UNSW Portfolio Entry Early Conditional Offer Scheme

Yes. An application for Portfolio Entry is not an application for admission to UNSW. You must lodge a UAC application at the same time as submitting your Portfolio Entry application.

Note: To have your Portfolio Entry application assessed and be eligible for an early conditional offer, you must have lodged your application via UAC and provided your correct UAC ID. If successful for an early conditional offer, you’ll need to meet the adjusted ATAR requirements and list an eligible UNSW degree preference as your highest eligible preference in UAC for the specified UAC offer round to receive a firm offer.

For information on UAC and applying for admission to UNSW, visit the Universities Admissions Centre (UAC) website.

When reviewing portfolios and critical reviews for Category A, this is what we're looking for:

Crafting your portfolio

Your digital portfolio submission is the main component of the application. Your portfolio is a summary of your best creative work and provides evidence of your creativity and technical skills. You can showcase a range of different mediums including photography, sculpture, digital artworks, paintings, drawings or previously undertaken design work. Include the written or visual work that best captures your creative approach and technical abilities. The portfolio should be a maximum of 6 x A4 images. 1 image can include a collage of photos/images of the same project. Hard copies or physical pieces cannot be accepted - the portfolio is a digital submission, which is limited to 100MB.

Your portfolio should be curated and crafted to showcase your best work in an interesting and engaging way. We want to see your individual style and creative approaches, and encourage risk-taking and originality. Be sure to consider how you’ll lay out and organise your work – you’ll be assessed on the quality and interest of the work submitted as well as the visual quality of the portfolio. Use the portfolio as a way of communicating your creative process, not just the final outcome. We’re interested in seeing the process sketches, technical drawings, prototypes and drafts to communicate the design process, rather than just the outcome. 

We want to see your unique and inquisitive mind, your original work, and your best technical and crafted work. 

Artist/designer statement

An artist or designer statement in a portfolio is a brief written piece which explains the creative vision, perspectives, and motivations behind your work. It's an opportunity to communicate your unique approach, your influences, and what you aim to achieve through your projects.

Critical review topic 

Imagine you’re a critic for a newspaper with an educated but non-specialist audience and you need to write a review of a current temporary exhibition or festival program. You can choose broadly, including art and design exhibitions or new media displays. The purpose is to inform your audience and to provide some context or background for the work. You’ll need to both describe and comment on the work. The purpose is to foreground your interpretation - you’re not required to do any additional research or provide biographical details for the artists or producers. 

General tips

• Have someone check your work for spelling and grammar, but ultimately the work must be your own and not copied from someone or somewhere else. 
• Submit only your best work if you have lots to choose from.
• If making or assembling is not your best skill, showcase what is. We want to know what you’re passionate about!

When reviewing portfolios and written critical reflections for Category B, this is what we're looking for: 

Crafting your portfolio

Your digital portfolio submission is the main component of the application. Your portfolio is a summary of your best work and provides evidence of your ability and interest in studying your chosen degree(s). You can include written articles, essays, blogs, social media posts or campaigns, built websites or webpages, photographs, videos, a school report or letters of recommendations. Hard copies or physical pieces cannot be accepted - the portfolio is a digital submission, which is limited to 100MB. 

Your portfolio should be curated and crafted to showcase your best work in an interesting and engaging way. We want to see your individual talents, abilities, originality and risk-taking. Be sure to consider how you’ll lay out and organise your work - you’ll be assessed on your innovation, creativity and project skills. Use the portfolio as a way to communicate your technical proficiency in your chosen field. We’re interested in seeing the process and drafts to showcase your project skills, considerations and experimentation, rather than just the outcome. 

Critical reflection

A reflection is a form of personal response to experiences, situations, events or new information. It’s a 'processing' phase where thinking and learning take place. There are no right or wrong ways to be reflective - just questions to explore. In your 500-word critical reflection, you should reflect on a problem you've faced and tackled, and describe the impact you had on the outcome. Your reflection should include description (what, when, who) and analysis (how, why, what if). This could be done by discussing a problem that you set out to solve in a relevant subject, drawing from your experience at school, work, family or in the community.

Consider including answers to questions such as:

• What succeeded?
• What didn't?
• What did you learn?
• What could you do differently? 

The critical reflection is your opportunity to demonstrate your writing skills and help make comparisons or connections between what you’re learning and your prior experiences. 

General tips

• Have someone check your work for spelling and grammar, but ultimately the work must be your own and not copied from someone or somewhere else. 
• Submit only your best work if you have lots to choose from.
• If making or assembling is not your best skill, showcase what is. We want to know what you’re passionate about!