Western University offers BA/BS in Visual Arts, a bachelor's degree in Visual Arts programme in London, Canada. Tuition for international students is CAD 47,493 per year (CAD 6,171 per year for local students).
At a glance
Degree:Bachelor's Degree
Field:Visual Arts
Local tuition: CAD 6,171 / year
International tuition: CAD 47,493 / year
Information for the 2027/28 academic year · Last reviewed September 2026 ·
Program details
Overview
Visual Arts at Western University is an undergraduate program leading to a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree through direct entry into the program. Instruction brings together studio practice and theoretical study, with courses taught by practicing artists who maintain active national and international exhibition profiles. Class sizes are kept small to allow for hands-on instruction across the program's facilities, which include dedicated drawing and painting studios, a photography lab, printmaking workshops, sculpture studios, and media labs housed at the John Labatt Visual Arts Centre. Admission is portfolio-based, with a separate process for students transferring in from within the university that includes a practicum component. The program suits students who identify as creative and artistically driven and who are looking for a studio-based fine arts education that can lead to a range of careers beyond working as a practicing artist.
Requirements
Admission Requirements: Direct-Entry BFA applicants apply through OUAC with an Ontario Secondary School Diploma including English (ENG4U) among six Grade 12U/M courses, meeting Western's general Arts & Humanities admission requirements; admission is competitive on the top-six average, published as an indicative guideline. On top of the academic requirement, all applicants must submit an online portfolio via SlideRoom by February 15: 12 pieces of recent artwork showing range across subject matter, approach, technique or media, with at least four pieces demonstrating sustained exploration of one idea, plus a typed personal statement of 250-500 words covering creative interests, influences and goals; digital video, audio and photographic work are accepted alongside traditional 2D/3D pieces. Portfolio review begins in January, and applicants who meet Western's admission criteria with a successful portfolio may receive an early offer. International applicants present an equivalent secondary credential plus English proficiency: IELTS Academic 6.5 overall (no band below 6.0) or TOEFL iBT 83 (no section below 20).
Application Details
Application Deadline:Western applies through the Ontario Universities' Application Centre, which opens for Fall 2027 entry in late September 2026; Western's own equal-consideration deadline for full-time undergraduate study is 15 January 2027, the same date used for domestic (OUAC 101/105) and international applicants alike, since Western publishes no separate international closing date. Several named programmes carry their own earlier deadlines within the cycle: Medicine (MD) closes 1 October 2026, Law (JD) and Dentistry (DDS) close 1 November 2026, Education (BEd) closes 2 November 2026, and Western Integrated Science closes in early April 2027. Students already enrolled in an Ontario high school cannot be required to respond to an offer before 1 June 2027. Admission is not rolling: applicants are assessed against these published deadlines. These are institution-wide dates; this programme publishes no deadline of its own.
