National Portfolio Days

National Portfolio Days are annual events held in multiple locations across the United States, Canada and Europe. They are designed to provide a unique opportunity for you to meet individually with professional representatives of accredited colleges and universities and receive valuable feedback and guidance on your portfolio before you submit it as part of your application. Not all members attend all events. Visit nationalportfolioday.org for attendees.

No admission decisions or scholarship awards will be offered to you at National Portfolio Days. Some college and university representatives may accept your portfolio as the visual portion of your application. Others have restrictions that prohibit them from making a definitive portfolio decision at the time of your review. All representatives will be happy to discuss their specific programs of study and provide answers to questions about the availability of scholarships and financial aid.

You will not find National Portfolio Days to be an examination or competition, the events are about an exchange of information. The representatives want to learn about you, your work, and your post-secondary plans, all while informing you about their college or university and application requirements. These events may be the first time you have been in an environment with so many people in one place who all share a powerful commitment to art and design. Use this as an opportunity to be inspired, to gain advice as to how to improve or present your portfolio, and to experience a small taste of what it is like to attend a professional art and design program.

The National Portfolio Day Association (NPDA) was created in 1978 solely for the organization and planning of National Portfolio Days. The Association consists of representatives that hold regional accreditation and accreditation from the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD), or Substantial Equivalency status. NPDA is the only organization of its kind and the membership represents the highest standard of visual arts education available in the world.

If you are thinking of pursuing a post-secondary education in art or design, whether coming in at the undergrad or graduate level, you will likely have to include a portfolio of your work, as part of your application. All of our member schools are accredited art or design universities and colleges and our events provide students with a unique opportunity to meet one on one with professional representatives. These reps are there for you to ask questions about their programs, and most importantly, get feedback on how to improve your portfolio so it will be a successful part of your application.

A portfolio of visual artwork that includes your best and most recent work, but it can also include works in progress, sketchbooks, and tear sheets.

Don’t hesitate to explain how you develop your ideas and where you want to go with them. Often, sharing the process of arriving at the completed work is as valuable as simply presenting finished products. You will hear many different opinions about your work that will be reflective of the admission requirements of each school. Therefore, we urge you to discuss your work with as many colleges/universities as possible and to bring no more than 15 works.

Your portfolio can be presented as original work or on screen, but make note wifi may not be available at all locations. Students who are not prepared to show a portfolio may attend to gather information from college/university representatives.

All National Portfolio Day events are free and open to the public.

Saturday, October 3, 2026
12­–4 PM

Institute for Contemporary Art at VCU
The Markel Center
601 W. Broad Street, Richmond, VA 23220

Complimentary parking is available in the West Broad Street Parking Deck (1111 W. Broad Street)

Yes! Our representatives will be attending other National Portfolio Days listed in the table below. You can also visit the National Portfolio Day Association website for a full list of all other National Portfolio Day events and registration details.