Undergraduate Application Process

Undergraduate Application Process

First Year Student Application Overview

Student in class working on a laptop

Welcome to UConn's Department of Digital Media & Design! We are excited to meet prospective students and invite them to learn more about our DMD program!

First-year application to the UConn School of Fine Arts as a Digital Media Design (DMD) major involves three simple steps:

Step 1. Research and Choose Your Degree & Campus

• Degree:
» B.A. in Digital Media Design (no portfolio required)
» B.F.A. in Digital Media Design (portfolio required)
• Campus:
» Select either Storrs or Stamford

The DMD major is highly competitive, especially at the Storrs campus. If you’re not admitted to your first-choice campus, you’ll have the option to be considered for the DMD major at the other campus as a second-choice. To ensure full consideration, be sure to check the appropriate box and also select DMD as your second-choice major for the alternate campus in the Common or Coalition Application.

Step 2. Submit Your University of Connecticut Application

Complete AND submit one of the following online applications:
» Common Application 

» Coalition Application
Be sure to select Digital Media Design (BFA or BA) and your first choice campus (and second choice degree and/or campus, if desired) within the UConn application.

Only one of these applications is required. For more info, visit the Undergraduate Admissions Office.

If you are a B.A. applicant, you are done! You do not need to proceed to Step 3.

Step 3. Portfolio Submission via Slideroom (B.F.A. applicants only)

Portfolio review is a vital part of B.F.A. admissions. Your B.F.A. application isn’t complete until both items have been uploaded to Slideroom. Submit the following:

1. One-Minute Video:
» Tell us your story: Why DMD? Why UConn?
» File formats: .mov | .mp4 | .wmv
» We judge substance, not production quality.
2. Creative Portfolio
» Up to 60 MB of your strongest work: digital art, photography, animation, film/video,
code samples, writing, mixed media, etc. Combine or compress files if needed.

For detailed portfolio requirements, please review the next section.


Detailed Portfolio Requirements (B.F.A. applicants only)

Both the portfolio requirements below are to be uploaded to the media section of Slideroom

Students Collaborating

1. Create a 1-minute video that tells your personal story of engagement with, and affinity for, Digital Media and Design. Share your thoughts and reflections about the digital medium
and why UConn is the place for you to advance your studies. We ask that you produce
your video as simply as possible (use a smartphone or webcam) and keep the focus on
you - we want to meet you and get to know more about you through your video. Your
video will be judged on substance (what you have to say), not on production values (how
you shoot or edit) so don’t worry about making the most professional video. Instead, focus
on making a video that tells your personal story. Also, we will watch only 60-seconds of
your video so running longer than 1-minute will not help your application. The file format
for all video submissions should be: .mov, .mp4, or .wmv.

2. Upload a creative portfolio: A portfolio is a collection of your strongest
creative work that represents you - your artistic interests and experiences in art, digital
media, design, and related areas. It should contain the best creative work you have made
including: films/videos, animations, digital imaging, traditional art (drawings, paintings,
photography, sculpture, mixed media), web design, creative blogs, writing samples, and
even creative project work in math, science, technology, business, theater, music, or other
areas. The total file size limit is 60MB for your portfolio upload. Compress or zip your files
prior to uploading if you think you may exceed that limit.

- Five or more samples of creative work in various media

  • For each, please add these captions:
    • Title of Work: (required)
    • Medium: (required)
    • Description (list your role if collaborative): (required)

Provide up to 7 files/ items. Your portfolio can include process work with more than one image on an individual item.

Size limits: Images (up to 10MB each), Video (up to 500MB each), Audio (up to 60MB each), PDFs (up to 20MB each), Models (Sketchfab) and Other Types (.doc, .docx, .rtf, .xls, .zip, .ppt and .pptx) (up to 20MB each). You may also link to media from YouTube, Vimeo and SoundCloud.

We DO NOT accept physical items such as USB drives – only digital files uploaded to
SLIDEROOM: https://uconnadmissions.slideroom.com

IMPORTANT NOTE: Only applicant portfolios that have been submitted through Slideroom, in accordance with the deadlines indicated, will be considered for admission into the B.F.A. in Digital Media Design program for the following fall semester. Portfolios received outside of these processes or after the indicated deadlines will NOT be considered. We do not schedule private review sessions.

B.A. DISCLAIMER:
Note: Students accepted into DMD’s B.A. degree program (i.e. do not submit a SlideRoom portfolio) will ONLY be eligible to request a change to the B.F.A. in Digital Media Design degree if there is (1) they apply to the B.F.A. in Digital Media Design and submit a portfolio for review at the end of their first year and (2) there is available space in their desired B.F.A. concentration. There is no guarantee there will be space in your desired B.F.A. concentration.


New England Regional Student Eligibility

The University of Connecticut participates in the New England Regional Student Program. The New England Board of Higher Education provides New England residents with a tuition reduction when they pursue certain majors at New England public colleges and universities. Due to its unique nature, UConn’s BFA & BA in Digital Media Design degrees are approved degree programs. Students from Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont are eligible for a significant discount on out-of-state tuition (175% of UConn's in-state tuition cost) when they choose Digital Media Design as their major at UConn.


Deadlines

ALL FIRST-YEAR APPLICANTS to Digital Media & Design: 

  • November 1, 2025 - Early Decision application Deadline
  • December 1, 2025 - Priority First Year application deadline for Merit & Honors consideration
  • January 15, 2026 - Deadline for Common/Coalition Application and B.F.A. portfolio uploaded to Slideroom
  • February 15, 2026 - FAFSA Deadline for Financial Eligibility
  • Early March 2026 - Admissions decision notifications begin and Financial Aid packages released

ADDITIONAL DATES FOR STAMFORD APPLICANTS ONLY:
• March 1, 2026 - Students interested in living in UConn Stamford’s residential facility are advised to complete the admissions application in order to receive a decision and apply for housing before the April 1 Stamford housing deadline.
• April 1, 2026 - Stamford housing deadline.
• May 1, 2026 - General Regional Campus Application Deadline*

*Regional Admission decisions are made on a rolling basis. NOTE: Stamford DMD applicants are highly encouraged to meet the Jan. 15, 2026 deadline in order to ensure placement, scholarship, and housing opportunities.


 

Other Info2019 Design Thinking

Please Note:  All students are required to come to class with an appropriate portable computer.  Please see the specifications here.

All interested students may contact the University Admissions Office for more information at BeAHusky@uconn.edu or at (860) 486-3137.