Admissions FAQ

To request a viewbook, complete this form and we’ll mail one to you.

You can schedule a virtual appointment or phone appointment with an admissions counselor and discuss your portfolio. To schedule, see our admissions portal or call 310.665.6820. National Portfolio Day events will be both in-person and virtual for the 2022-23 season. Otis will attend all virtual events and most in-person Portfolio Days. To view a list of National Portfolio Day events, see National Portfolio Day.

While SAT/ACTs test scores are not required for admission, students have the option to submit them with the rest of their application materials. If you are an international student you will be required to submit a TOEFL, IELTS, Pearson PTE, Duolingo or an SAT/ACT test score to evaluate your proficiency in English.

Otis College does not require specific courses to be fulfilled to gain admission. However, all students are required to meet the requirements for high school graduation before enrolling at the College.

You can view a list of the credits that we accept for credit at https://www.otis.edu/transfer.

Letters of recommendation are not required with your application, but you have the option to submit them with your application materials. 

Otis College accepts the Common App for first-year (freshman) applicants. You can add us to your list of colleges by going to https://www.otis.edu/commonapp. 

All portfolios will be reviewed digitally on SlideRoom. Because we aren’t viewing your work in person, it is helpful for us if you use the description boxes to let us know important things about your work like the size, medium, and any critical information about understanding the content of the piece.

Official transcripts should be sent in sealed envelopes to Otis College of Art and Design, Attn: Admissions, 9045 Lincoln Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90045. If your school is sending them via email directly to us, they should send to admissions@otis.edu. We also accept official transcripts via Parchment/Common App. You can request that test scores are sent directly from the testing agency or from your school with your official transcript.

If earned a GED instead of a diploma, you’ll need to submit an official copy of your GED score, as well as official High School transcripts for any schools you may have attended.

Admitted students are permitted to defer their acceptance for up to one year. To defer your acceptance, email admissions@otis.edu and state the term that you would like to defer your application to.

Students at Otis College have a variety of ways to tailor their curriculum to their individual interests through their chosen major. While we don’t have double-majors, we have 17 Minors which allow for a customized educational experience in a range of disciplines.

In the second semester of the Foundation year (first-year), students will select their major after attending Foundation Forward, an event to help you finalize your major selection. In some cases, based on space availability, enrollment in a specific academic major, area of emphasis, or minor is not guaranteed; students may be subject to academic review by GPA, additional portfolio or other entrance requirements.  Such requirements will be published on the Otis website prior to open registration for the following semester.

While there isn’t a specific deadline to be considered for merit scholarships, funds are limited so we recommend that you submit your application for admission by the Priority Deadline of March 2nd. U.S. Citizens and permanent residents that would like to be considered for financial aid will also need to submit the FAFSA at studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa using school code 001251. International applicants should submit the CSS Profile at https://cssprofile.collegeboard.org. U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents are also considered for our Otis Diversity Scholarship when they submit the FAFA and have self-reported race/ethnicity data from the online application. 

You have to be enrolled as a full-time student in order to receive any merit-based scholarships or financial aid. This would mean maintaining a schedule of at least 12 credits.

At Otis College, we have both work-study positions in the school as well as opportunities for our students to participate in internships. We have an annual intern fair where we invite companies from a variety of creative professions to meet our students and discuss internship opportunities. 80% of our internships are paid positions and many of our students have found that internships can lead to permanent positions after graduation.

Yes! We opened a new Residence Hall on campus starting fall 2016. The new facility has both single and double rooms, study lounges, a dining hall, cafe, a new student center and much more. Otis also offers housing in the Park West Apartments located across the street from campus. For more information, check out our housing page at https://www.otis.edu/housing-residence-life/residence-hall.

No, the College has a number of ways of supporting students to access the city of Los Angeles as well as the local Westside neighborhoods. This includes everything from public transportation and short-term car rentals. Also, the campus has comprehensive amenities such as a dining hall and art store, with grocery stores and eateries in easy walking distance to campus.

The MFA Graphic Design program is summer entry only.

The program begins in summer, followed by fall, spring and another summer semester to complete the MFA program in 14 months. Because of its accelerated nature, we do not offer any of this program online. 

Yes, graduate students attending full-time can apply for on-campus student housing. More information is available on the Residence Life page at https://www.otis.edu/housing-residence-life.

Otis graduate students typically fund their education through a combination of scholarship, financial aid, student loans and part-time work. Graduate departments award scholarships based on merit. These scholarships vary in amount and graduate scholarships do not provide full funding. The College offers on-campus work for pre-approved students. These positions vary and include: teaching assistantships, researching assistantships, tutoring, as well as assisting departments with office work, tours and special events.

The admissions office provides daily one-on-one counseling for student interested in the graduate programs. Register for an appointment here. We also hold MFA Info Sessions which offer a broad overview of each program with information about how to apply. Register for an info session here.

If you are interested in taking a few classes and not earning a degree, please take a look at the courses offered through Extension.