About Master’s Program,
The MFA program provides a rigorous and demanding educational environment appropriate to the needs of strongly motivated students.
Participants are chosen for the program on the basis of work that indicates high artistic individuality, achievement, and promise. Candidates should embody the intellectual curiosity and broad interests appropriate to, and best served by, work and study within the University context.
The non medium-specific program provides a demanding curriculum and encourages experimental and innovative integration of media and interdisciplinary approach to art-making informed by contemporary theory, criticism and broader culture. The small program facilitates intimate interaction between peers and with the faculty in an intellectual community, and affords a wealth of professional experience in teaching art at the highest academic level via teaching assistantships and solo teaching of undergraduate courses.
Master’s Program Degree Eligibility with GPA,
The applicant must have a BA, BFA, or BS from an accredited school. The applicant is expected to have a strong background in art practice, either an undergraduate degree or at least three years of independent studio practice. Students accepted to the program are admitted for the beginning of the following autumn quarter. No applicants for mid-year entrance are considered.
The student is expected to pass four formal academic reviews conducted by the faculty. The purpose of these reviews is to evaluate development and assess the student’s progress.
At the end of the first quarter, any student judged to be making inadequate progress is placed on probation and requires an additional review at the end of the second quarter.
At the end of the third quarter, at which the recommendation to proceed to the second year is determined.
At the start of the fifth quarter. If the review is unsatisfactory, the student is placed on probation and an additional review is scheduled at the end of the fifth quarter.
At the time of the MFA exhibition.
Master’s Funding Coverage,
Through a combination of fellowship funds and teaching assistantships, each Art Practice graduate student normally receives an aid package that includes tuition and salary, as well as small materials grants. Additional information about graduate financial aid, including a student budget and tuition calculator, is available at financialaid.stanford.edu/grad.
Application Requirement,
- Letters of Recommendation: Three letters of recommendation are required. The department does not accept applicant recommendation via a letter service (i.e. Interfolio or other service). It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that letters are submitted to the electronic application by the published deadline. Please only submit three letters.
- Transcripts: Upload a scanned copy of your official transcript(s) with the online application. Applicants must upload transcripts from every post-secondary institution attended as a full-time student and for at least one academic year. Transcripts from current degree programs also need to be submitted.
- Statement of Purpose: You must indicate in the first sentence of your SOP the name of the program to which you are applying and the area you wish to study (e.g., MFA in Art Practice–Painting). The Statement of Purpose should describe succinctly your reasons for applying to the proposed program at Stanford, your preparation for this field of study, research interests, future career plans, and other aspects of your background and interests which may aid the admissions committee in evaluating your aptitude and motivation for graduate study. The Statement of Purpose should not exceed two pages.
- Application Fee: The application fee $125, is non-refundable, and must be received by the application deadline (fee waivers are available to eligible students. Please see Graduate Fee Waiversfor more information). The Department does not offer fee waivers outside of the process at the Graduate Fee Waivers Please do not contact the department requesting to waive the application fee.
- GRE Scores: Graduate Record Exam (GRE) General Test is no longer required for admission to the Department of Art & Art History.
- TOEFL Scores: Required when first language is not English; IELTS is not accepted. Please note that the department can NOT waive the TOEFL requirement. If you wish to submit a request for TOEFL waiver, please see GRE and TOEFL Requirements. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that the scores are submitted to the electronic application by the published deadline.(Note: To bypass the entry of TOEFL scores in the application, enter a future test date. You can add in the additional information section of the application that you have received a waiver from Graduate Admissions.)
Please note all application materials, once submitted as part of your application, become the property of Stanford University. Materials, including your portfolio, will not be returned and copies will not be provided for applicants nor released to other institutions. Please keep a copy for your records. Re-applicants must submit new supporting documents and complete the online graduate application.
Application Deadline,
Dec 01, 2025
Application Fee,
The application fee $125, is non-refundable,
