MFA 2026 Freak out Forum

[Indigoshale]

2 minutes ago, pisschristdad said:

damn ok i assume it’s rejection for me then? 

It's not over till you receive notification in the portal. A lot of state schools have people who apply strategically and want to leverage the acceptance and funding into more money from somewhere else. So there's always a chance

[pisschristdad]

3 minutes ago, Indigoshale said:

It's not over till you receive notification in the portal. A lot of state schools have people who apply strategically and want to leverage the acceptance and funding into more money from somewhere else. So there's always a chance

this is true i slurpose…ty. also i just emailed the assistant graduate director of the program and they said they hadn’t heard anything about acceptances/waitlists/rejections 😭 

[orangeorangecake]

1 hour ago, artschoolfrenzy said:

Does anyone have any experience on interviewing at Goldsmiths? I saw on past years threads that they were confrontational and just want to know what to expect. Thanks! 

I attended yesterday, and they were really chill. But I got a bit tongue-tied when presenting my portfolio and didn't perform well. I saw on a UK student forum that someone got accepted even after a poor interview performance. So don't worry.

[orangeorangecake]

 just received an update from the UPenn Weitzman application portal—no interview means it's definitely rejected.

[bubamara]

If it is useful, I got acceptance offers as a painting applicant to UT Austin, Rutgers, and UGA. 

[Yoasianguy]

1 hour ago, bubamara said:

If it is useful, I got acceptance offers as a painting applicant to UT Austin, Rutgers, and UGA. 

Congratulations!!!

Edited March 5 by Yoasianguy

[sillypersimmon.21]

Curious if anyone has heard from University of Washington, UCI or USC?

[Cclaura]

4 hours ago, bubamara said:

If it is useful, I got acceptance offers as a painting applicant to UT Austin, Rutgers, and UGA. 

Do you know where you’re going? 

[ferretpalace]

Curious if anyone on here got accepted to Yale for painting/printmaking?

[WHam]

41 minutes ago, ferretpalace said:

Curious if anyone on here got accepted to Yale for painting/printmaking?

They sent out results already

[mfadoom]

10 hours ago, artschoolfrenzy said:

Does anyone have any experience on interviewing at Goldsmiths? I saw on past years threads that they were confrontational and just want to know what to expect. Thanks! 

I had mine last week-- I did not find it to be confrontational at all and I'm a painter, which the rumor mill opines they 'hate'. They asked me to pick a piece in the portfolio to talk about, I picked one from a year ago, and when they said 'are you sure you don't want to talk about a newer piece' I explained why I wanted to use that one as a fulcrum for the newer pieces. I was worried that this wasn't what they wanted but I'm glad that I stood my ground. Then we talked about why I wanted to go there blah blah blah. We spent the last three minutes talking about 28 Years Later and then it was over lol. So to me-- totally fine and normal.

[waiting2026]

anyone heard back from columbia (moving image) post interview?

[marxista]

1 hour ago, waiting2026 said:

anyone heard back from columbia (moving image) post interview?

during my unofficial acceptance call, they said moving image photo and new genres (maybe they meant expanded practice) were being called that week

Edited March 6 by marxista

[waiting2026]

18 minutes ago, marxista said:

during my unofficial acceptance call, they said moving image photo and new genres (maybe they meant expanded practice) were being called that week

ohhh i see, thx for sharing🥲

[noplace]

Has anyone received an acceptance from columbia or hunter for painting? 

[ReamsOfPaper]

3 hours ago, noplace said:

Has anyone received an acceptance from columbia or hunter for painting? 

Not yet from Hunter.

[orangeorangecake]

Has anyone heard back from their CalArts interview? I probably won't be going, but it's still good to know the outcome.

[perchperkins]

Got my official RISD acceptance and financial aid offer in the portal (printmaking)! Not sure if the portal is updated for all mediums however but thought I should share 

[szarh15]

Waitlisted at RISD for painting! After only getting rejections, a waitlist at RISD feels so refreshing. Does it help my chances by emailing admissions/department chair expressing interest if a spot does open up? And what are the chances of getting off the waitlist?

Three schools down, four more to go

Brooklyn College - silence
UIC - silence
NCAD - silence
Pratt - interviewed 2/26
RISD - waitlisted
Hunter - rejected
Concordia - rejected

Edited March 6 by szarh15

[ceramics233]

5 minutes ago, perchperkins said:

Got my official RISD acceptance and financial aid offer in the portal (printmaking)! Not sure if the portal is updated for all mediums however but thought I should share 

I'm in ceramics and I also got my official letter and financial aid offer!

[5280stwu]

RISD is official! 😭 Got the email/portal update for D+M (Digital + Media) with a $40k fellowship + $2.5k assistantship! If you’re also heading to RISD or need any advice, feel free to reach out! Sending good vibes and luck to everyone! 🤞

[perchperkins]

8 minutes ago, 5280stwu said:

RISD is official! 😭 Got the email/portal update for D+M (Digital + Media) with a $40k fellowship + $2.5k assistantship! If you’re also heading to RISD or need any advice, feel free to reach out! Sending good vibes and luck to everyone! 🤞

I got basically the same package!! It was more than I was expecting 😭 I’m heading there in the fall for printmaking, I hope to see you there!

[marxista]

1 hour ago, 5280stwu said:

RISD is official! 😭 Got the email/portal update for D+M (Digital + Media) with a $40k fellowship + $2.5k assistantship! If you’re also heading to RISD or need any advice, feel free to reach out! Sending good vibes and luck to everyone! 🤞

That's incredible! I heard that program has gotten incredibly popular (6-8% get in, 12-14 enroll). I got rejected last year after interview (even though I work at RISD's admin) and secretly wish I was there now.

Edited March 6 by marxista

[tooold4artschool]

1 hour ago, szarh15 said:

Waitlisted at RISD for painting! After only getting rejections, a waitlist at RISD feels so refreshing. Does it help my chances by emailing admissions/department chair expressing interest if a spot does open up? And what are the chances of getting off the waitlist?

Three schools down, four more to go

Brooklyn College - silence
UIC - silence
NCAD - silence
Pratt - interviewed 2/26
RISD - waitlisted
Hunter - rejected
Concordia - rejected

Definitely worth reaching out to express interest/readiness.  Best case they can let you know where you stand on the list so you can make informed decisions.  Worst case they won't, but assuming the interaction is cordial, they'll think of you positively.  All that said, I don't think there are polls or % figures re. getting off the waitlist, but it seems like the % would be really low, like under 10%.  I was waitlisted at two programs last year, including my #1 choice, and never heard back from either.  That said, my advice: don't settle if you really want to go to RISD or somewhere else.  I was headed to my #4 choice school last year, before changing my mind, and even though I still don't know what I am doing this year, I haven't regretted the decision to wait.  Interestingly, all my mentors and friends who congratulated me last year when they thought I was going have since said that they are glad I didn't, and that I wouldn't have liked the program[?!]...which is what makes this faceless community a better option for unbiased advice sometimes.  

[Artart1212]

2 hours ago, orangeorangecake said:

Has anyone heard back from their CalArts interview? I probably won't be going, but it's still good to know the outcome.

Haven’t heard back yet.