MFA Application Process
The SFU Faculty of Graduate Studies application portal for prospective students is set to open on October 1, 2025.
The SCA’s Internal MFA deadline is January 15, 2026.
Process
Applicants should have an undergraduate degree in visual culture, art history, cinema studies, performance studies, cultural studies, communications, literary studies, or other degrees focusing on the arts. Applications with Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees that include substantial scholarly studies will also qualify.
All applicants who submit complete applications will be notified of their status by the end of March. Candidates accepted into the MFA program will begin their courses in September.
Please be sure that your mailing and e-mail addresses are current, as you will be notified of application results by e-mail and by letter.
The only hardcopy documents we need to receive are your official sealed transcripts, please submit everything else online.
A COMPLETE APPLICATION REQUIRES:
1. Online Application for Graduate Studies.
ALL CANDIDATES MUST COMPLETE AN ONLINE APPLICATION
If you have not submitted the online application, you will not be considered for the program. All graduate program applications are processed through Faculty of Graduate Studies. In order to use the online application system, you will need to pay an application fee of $90 CAN (students with Canadian transcripts) or $125 CAN (students with international transcripts) by credit card (MasterCard or Visa). The online application includes a checklist of the documents that you will need to submit to us to support your application. This checklist will be updated online as we receive your documents. Please refer to the online checklist to ensure that all documents are received. NOTE: Due to the number of applications, it is not possible for us to monitor every applicant’s checklist closely.
2. Official sealed Transcripts of all post-secondary education. Sealed transcripts should be sent directly to the address below by the academic institution. Non-English language transcripts must include an official English translation. (For the purposes of lowering costs, unofficial transcripts may be uploaded to an application for review. If an offer of acceptance is given, all official sealed transcripts will be required.)
Faculty of Graduate Studies
Maggie Benston Student Services Centre 1100
Simon Fraser University
8888 University Drive
Burnaby, British Columbia
Canada V5A 1S6
3. A Curriculum Vitae.
4. An Artist’s Statement indicating your background and the nature of your creative practice, including primary discipline and any interdisciplinary interest. Your goals in pursuing a Master’s degree at Simon Fraser would also be of interest to the committee.
5. Three short scenarios (150-200 words each) of Artistic Projects you might undertake during graduate study. These will not necessarily evolve into your major project, but should indicate the creative directions you wish to pursue and your conceptual clarity.
6. A Portfolio of your work, including a list which prioritizes the viewing/listening order of materials. You may upload video, audio, images, or PDF documents (less than 10 Mb each). Unfortunately, we are unable to accept physical media (DVDs, CDs, etc.). For works that involve a creation and production team, please make your role (Director, Choreographer, etc.) clear.
7. A sample of Academic Writing. Acceptable samples include senior undergraduate essays or other academic writing, published articles, and grant applications.
8. Three (3) Letters of Reference from (preferably) academic or professional sources. Letters can be uploaded online directly by each reference. He or she will receive login information and instructions for uploading his or her letter once you have named him or her as a reference.
We do not have a template for reference letters; your referees can use their preferred format.
9. International students: English is the language of instruction and communication at SFU. The School for Contemporary Arts requires English proficiency as outlined on the Faculty of Graduate Studies website. Please note that we must receive test results directly from the testing agency. Copies of documents sent directly by students will not be accepted.
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