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Portfolio Requirements

<< Click Here For The Portfolio Questionnaire 2010 >>

For all courses in the School of Creative Arts, students are required to have an existing portfolio of work that is relevant to their chosen course. Before a place is offered to a student there will be a portfolio assessment.

Please note that all Creative Arts programmes are referred to as “restricted application” by the CAO, as as they have special requirements (portfolio assessment). To ensure that you are considered, you must follow precisely the CAO instructions. In particular, your application must reach the CAO by the 1st February closing date.

What is the portfolio assessment?

As part of the application process you will be required to submit your portfolio of work to IADT. This will then be assessed by the programme tutors.

Initial screening of portfolios normally takes place in March. IADT may then  request attendance for interview, usually in April. Points allocated for the portfolio/interview are combined with points gained in the Leaving Certificate (or equivalent) and the combined total determines ranking for place offers. Depending on the selected programme, portfolio guidelines will differ. Please adhere to the guidelines available from the Academic & Student Affairs Office.

Mature students are not required to meet the minimum academic entry requirements, but they must submit a portfolio for assessment.

In the event that you apply for more than one programme in the School of Creative Arts, your portfolio will be assessed individually for each programme; please bear this in mind when preparing it. It is not unusual for an applicant to receive a favourable response in one programme and to be disappointed in another.

If you are requested to submit a portfolio please ensure you include a filled in copy of the portfolio questionaire. Please click the following link to access the questionaire << Click Here For The Portfolio Questionnaire 2010 >>

Frequently Asked Questions - Portfolios

I want to apply for a course in IADT that requires a portfolio - what do I do?

1. Apply via the CAO system before the 1st of February 2010 and have the courses that require a portfolio that you wish to apply for on your list of course choices. (No late applications can be accepted - no exceptions!)
2. IADT will write to you in early March 2010 and inform you of your portfolio assessment date, this date will be between the 22nd & 26th of March 2010.

What courses at IADT require a portfolio assessment?

All other courses at IADT (those with CAO codes DL1XX and DL2XX) do not require a portfolio.

How does the portfolio assessment work?

1. IADT write to you in early March 2010 and inform you of your portfolio assessment date, this date will be between the 22nd & 26th of March 2010.
2. You deliver your portfolio to us on the morning of the specified date, complete with labels etc that have been supplied to you in the letter in (1) above.
3. Your portfolio will be assessed.
4. You collect your portfolio from us in the afternoon of the same day you dropped it into us.
5. IADT write to you before the end of May with your portfolio result.

Note - there is no need for you to deliver the portfolio in person but it is your responsibility to ensure that it is delivered to us and collected from us.

How are portfolios scored?

Portfolios are scored out of 600 points, the pass mark is 240 points (40%).  If you get less than 240 points you are not considered eligible for the course and will not be offered a place.

How do I calculate my total points score?

1. Take your portfolio score; eg - 360
2. Take your leaving cert points or mature student score or FETAC points; eg - 400
3. Add (1) to (2); eg 360 + 400 = 760. 
   This is your total points score.

What were the points for the portfolio courses last year?

Note - 2010 is the first year of DL048 & DL049, so there are no points for these courses for 2009.

Will I need to do an interview?

You might do - however some courses do not call anyone for interview.  Not being called for interview does not mean that you are not eligible for a place - once you score 240 points or more in your portfolio you are eligible.

If an interview is required you will be advised in writing and the interview will take place at IADT between the 19th & 22nd of April.

What will I put in my portfolio?

Guidelines are given in our current prospectus for each course.  Please refer to the prospectus.

In all cases the portfolio should be easy to look through, well presented and the edited range of work presented should show evidence of interest, hard work and quality.  Be selective in the work you present.

No 3D work should be included, only 2D documentation of 3D work.

Portfolios are restricted to a maximum weight of 10 kilograms and must not contain any organic matter or dangerous substances.

What if I have prepared a 'special project' portfolio for NCAD - do I have to prepare a second portfolio for IADT?
 
Some institutions now limit you to the completion of  a “special project” as the only content for your portfolio. At DIT and IADT, we do not ask for a  “special project” because we recognize that every  applicant is different, and as such the portfolio should show your individual abilities, interests, and readiness to join one of our  innovative programmes.

If you have completed a “special project”, or you are working on one  – that’s fine.  If you are pleased with it, do include it in your portfolio. But please remember, we want to see the work that clearly shows you are ready for the exciting, individual  opportunities offered by our programmes.  Make sure you read the guidelines we publish in our prospectus’ and on our websites about the particular requirements programmes  have.  These guidelines will generally ask you to show a good range of your best work  – and to demonstrate a real enthusiasm for the programme you have applied for.

Enjoy putting your portfolio together – it’s a great opportunity for you to show what you are already capable of, and your potential as a student on some of the most exciting and challenging arts and media  programmes in Europe.