Start your application, submit your portfolio, and jump-start your future with PCA&D.
Show Us What You Create: Your Portfolio
Your application to Pennsylvania College of Art & Design is about more than grades and transcripts. We want to learn about you as the creative person you are—a maker, a thinker, a storyteller—and see the ideas, interests, and experiences you could bring to PCA&D.
Your portfolio is one part of the overall application for admission to PCA&D, and requirements vary by program. Find your intended major below to see what you’ll need to submit. For LiveX applicants, a portfolio isn’t required; an interview is part of the admissions process instead.
All portfolios may be submitted online. Visual art portfolios may also be presented for review in person during PCA&D campus visits, high school or college fairs, or select National Portfolio Day events. Please do not mail or ship original artwork to PCA&D.
studio Majors
Animation & Game Art • Design Thinking • Fine Art • Graphic Design • Illustration • Photography & Video
A portfolio is required for admission to these programs
Submit 8–12 pieces of recent, original artwork that represent your creativity, interests, skills, and potential for growth. Your portfolio does not need to show that you have already mastered everything, we’re interested in seeing how you think, experiment, solve problems, and develop ideas.
Transfer Students: If you are applying to Animation & Game Art, Fine Art, or Illustration, your portfolio must include at least two works created from direct observation.
creative Writing
A writing portfolio is required for applicants to the Creative Writing program. Submit 10–20 pages of original writing that gives us a sense of your voice, interests, and potential as a writer. Your portfolio may include fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, essays, scripts, or other forms of writing—or a combination of several.
Want to show us more of your creative work? You’re welcome to include visual art or other creative projects alongside your writing portfolio. This might include drawing, illustration, photography, digital art, comics, storyboards, film/video, or other work that helps us see more of who you are as a creative person.
These pieces are entirely optional and do not count toward the required 10–20 pages of original writing.
Live Experience Design & PRoduction (livex)
A portfolio is not required for applicants to the LiveX program. Instead, applicants participate in an informal interview with a member of the LiveX faculty or Admissions team, giving us an opportunity to learn more about your interests, experiences, and goals while you learn more about the program and what LiveX has to offer.
If you choose to submit a portfolio, we’d love to see work that reflects your interests and experiences in live production. This might include projects or experiences involving staging, lighting, sound, carpentry or fabrication, stage management, technical theatre, live events, or design and production support.
Your portfolio may include photos, designs, sketches, planning materials, or other examples that help show what you created, contributed to, or experienced.
You may also submit traditional visual or creative artwork similar to what is included in a studio major portfolio—or a combination of both. Whatever you choose to share, your portfolio can help bring your creative interests and experiences to life and give us another glimpse into what excites you about LiveX.
Presentation Matters
A strong portfolio isn’t just about individual pieces. Think about what your selections say about you as a creative person and how they work together to tell your story.
- Show Depth — Don’t be afraid to explore an idea, subject, medium, or style across several pieces. A sustained interest can show curiosity, commitment, and creative development.
- Show Breadth — Give us a sense of what you can do. Experiment with different media, subjects, sizes, techniques, or approaches to demonstrate the range of your creative interests and abilities.
- Select Thoughtfully — Choose work that best represents your ideas, skills, interests, and potential. Look for pieces that demonstrate problem-solving, decision-making, experimentation, and original thinking—not simply technical perfection.
- Gather & Organize — Consider the order in which someone will experience your portfolio and create a sequence that feels intentional. When photographing artwork, pay attention to lighting, focus, cropping, and clarity. Keep individual time-based selections to three minutes or less
And don’t feel like you have to make every decision on your own. A teacher, counselor, mentor, or another artist can be a great second set of eyes as you select and organize your work.
Want another perspective? Your personal Enrollment Counselor or another member of the PCA&D Admissions Team is happy to meet with you for an online portfolio review. We can look at your work with you, talk through your selections, and help you think about how to put your strongest portfolio forward.
Quadir Moultrie ’22
What can you include in your portfolio?
There’s no single formula for a PCA&D portfolio. Depending on your interests and experience, your work might include:
VISUAL ART & DESIGN
- Drawing
- Painting
- Illustration
- Graphic Design
- Photography
- Printmaking
- Sculpture
- Ceramics
- Mixed Media
- Fiber Arts
- Jewelry & Metalwork
- Public Art & Murals
DIGITAL, STORY & MEDIA
- Digital Art
- Animation
- Game Art & Design
- Character Design
- Storyboarding
- 3-D Modeling & Rendering
- Film & Video
- Motion Graphics
- Interactive Media
- Fiction
- Poetry
- Creative Nonfiction
LIVE, PRODUCTION & MAKING
- Lighting
- Sound
- Staging
- Scenic Design
- Production Design
- Technical Theatre
- Stage Management
- Carpentry & Fabrication
- Built Objects
- Installation
- Performance
- Event & Production Projects
Don’t see your kind of work listed? That’s okay. This list is just a starting point, we welcome creative work in many forms.
Show us your process, too. Sketchbooks, studies, drafts, planning materials, works in progress, and other process work can help us see how you develop ideas and make creative decisions.
Submit & Schedule
Use the buttons below to start, edit, or submit your portfolio. Your portfolio and your application for admission are separate parts of the admissions process, so you can begin working on your portfolio before or after starting your application.
Want another set of eyes before you submit? Schedule a personal online portfolio review with your Enrollment Counselor or another member of the PCA&D Admissions Team by emailing admissions@pcad.edu calling 717.396.7833 ext. 1001.
You can also have your visual art portfolio reviewed in person during a PCA&D campus visit, at high school or college fairs, or at select National Portfolio Day events. Get more information on our Visit Us page.
Make your creative life, a way of life
Make your creative life,
a way of life
Submit An Application
Even if you’re still deciding on a school, start an application or submit your portfolio, it’s free. Let us get to know you without any commitment.