The Annual Student Exhibition is an academic capstone event offering PAFA’s emerging artists the opportunity to curate, install, and sell their own work in America’s first art museum. All images © PAFA
100% of students receive merit scholarships; Fall ’21 applications are open
Finding an art college that best fits your desires and wallet can be challenging. Studio arts training should provide the foundational skills, intellectual context, discipline, and creativity needed for a lifelong pursuit of making art. An art-school experience that supports student development through curriculum, highly-mentored education, training in the business of being an artist, and access to a world-class museum sounds like an unattainable dream. Adding financial support and flexibility to the list makes it seem impossible. Making the impossible possible for student-artists is the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) mission.
PAFA educates artists worldwide to be innovative makers and critical thinkers, to cultivate a deep understanding of traditions, and the ability to engage with and to challenge contemporary trends. Fall 2021 will be back in person at PAFA, and rolling admissions means you still have time to join. Several programs and degrees including the PENN BFA (a coordinated Bachelor of Fine Arts with the University of Pennsylvania pairs PAFA’s fine arts studio training with an Ivy League degree from one of the most distinguished universities).
This specialized and unique art college educates the most committed and promising students from around the world. They study animation, drawing, illustration, painting, printmaking, and sculpture with a distinguished faculty of working artists. PAFA’s national prestige, cutting-edge studio and classroom facilities, private studios, a historic cast collection, and the opportunity to exhibit and study in the museum create an incubator for the next generation of artists. PAFA’s close-knit community (a 7:1 student-to-faculty ratio) is evident upon meeting admissions counselors and throughout the enrollment process.
100% of PAFA students receive merit scholarships up to $20,000, determined by the quality of a prospective student’s application and portfolio. In addition to the reasonable tuition rates, PAFA offers financial aid and assistance options for eligible students.
Picture Yourself at PAFA
Learn more about the admissions process, request information, schedule a one-on-one information session, and start your application today. Contact the office of admissions at 215-972-7625 or [email protected].
PAFA’s famous cast collections of antique and Renaissance sculpture have been part of the curriculum for nearly 200 years. Technical abilities and a deep appreciation of drawing as a visual language are encouraged at all levels.