BA+BFA Application Instructions

How do I apply?

If you are a first-year or transfer applicant to Oberlin, you will apply to the BA+BFA program as part of your standard admissions application. All applicants will be considered for admission to the BA regardless of the outcome of their BFA application.

On the Common Application or Coalition/Scoir Application, you’ll see a question asking if you’d like to be considered for the BA+BFA program. If you are forwarding a QuestBridge application to Oberlin, there will be a question about applying to the BA+BFA on the Oberlin-specific supplement.

After submitting your application, you’ll gain access to your Oberlin applicant portal within 1–3 days. There, you’ll complete the next step: uploading a portfolio for the BFA portion of your application. In order to complete your portfolio by the application deadline, we recommend submitting your Common App or Coalition/Scoir Application a few days ahead of time. Our deadlines are:

Early Decision I: November 1
Early Action: November 1
Early Decision II: January 2
Regular Decision: January 15

Apply to Oberlin

If you are a current Oberlin student who wants to apply for the BA+BFA program, please see this page for instructions on how to submit a Change of Degree Program application.

BFA Portfolio Guidelines

The portfolio submission is an opportunity for you to show us samples of your work, in any medium(s). These samples might all come from a deep interest in a single medium (such as painting or writing short fiction), or a range of mediums (you can share drawings, and a clip from a play that you directed or acted in, and a short piece of writing). Or perhaps your artwork happens in a setting not usually recognized by an academic framework; if you are a drummer in a rock band and that informs your work in dance, or if you sing in a gospel choir and that informs your work in poetry, you may share samples from these contexts. 

Work Samples and Descriptions

You may submit up to 10 work samples, including any of the following formats: video, audio, writing, images. You do not have to submit 10 samples, fewer is fine. You may submit a maximum of two time-based work samples (sound and/or video) and two creative writing samples. With your writing and time-based samples (sound and/or video), longer is not necessarily better. You can show us your best work by creating a succinct excerpt. 

Each of the following counts as one work sample: 

• 1 image (Maximum 10 samples of this type)
• 1 video/audio clip, no more than 2-5 minutes in length (Maximum 2 samples of this type)
• Up to 10 pages of double-spaced creative writing (Maximum 2 samples of this type)

For example, you may upload 10 images (which equals 10 work samples). You may alternatively upload a range of mediums; for instance, 6 images (6 work samples) + 10 pages of writing (1 work sample) + 2 video clips (2 work samples). You may include fewer than 10 work samples. 

You have the opportunity to add brief descriptions to each portfolio (under 50 words). You may also optionally include an explanation of your work (up to 250 words).

Short Answer Questions

When you are finished uploading materials to your portfolio, you will submit the BA+BFA Application Supplement Form through your Oberlin applicant portal. This form confirms that your portfolio is finalized and also has several short answer questions for you to complete (100-250 words each).

What artists, movements, cultural experiences, and/or personal experiences inspire your work? 
This prompt is an opportunity to convey what kinds of art you like to make or do, including performance, painting, writing, music, filmmaking, etc. Tell us about your experience, and where your work is coming from. Where do you draw inspiration, and what influences your work? You may name specific artists or art movements, or you can tell us about personal experiences or communities that drive your artistic practices. Tell us about the art that you make. 

How do you envision the BA+BFA in Integrated Arts supporting the expansion and growth in your work? What is your vision for the work you hope to create in the coming years? What does “integrated arts” mean to you? 
At Oberlin, we believe the phrase “integrated arts” refers to the integration of artistic disciplines (music, theater, dance, art, cinema, studio arts, creative writing, etc.), and/or to the integration of creative practice with intellectual studies (for instance, making paintings about cultural histories, or creative writing related to political studies, or creating theater that integrates studies in sociology or psychology). This prompt is an opportunity to tell us about how different disciplines merge in your artistic vision, and how you hope to grow in the BA+BFA program. You can tell us how you imagine working collaboratively in the future, while learning to engage with multiple mediums.

Optional - Description of Your Work Samples 
This is your space to tell us what we are looking at, as if you were sitting with us and showing us your work for the first time. You may use this space to simply list the titles, mediums, and years these pieces were made. You may also use this space to explain to us how you got involved in your practice, be it theater, filmmaking, writing graphic novels, practicing capoeira, or drawing (or anything else!). 

Frequently Asked Questions