Visual Art

Canadian citizens and permanent residents; meet one named entry category, plus programme prerequisites

• Canadian citizens and those with permanent residence status in Canada are eligible for admission to Academic programs if they meet one of the following conditions:
• graduation from a BC secondary school, or equivalent, with a minimum “C” grade in either English Studies 12 or English First Peoples 12;
• previous degree from a recognized university;
• visiting student from a college or university (a “Letter of Permission” from the home institution is required);
• a transfer student from a college or university (at least 24 transferable university-level credits completed);
• academic mature student category: 21 years of age (or will turn 21 during their first semester) and has a minimum “C” grade in either English Studies 12 or English First Peoples 12.

Spring 2027 domestic and Fall 2027 domestic/international first-year applicants; not upper-level studio admission

• Submit a digital portfolio and letter of intent. The listed 2027 intakes waive the interview requirement.
• Spring 2027 portfolio and letter: December 1, 2026. Fall 2027 portfolio and letter: July 31, 2027.

Domestic (Canadian); entry Jan 5, 2027; Nanaimo

• Accepting Late Applications: Yes
• Testing Required: No
• Document Deadline: Portfolio: Submit Portfolio electronically and letter of intent by December 1, 2026, for the Spring 2027 program. INTERVIEWS ARE NOT REQUIRED for this program, as this requirement has been waived.

Domestic (Canadian); entry Sep 7, 2027; Nanaimo

• Accepting Late Applications: No
• Document Deadline: Portfolio: Submit Portfolio electronically and letter of intent by July 31, 2027, for the Fall 2027 program. INTERVIEWS ARE NOT REQUIRED for this program, as this requirement has been waived.

International; entry Sep 7, 2027; Nanaimo

• Accepting Late Applications: Yes
• Document Deadline: Portfolio: Submit Portfolio electronically and letter of intent by July 31, 2027, for the Fall 2027 program. INTERVIEW IS NOT REQUIRED.

First-year Visual Art applicants

• Upload artwork images through VIU SlideRoom; if unable to use it, email the digital portfolio to the programme chair.
• Artwork may include completed pieces, work in progress and sketchbooks. No fixed item count or letter length is published on the reviewed department page.
• A feedback meeting with an instructor is optional; it is not the waived admission interview.

Applicants to 200-level or higher studio courses only

• Submit a portfolio to the Art and Design review committee by March 15. This is separate from the first-year 2027 portfolio deadlines.

Canadian citizens and Canadian permanent residents seeking Academic programmes

• The public Academic policy recognizes BC secondary graduation or equivalent with at least C in English Studies 12 or English First Peoples 12; a prior degree from a recognized university; or transfer status with at least 24 completed transferable university-level credits. A visiting student instead requires a home-institution Letter of Permission and is not thereby admitted to a degree.
• These are general Academic categories. Programme-specific entry still applies, including separate third-year entry requirements in Education, Criminology, Child and Youth Care and Tourism Management. International students follow the separately linked international policy, which is not certified here. No held grade or programme minimum is changed.

Canadian citizens and permanent residents aged 21, or turning 21 during the first semester

• The Academic mature category also requires at least C in English Studies 12 or English First Peoples 12. Individual course prerequisites and programme requirements still apply. The different age 19 rule for Trades/Applied Technology is not applied to these Academic degrees.

Students who do not meet a general Academic admission category

• An applicant may take academic classes as an Unclassified Undergraduate after BC secondary graduation/equivalent, or at age 19 or turning 19 in the first semester. Students must meet each course prerequisite.
• Unclassified status does not admit the student to a specific university programme. Registration follows other Academic programme students and course availability is limited. It does not promise subsequent programme admission.

Applicants seeking Academic admission on a previous recognized university degree

• Applicants admitted on a previous degree must still satisfy course prerequisites. In most cases a secondary-school transcript is also required to confirm those prerequisites. This route does not itself certify entry to a programme with separate admission criteria.