By the Portlio studio · Published · 7 min read
If a program asks for a portfolio, its instructions come first: the number of pieces, the formats, and anything it wants to see. Within those rules, you usually still choose what goes in and in what order. That choice matters more than most applicants expect.
Here's how to make it, whether you're applying to art school, design school, architecture school, or a program that simply lets you share your work.
Start with each program's instructions
Portfolio requirements vary by college and by program, and many colleges don't ask for a portfolio at all. Before choosing anything, list what each of your programs asks for:
- How many pieces, and whether that's a minimum, a maximum, or an exact number.
- Any required work, such as observational drawings or a response to a set prompt.
- Formats and limits: file types, sizes, video length, and where to upload.
- Whether a statement or a description of each piece is required.
If two programs ask for different things, prepare two selections from the same body of work. For the wider picture, see the college application portfolio guide. Not sure a program asks for one? Start with do colleges require a portfolio?
What to include
- Your strongest work, usually from the last two or three years.
- Pieces that show a point of view: what you notice, care about, and return to.
- Some range, if the program asks for it, across materials, subjects, or approaches.
- Process where it helps: sketches, studies, drafts, or iterations next to the finished piece.
- Work you made yourself. If a piece was collaborative, say what your role was.
Leave out work you'd have to explain away. One weak piece can pull down the pieces around it.
How many pieces should a college portfolio have?
Use the number each program asks for. Programs that set a number often ask for somewhere around 10 to 20 pieces, but the range varies widely, so check every one.
When the number is up to you, choose fewer, stronger pieces over more, weaker ones. A reviewer remembers the overall impression, and every piece contributes to it.
How to present artwork
- Photograph every piece straight on, in soft, even light, cropped to its edges. See how to photograph artwork with a phone.
- Add a detail shot for texture, and a view that shows scale for large or 3D work.
- Caption each piece the same way: title, medium, dimensions, and year.
- Keep color accurate. Edit to match the original, not to improve it.
How to present projects
For design, architecture, research, or engineering projects, show the thinking, not just the result. A simple structure works for most:
- The brief or problem, in a sentence or two.
- Your role, and who else was involved.
- The process: research, sketches, models, prototypes, or tests.
- The outcome, and what you would do differently.
See how we present design portfolio websites and architecture portfolio websites, or read the full guides to a design portfolio and an architecture portfolio.
Working in a particular medium? There are also guides to an art portfolio, a photography portfolio, and a film portfolio.
Order and sequence
- Open with one of your strongest pieces, and end with another.
- Group related work so an idea can be seen developing across pieces.
- Vary scale and pace, so the selection doesn't feel repetitive.
- Keep the same order in every format you submit.
A final check before you submit
- Every file meets the program's format and size limits.
- Every piece has a caption, and the captions match your statement.
- Files are named clearly, for example surname_title_year.jpg.
- Someone you trust, such as an art teacher, has looked at the selection.
- If you're sharing a website, it opens quickly on a phone and nothing is broken.
Ready to put it together? How to make a college application portfolio walks through the whole process, and college portfolio examples shows how selections can be structured. If you're also applying for creative scholarships, see scholarship portfolios, since the selection and statement are usually tailored to each one.
To see how a website can hold the same selection, browse student portfolio examples or read about portfolio websites for young creatives.
Portlio designs and builds portfolio websites. A website complements each program's required submission; it doesn't replace it, and nobody can promise it will change a decision.
About this guide. Written by the Portlio studio as general guidance. It isn't any college's requirements and it can't predict an admissions decision, so check each program's current instructions. Last updated .
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