The BFA program has reached enrollment capacity for fall 2021. For the remainder of the fall 2021 application cycle, applicants who qualify for admission will be placed on a waitlist, with the option to defer to fall 2022.
This page details all of the application materials and admissions requirements for the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Digital Art and Animation degree program. Read all sections carefully — particularly the submission of an art portfolio, which is unique to the program — and please contact admissions[at]digipen[dot]edu if you need clarification on any of these requirements.
Requirements at a Glance
Application for Admission
You must submit an online application to be considered for admission. You may save your progress partway through the application if you choose to complete it over more than one session. We recommend that you review the application instructions on this page and prepare the necessary materials prior to beginning the online application.
You will need the following materials in order to complete the application for admission:
Application Fee
You must include a $60 application fee along with your application. When applying online, you can either pay by credit card or select the option to pay the fee later. If you choose to pay later, you can find the application fee payment portal by logging back into your application and clicking “Application Fee” on the right side bar.
Application fees can also be paid by credit card, cash, check, or money order (made out to DigiPen Institute of Technology).
DigiPen waives the application fee for applicants who demonstrate financial need through an SAT fee waiver program or who participate in a similar need-based program. DigiPen also provides fee waivers to applicants who visit the campus for an admissions meeting or on-site information session or who attend an online outreach event.
ACT/SAT Scores
Due to the reduction of available testing dates, DigiPen has made the SAT and ACT requirements optional for all spring 2021, fall 2021, and fall 2022 applicants. Applicants will not be disadvantaged if they are unable to submit a test score. We evaluate applicants holistically and consider all qualifications and circumstances in our admission decisions.
There is no minimum score requirement for either test, and we do not prefer one test over the other. SAT II Subject Tests are not required for admission but may be taken into consideration during the evaluation process if included with your application. SAT or ACT test scores must be sent directly to DigiPen by the issuing organization or included on your official high school transcripts. You can order your ACT scores at www.act.org and your SAT scores at www.collegeboard.org. Average SAT scores (prior to March 2016) for BS and BA programs are over 1700; average SAT scores (for tests starting March 2016) for BS and BA programs are over 1220; average ACT composite scores for BS and BA programs are generally over 26.
The SAT/ACT requirement is always waived for:
Score Reporting
To have your official SAT or ACT scores sent to DigiPen, include the college program code 4138 on your SAT form or 6659 on your ACT form.
Transcripts
High School Transcripts
In order to meet the minimum requirement for admission to DigiPen, all applicants must have completed grade 12 or the equivalent. We recommend applicants have a minimum 2.5 cumulative grade point average on a 4.0 scale in their most recent studies.
In order to be evaluated, applicants must submit unofficial transcripts from all high schools attended. Unofficial transcripts can be submitted via email to admissions[at]digipen[dot]edu.
Type of transcripts you must submit depend on your situation:
Current high school seniors should submit their most recent in-progress high school transcripts with their application. Accepted applicants will need to provide a final official transcript showing proof of graduation prior to enrollment.
Students who have earned their GED should submit unofficial transcripts for the time that they attended high school, along with official or unofficial GED test scores. GED score reports may be requested via the GED website.
Homeschooled students should submit unofficial transcripts from an accredited curriculum and/or (as applicable) official or unofficial GED test scores. See the For Homeschooled Applicants page for more information.
International students must submit unofficial copies of their academic records. See the For International Applicants page for more information.
If you have completed a bachelor’s degree at an accredited institution, you are not required to submit your high school transcripts, but you must submit unofficial final transcripts from the college or university attended along with unofficial transcripts from all post-secondary institutions attended.
College and University Transcripts
Required for: All applicants who have taken coursework at the college or university level.
If applicable, you must submit unofficial transcripts from all colleges and universities you have attended. Applicable coursework includes high school concurrent enrollment programs, Running Start, community college, and university courses. Unofficial transcripts can be submitted via email to admissions[at]digipen[dot]edu.
For Accepted Applicants
Following acceptance, you should request official copies of your transcripts from each high school and/or college attended. Students typically need to request official transcripts from the institution’s registrar’s office and should do so early to allow time for processing.
The documents can be either mailed to DigiPen directly from the school (preferred) or mailed by you in a sealed envelope as prepared by the school. 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 via the following pre-approved digital courier services:
DigiPen cannot accept opened, faxed, or emailed transcripts as official.
Essay
Write 1-2 paragraphs for each of the following three topics. Specific questions that may help you state your position are provided below each topic.
Spelling, grammar, and sentence structure are all considered. Proofread your essay carefully.
Essay Submission Guidelines
Essays can be submitted by uploading directly via the online application. You can find the upload page by logging into your application, clicking “Edit Application,” and then clicking “Essays” in the menu at the top of the screen.
You can also submit your essay by mailing a hard copy to DigiPen’s Office of Admissions or emailing a copy to admissions[at]digipen[dot]edu.
Art Portfolio
This portfolio must include 10-15 pieces. Five of these pieces include prescribed drawings and color work. The remaining pieces may be work of the student’s choice from any range of artistic disciplines, such as character and environment design, 3D modeling, animation, sculpture, etc. In regards to the non-prescribed samples, we discourage derivative works, such as fan art, anime/manga, etc. However, master copies from famous fine art drawings, paintings, or sculptures is encouraged; in this case, students would need to attribute the artist being copied.
Presentation will also be assessed, so students must be mindful of the quality of the images (300 dpi, in focus, cropped, even lighting) and video files (animations, model turntables, etc.). Please include the date of completion and medium used and indicate clearly which are the five prescribed drawings. These notations can be made either in the corner of each drawing or in the title and description fields in Slideroom. Instructions for uploading to Slideroom can be found in the Portfolio Submission Guidelines section below.
Pro Tip: Unless otherwise indicated by the instructions below, consider taking photos of your artwork outside for better, more even lighting.
Prescribed Drawings and Color Work
All work must use traditional media and be derived from direct observation, NOT photographs.
Drawings (pencil and/or charcoal):
Prescribed Color Work (any traditional medium):
Miscellaneous Art Samples
The remaining 5-10 pieces can be completed using traditional or digital media and should demonstrate your current range, skill, and process. These personal works may include animations, figure/animal studies, color studies, original character designs, architectural renderings, landscape studies, sculptures, and paintings. The submitted work should not contain illustrations copied directly from manga, anime, animations, paintings, or photographs (cited master copies are acceptable).
Portfolio Submission Guidelines
Submit your art portfolio via Slideroom. Slideroom requires a $10 fee to upload portfolios; this fee may be waived for students who demonstrate financial need through an SAT fee-waiver program or who participate in a similar need-based program. Please note Slideroom can accept the following file sizes/types:
Images (5 MB max): .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .gif, .tif, .tiff, .bmp, .tga
Videos (60 MB max): .m4v, .mov, .mp4, .wmv, .flv, .asf, .mpeg, .mpg, .mkv
Audio (30 MB max): .mp3, .wma, .ogg, .flac
Documents (10 MB max): .pdf
Other Materials
Optional Additional Essay
Use this optional essay to explain any unusual circumstances or situations that you think may have an impact on your application.
Optional Letters of Recommendation
All undergraduate applicants (including international applicants) are strongly encouraged to submit two optional letters of recommendation. Letters 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.
You may choose to enter the contact information for your references in the online application. In this case, our system will email each reference a link to an electronic recommendation form once your application is submitted. You should ask your references for recommendations before including their names on your application and tell them to expect a reference request via email.
For hard copy submissions, each letter must be sealed, signed, and dated by the author and must contain a contact phone number. Recommenders should explain how long they have known you and in what capacity. You should provide your recommenders with a link to or a hard copy of the Letter of Recommendation Template. Alternatively, references may write their own letters of recommendation without using this template.
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 Academic Records, the Financial Responsibility Form, and providing Proof of Proficiency in the English Language (for non-native English speakers).
For Homeschooled Applicants
We welcome applicants from all types of educational backgrounds and encourage homeschool students to apply to any of our degree programs. All applicants are evaluated on an individual basis, and all aspects of application materials are considered.
Please visit our Homeschooled Applicants page for specific application requirements.