Admission into the NAS BFA is competitive, with selection based on an interview process and portfolio assessment.
Interviews and portfolio evaluations are held on campus in the first week of December.
Upon submitting your completed application to UAC and provided you meet the educational requirements for admission, you will be contacted and notified of the time and date of your interview by NAS Student Services via email and/or post.
Students unable to attend an interview (e.g. interstate or overseas applicants) may apply using PowerPoint, digital files, transcripts of previous training results and photographic documentation. Please discuss this with Student Services as soon as possible.
How it works
The interview panel consists of two members of NAS academic staff. They will ask you a range of questions relating to your interest in the arts, your portfolio, and your reasons for applying to study at NAS. You can also ask the panel any course-related questions you might have.
What to bring
A typed personal statement: (500-1000 words in length) addressing the following points:
- Why you are interested in studying at NAS
- What you hope to achieve from studying at NAS
- Exhibitions you have seen or participated in during the past 12 months
- Your other cultural interests e.g. films, theatre, music, literature
- An outline of your current art practice and interests
Your portfolio consisting of:
- Minimum of 12 recently completed works
- Relevant support material such as drawings, maquettes, sketchbooks and visual diaries.
How to prepare your portfolio
Putting together a strong portfolio is one of the most important parts of your application, so it’s worth spending time on it to best showcase your work and your interests. We have lots of helpful suggestions you can follow.
Download our portfolio advice guidelines here.
Have a look at the National Art School’s new video to guide your portfolio preparation and answer your questions. It offers specific guidance about which artworks to include, how many, how to present them, and much more, plus useful tips for making your portfolio stand out.
Portfolio Development Opportunities
NAS offers Portfolio Development days, where students are invited to bring along their portfolio and receive personalised feedback. You can also bring it along to the portfolio booth at our annual Open Day event in September. See our events page for dates.
NAS also hosts a number of programs to assist students in developing their art practice during their final years of high school including the HSC Intensive Program, Dobell Drawing School and Art Club.
See our Education Outreach pages for the next course dates.