Membership information

Thank you for your interest in membership with the National Portfolio Day Association (NPDA).

Please carefully review the institutional member qualifications and application timeline. If you feel your institution meets these requirements, go to the link below, select the membership type and hit continue in order to complete the required application information. Membership is granted to institutions, not individuals.

Requirements

All NPDA member schools must meet the following qualifications:

  • Be incorporated as a not-for-profit corporation, or hold not-for-profit status or sponsorship.

  • Require a portfolio for admission to a majority of studio art and design programs at the time of institutional enrollment.

American NPDA member schools must:

  • Be accredited by National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD)

  • Be accredited by one of the following US regional accrediting bodies (recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education):

    • Middle States Association (MSCHE)

    • The New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE)

    • North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA-HLC)

    • Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

    • Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC)

    • Western Association of Schools and Colleges Accrediting Commission Sr. Colleges and Univ. (WASC-ACSCU)

International NPDA institutions must meet the following qualifications:         

  • Hold “substantial equivalency” by NASAD for its art and design programs

  • Show substantial equivalency or membership with an organization of standards similar to U.S. regional accreditation.

Canadian NPDA member schools must:                                            

  • Be a member of Universities Canada, or

  • Hold “substantial equivalency” by NASAD for its art and design programs.

  • Show substantial equivalency or membership with an organization of standards similar to U.S. regional accreditation.

Membership Options

  • Undergraduate Only Institutional Membership ($850 USD annual dues): institution is eligible to attend undergraduate focused events only

  • Graduate Only institutional Membership ($550 USD annual dues): institution is eligible to attend graduate focused events only

  • Undergraduate AND Graduate Institutional Membership ($1100 USD annual dues): institution is eligible to attend all graduate and undergraduate focused events

The NPDA accepts new-member institutions applications on a rolling basis.
New Member Applications may be submitted at any time; new applications will be reviewed once per year, between February 1 - March 31.

  • New Member Offer Letters will be distributed the first week of April each year.

  • New Member Commitments due by April 30.