The Portfolio

Author: Antje Lehn (Red)

At art universities, applicants are expected to submit a selection of artistic works, so-called portfolios. We offer some tips on how portfolios can be made and the expectations behind them.

Depending on the field of study, different requirements apply for the course. Which is why the individual steps of the application process are also different for each subject. At the Academy, there are single-stage and multi-stage procedures. Multi-stage means that a selection is made in the first round. Only some of the applicants are admitted to the next round of the procedure. Before applying, you should find out how the different application procedures work.

After the online registration, the portfolio is the most important element of the admission test. This portfolio should contain a selection of your artistic work; it helps the teachers to get to know your working methods better. In some subjects, there is also a thematic assignment that must be completed and submitted. Finally, there is an interview.

Some institutes also offer information sessions on the admission process and portfolio advice.

The photos in this article are film stills from the "Academy Album" project by Amina Handke. These film episodes were created on the occasion of the 325th anniversary of the Academy of Fine Arts. This episode is called: Zulassungsprüfung/Admission Examination. The video is from 2017, so some of the content is no longer up to date. Today, portfolios are submitted digitally at some institutes.

Here you find the Filmclip

Academy Album, Episode 16 , 2017