National Portfolio Days are free, public events held in multiple locations across the United States, Canada and Europe. Students participate in portfolio reviews to prepare for college and university at the undergraduate or graduate level. Parents, counselors, teachers and educators are invited to join National Portfolio Days to learn more about member schools and the programs that they offer.

National Portfolio Day is an opportunity to be inspired, gain advice on how to improve or present your portfolio, and experience a small taste of what it’s like to attend a professional art or design program.

View the NPDA Event Code of Conduct

The National Portfolio Day Association (NPDA) was established in 1978 solely for the organization and planning of National Portfolio Day events. 

Today, the Association continues this work and has broadened its mission to provide support to professionals advising students on portfolio development for college/university admission. 

Consisting of more than 100 post-secondary institutions that hold regional accreditation and accreditation from the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD), or its equivalent, NPDA is the only organization of its
kind and its membership represents the highest standard of visual arts education available in the world.

For more information

Visit nationalportfolioday.org

Portfolios can be physical or presented digitally. If bringing a digital portfolio student needs to supply a laptop, tablet, or printed pieces to present to reviewers. We recommend that you include a range of your work, up to 10-12 pieces. Often times, schools are interested to learn your process and method of thinking, so not all work needs to be finished, and works in progress are also welcome. Most portfolio reviews are 10-15 minutes in length.

Alfred University School of Art and Design – Alfred, NY
Arcadia University – Glenside, PA
Art Academy of Cincinnati - Cincinnati, OH
ArtCenter College of Design - Pasadena, CA
California College of the Arts CCA - San Francisco, CA
California Institute of the Arts - Valencia, CA
Cleveland Institute of Art - Cleveland, OH
Columbus College of Art & Design – Columbus, OH
Drexel University, Westphal College of Media Arts & Design - Philadelphia, PA
Fashion Institute of Technology – New York, NY
Ferris State University's Kendall College of Art and Design - Grand Rapids, MI
Hartford Art School, University of Hartford – Hartford, CT
Kansas City Art Institute - Kansas City, MO
Kean University – Union, NJ
Kutztown University - Kutztown, PA
Laguna College of Art + Design – Laguna Beach, CA
Lesley Art & Design - Cambridge, MA
Maine College of Art & Design – Portland, ME
Maryland Institute College of Art – Baltimore, MD
Massachusetts College of Art and Design – Boston, MA
Minneapolis College of Art and Design - Minneapolis, MN
Montserrat College of Art-Admissions - Beverly, MA
Moore College of Art and Design – Philadelphia, PA
New Jersey Institute of Technology – Newark, NJ
New York School of Interior Design – New York, NY
OCAD University – Toronto, ON
Otis College of Art and Design – Los Angeles, CA
Parsons School of Design and Parsons Paris at The New School – New York, NY
Pennsylvania College of Art & Design – Lancaster, PA
Pratt Institute – Brooklyn, NY
Rhode Island School of Design – Providence, RI
Ringling College of Art & Design – Sarasota, FL
RIT College of Art and Design – Rochester, NY
Rowan University – Glassboro, NJ
School of the Art Institute of Chicago – Chicago, IL
School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University – Medford, MA
School of Visual Arts – New York, NY
Syracuse University College of Visual and Performing Arts – Syracuse, NY
The Cooper Union – New York, NY
Tyler School of Art and Architecture, Temple University – Philadelphia, PA
University of Illinois – Chicago, IL
Virginia Commonwealth University VCUarts – Richmond, VA
WashU Sam Fox School – St. Louis, MO