test).

Upload a personal statement with your application. This should be concise (1-2 pages) and clearly state your goals for graduate study and a career in our field. It can include anything else you’d like to include, such as what’s special, distinctive or impressive about you and your life story. What unique skills might you possess that would allow you to succeed in our profession?

Submit three letters of recommendation in support of your application. These letters should be from instructors or employers. Letters must be on letterhead, signed, and uploaded with your application.

Submit a portfolio of 20 original images meeting the following minimum requirements. These images must be created from direct observation, not photographic references. Images of medical subject matter are discouraged.

• 6 full-figure drawings (not painting) from the nude model that include gestures, short poses, and long poses
• 1 drawing of the human hand
• 1 portrait drawing
• 1 black and white tone composition from observation using all five basic forms: sphere, cube, cylinder, cone, and pyramid (please draw only basic shapes, NOT everyday objects that represent basic shapes). The arrangement of the shapes and the composition is your choice.
• 1 still life drawing or painting in color that includes both organic and geometric forms. Should demonstrate good form, volume, texture, and convincing spatial relationships.

The additional 10 images may include:

• General drawing (pages from sketchbooks are encouraged)
• Figure drawing
• Color media
• Digital media
• Graphic design

There are no format specifications for the art portfolio, but we suggest preparing a PowerPoint or Keynote presentation. Digital images of your art portfolio in this presentation should be prepared in the range of 10×7.5 or 10×5.6 at 150 dpi.

To upload your portfolio to your personal portfolio site on BOX, email a request to jdaug@uic.edu.

If English is not your native language, you might need to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), the exam of the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) or the PTE-Academic. Check out the International Requirements to see if this applies to you.

Scores must be submitted to UIC directly using the institutional code 1851.

We require a minimum score of 585 to 600 for the paper-based TOEFL. You must also take the Test of Written English and submit scores in the range of 5 to 6. The minimum score for the internet-based TOEFL is 95, with subscores of Reading 24, Listening 22, Speaking 24, and Writing 24.

Minimum scores for IELTS are 7.0 for the total score, 6.5 for each of the four subsections.

The minimum score for the PTE Academic is 54, with subscores of Reading 51, Listening 47, Speaking 53, and Writing 56.

The Declaration and Certification of Finances form must be signed by both you and your sponsor.