This page details all the application materials and admissions requirements for DigiPen’s Master of Fine Arts in Digital Arts, a degree program focused on 2D or 3D digital art production. Read all sections carefully and please contact admissions@digipen.edu if you need clarification on any of these requirements.
All applicants to the MFA in Digital Arts program must meet the following minimum requirements to be considered for admission:
Requirements at a Glance
Application for Admission
You must submit an online application to be considered for admission. You can start your application, save, and return to it as many times as needed until you’re ready to review and submit it. Your essay, letters of recommendation, and portfolio can be uploaded after submission. We recommend submitting your application and application materials two to four weeks after starting. Please review the application instructions on this page and prepare the necessary materials prior to beginning the online application.
Application Fee
You must include a $60 application fee along with your application. This can be done via the application portal. Application fees can also be paid by credit card, cash, check, or money order (made out to DigiPen Institute of Technology).
DigiPen provides application fee waivers to applicants who visit us for an on-campus admissions event or who attend an online information session or virtual admissions meeting.
Transcripts
Applicants must provide evidence of completion of a bachelor’s degree with a recommended 3.0 cumulative GPA for the MFA in Digital Arts program. In-progress transcripts are acceptable if you are currently completing your bachelor’s degree.
All applicants are required to submit official transcripts from all colleges attended before they can be enrolled at DigiPen. During the application process, we will accept unofficial transcripts. These unofficial transcripts can often be downloaded from your college’s website.
For Admitted Applicants
Official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended showing completion of a bachelor’s degree should be sent directly to DigiPen by the issuing institutions. You may, however, send the transcripts yourself if they are first sealed in an envelope and stamped across the seal by the issuing institution’s registrar. Transcripts should be mailed to:
DigiPen Institute of Technology
Attn: Office of Admissions
9931 Willows Rd. NE
Redmond, WA 98052
DigiPen can also accept transcripts submitted electronically by the issuing institution using the following services:
Statement of Purpose Essay
Applicants to the MFA in Digital Arts program should use the following outline to write their statement of purpose essay:
Introduction
Introduce yourself and give your general reasons for pursuing graduate study.Interest
Explain why you want to attend DigiPen’s MFA in Digital Arts, and how its curriculum will serve your interests. You may also identify one or more specific areas you might like to investigate for your thesis research.Goals
Indicate why you want to be a digital artist, and what you hope to do after completing the program.Qualifications
The aim of this section is to build a foundation for your forthcoming work. You should discuss:Your expertise and accomplishments in your major field and any research you have performed. Mention the project and the name of the professor who supervised your work.
Your undergraduate or other formal studies in the arts and how they relate to what you intend to do in the graduate program.
Your specific experiences that demonstrate your competence, motivation, and inspiration for continued study in digital arts.
Other relevant experiences (e.g., jobs, community activities, leadership in school organizations, awards, and honors). Be sure to include names of people, organizations, and other important details.
Briefly explain any discrepancies on your transcript, which might include a lower GPA in a particular semester or year.
Any formal art studies outside of your degree program, such as a digital art course with an instructor or an art atelier.
Personal Background
Tell us about yourself. Describe your background and important people in your life, such as family members or mentors, and how you came to your field of interest.Conclusion
Describe why you are qualified to enroll in this graduate program and how you will be successful.
Essay Submission Guidelines
Follow these guidelines for submitting your statement of purpose:
Statements of purpose should be submitted by uploading directly via the online application. You can also submit your statement of purpose by emailing a copy to admissions@digipen.edu.
Art Portfolio
Applicants to the Master of Fine Arts in Digital Arts degree are required to submit an art portfolio of approximately 10 to 15 pieces. This is your opportunity to share your best work and to show your preparation for the program. Although many of our graduates come from traditional art backgrounds, digital work is encouraged in your portfolio but is not required. The pieces should have been done within the past three years, reflecting your current abilities.
Master copies (reproductions of other artists’ work) must not be used except when producing a drawing of a sculpture through live observation. The original work must be cited. The use of generative AI tools and processes is not permitted.
You are strongly encouraged to demonstrate your artmaking process by submitting preliminary sketches. Planning documents, composition layers, or stages of progress are also helpful. This is particularly important for digital work.
Applicants must demonstrate their strong skills in foundational art, observation, creativity, and independent thinking. Your portfolio should present your abilities in the following:
- Live observation of the subject
- Naturalistic rendering and composition
- Value, color, materials, and lighting
- Form, perspective, and proportion
- Texture, tool use, and other formal art qualities
- Your unique qualities and skills
Examples of various types of work applicants have submitted in the past include:
- Gesture drawings or urban sketches: short poses from a figure studio or quick studies from life, such as observational drawings of people engaged in daily tasks.
- Figure drawing: intermediate or long pose renderings of a posed person. Nude figures help us assess anatomy, proportion, and other attributes.
- Perspective: western linear perspective and the ability to create a pleasing composition combining architecture and nature, interior and/or exterior.
- Composition and color: Drawings or paintings of subjects such as still lifes, landscapes, or other subjects.
- Illustration: the presentation of narrative or message through images.
- Creativity: demonstrations of your original ideas, opinions, and message. These can include visual interpretations involving metaphor, analogy, and having a voice.
- Animation: 2D or 3D animated films, or production art such as storyboards, concept art, or design documents. Use excerpts for work longer than two minutes.
- Games: trailers for a video game, or production art similar to that for animation.
- 3D modeling or lighting: renderings or turntables of digital models or sculpture.
- Character rigging or visual effects: technical art for characters or environments, simulations, or procedural models.
- Other media: 2D or 3D work such as graphic novel excerpts, traditional media sculpture, costume design or fabrication, and models and miniatures.
Portfolio Submission Guidelines
Upload the portfolio via the application portal.
The application portal can support media files as large as 5GB, but please be advised that larger files will take longer to upload from your Internet connection and may stall if you are on a wireless connection or one that cannot sustain a connection for the necessary period of time. Uploaded documents may contain no more than 75 pages. We support the following file formats:
For each piece submitted, include the following documentation:
- Year produced
- Medium
- Artmaking process: live subject, photo reference, imaginary, abstract, software tools, citation or reference, etc.
- For group projects: your area of contribution
- For conceptual or illustrative art: describe the idea or message that you were trying to communicate
Avoid samples that might be considered fan art, such as samples copied directly from or are heavily influenced by popular games, manga, anime, Disney, and similar sources. Instead, focus on creative works that demonstrate your ability to draw from observation and your own invention, and your ability to create new ideas.
Letters of Recommendation
Graduate applicants are required to submit two letters of recommendation with their application. Letters of recommendation must be from individuals familiar with your academic background or work ethic (e.g., an instructor, school counselor, or employer). Recommendation letters from family members will not be considered. In their recommendation letter, references should explain how long they have known you and in what capacity.
You should ask your references for recommendations before including their names on your application. Ask them to add @digipen.edu to their safe senders list or address book, then tell them to expect a reference request via email. Enter the contact information for your references in the online application, and each reference will receive a link to an electronic recommendation form.
If your references do not receive an electronic recommendation form, they may send their letter of recommendation to admissions@digipen.edu.
Other Materials For International Applicants
In addition to the typical requirements for undergraduate applicants, international applicants must also provide additional information to be considered for admission to DigiPen. Visit our International Applicants page for details about the Financial Responsibility Form and about providing Proof of Proficiency in the English Language (for non-native English speakers).