Summer Start Priority Deadline: April 1 Standard Deadline: May 1
For scholarship consideration, please submit your application by the priority deadline. If you wish to apply and be considered after the deadline, please contact Graduate Admissions at 617.349.8300 or email luadmissions@lesley.edu to discuss a late application.
Create an account and password before you start your application. You can stop and save your application, and return to complete it later.
Apply online for Summer 2025
You'll need to submit the following supporting materials.
You can send the documents separately, but we won't be able to make an admissions decision until we've received everything.
Have each institution where you earned an undergraduate or graduate degree send us your official transcript.
If your transcript is not in English, provide a notarized translation of it.
If you’re enrolled in a degree program when you apply, submit your transcript of the courses you’ve taken to date. Submit your final official transcript once you’ve completed the degree program.
appstatus@lesley.edu or
Lesley University Graduate Admissions Services 29 Everett Street Cambridge, MA 02138
A credential evaluation helps us understand the courses you’ve taken, the grades you’ve earned, or the degree you’ve received from an institution outside the United States.
Get an independent credential evaluation of your transcripts to determine U.S. equivalency.
You’ll need a document-by-document evaluation. Exception: Expressive Therapies master's degree programs require a course-by-course evaluation instead.
Contact one of these agencies to get your credentials evaluated.
If you’re submitting a foreign academic credential evaluation, unofficial transcripts are acceptable for your transcript requirement if official transcripts were provided to the evaluation agency.
Include 2 recent recommendations from people you’ve worked with closely in an academic or professional setting.
Both recommendations should come from people who are familiar with your studio practice.
If you’re in school, or are a recent graduate, one recommendation should be from a professor and it should address your writing and art-making skills.
We don’t accept recommendations written by friends or family, or that were written more 2 years before your application date.
Within your online application form, include the names and emails of the people writing your letters of recommendation. They'll receive an email from you with an electronic recommendation form, and they can upload a letter if they choose.
We want you to be successful in your program. If your native language is not English, we require that you provide proof of your English proficiency.
You can show your proficiency in one of these ways:
Duolingo English Test
TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)
IELTS (International English Language Testing System)
Official Cambridge English Exam
English as a Second Language (ESL) Program Partnerships We have partnered with several language schools to help you meet the English requirement. Complete the curriculum at one of the schools, at the specified level. Then, get a letter from the program coordinator or teacher. The letter should explain that your English is proficient for college-level study. Here are our partner schools and levels we require:
English Language Requirement Waiver If English is not your native language, but you’ve graduated from a school or program that was taught in English, you may qualify to have the language requirement waived. If it’s not noted on your transcript, request a letter from your high school, college, or university stating your language of instruction was English.
Your written personal statement gives us insight into your motivation, purpose in pursuing a degree program, writing skills, and communication style. It’s an important part of our review process.
Write a 500–750 word maximum personal statement.
Your personal statement should discuss your work, and the art issues and ideas that your work addresses, including:
Submit your written personal statement in Slideroom.
Show your art education and work experience, exhibitions and awards, publications, and other relevant professional experience on your résumé. Submit your résumé in Slideroom.
As an MFA in Visual Arts applicant, you'll need to submit a digital portfolio as part of your application.
Think of your portfolio as an exhibition. We’re interested in seeing a cohesive body of your work that indicates clear authorship and intent.