A concentration within the College
Harvard says students choose a concentration, its word for a major. The pages read describe no separate application to Art, Film, and Visual Studies.
Undergraduate · Harvard College
Harvard AFVS: making and critical study of the visual arts in one concentration
Harvard College admits students to the College, and Art, Film, and Visual Studies is one of the concentrations they can choose once enrolled. Harvard says it develops skills in the practice and the critical study of the visual arts, with two strands: Studio Art and Film/Video Production, and Film and Visual Studies. This guide makes no claim of a separate application to AFVS or of any portfolio requirement.
Official information · read 1 November 2026, no entry-year label
What Harvard says about Harvard Art, Film, and Visual Studies
Taken from Harvard's Department of Art, Film, and Visual Studies home page, Harvard College's Concentrations page and Application Requirements page, read on 1 November 2026. The pages carry no entry-year label, so for a 2028-entry application every statement below is evidence for the previous cycle and may change; check Harvard's pages for the 2028-entry details.
Practice and critical study
Harvard says the concentration develops skills in the practice and the critical study of the visual arts.
Two strands
Studio Art and Film/Video Production sits beside Film and Visual Studies, which takes interdisciplinary approaches to images, space, art and media.
Studios and small seminars
Harvard says concentrators work closely with faculty, mostly in studios and small seminars.
Calculus is not an admission requirement
Harvard says it views math records holistically with no specific course required, and calculus is not required for admission.
The SAT or ACT is required
Harvard requires one of them; A-level and IB school reports carry predicted grades.
Official sources
- Harvard College: Concentrations (Liberal Arts & Sciences)college.harvard.edu
- Harvard Department of Art, Film, and Visual Studiesafvs.fas.harvard.edu
- Harvard College: Application Requirementscollege.harvard.edu
Read on 1 November 2026 on Harvard's Department of Art, Film, and Visual Studies home page, Harvard College's Concentrations page and Application Requirements page, which describes 2027 entry. The pages carry no entry-year label. Harvard's course catalogue, the full requirement lists, fees, deadlines and financial aid were not read and are not stated.
The concentration
What the AFVS concentration teaches
Harvard's concentrations page says the concentration includes photography, filmmaking, animation, video art, painting, drawing, printmaking and sculpture, and also film and visual studies, critical theory and the study of the built environment. In Studio Art and Film/Video Production, concentrators work toward confidence and fluency in a chosen area of production while exploring other practices; in Film and Visual Studies, they pursue interdisciplinary approaches to the theory and history of images, space, art and media. The department says it fosters dialogue among makers, critics and theorists.
Is it the right concentration?
AFVS beside Comparative Literature and History and Literature
Harvard lists these as separate concentrations, so the choice is made after admission. Avandy's comparison is general.
AFVS fits if
you want to make work and study images, with studios and small seminars.
Comparative Literature fits if
you want literature across languages and media. Harvard lists it as a separate concentration.
History and Literature fits if
you want primary-source tutorials. Harvard lists it as a separate concentration.
Admission and testing
A College application, an SAT or ACT, and predicted grades
Harvard requires the SAT or ACT, and accepts other results such as the IB or A levels only in exceptional cases when those tests are not accessible. Schools on the IB or A-level curriculum are expected to send predicted grades. Harvard says calculus is not required for admission and no specific math course is required. This guide states no score.
A decision framework
Three questions before you commit
This is Avandy's own framework, not Harvard's.
Do you want to make work or to study it, or both?
Harvard describes a studio and production strand and a film and visual studies strand.
Which medium draws you?
Harvard lists photography, filmmaking, animation, video, painting, drawing, printmaking and sculpture.
Can you plan the SAT or ACT with your A levels or IB?
Harvard requires one of them for first-year applicants.
Planning for 2028 entry
Planning for 2028 entry: what carries over and what is awaiting publication
Harvard's pages carry no entry-year label, so nothing on them is confirmed for 2028 entry. Use them to understand the structure of the application, then check Harvard's own pages for the 2028-entry details.
The requirements and descriptions on the pages read on 1 November 2026, which carry no entry-year label
These are the best guide to what to prepare. Harvard has not confirmed them for 2028 entry.
Deadlines, fees, financial aid and any department prerequisites not quoted here: not stated
This guide has not read them. Check Harvard for the values that apply to your application year.
What to do now
Read the Art, Film, and Visual Studies entry on Harvard's concentrations page and the department page, and plan the SAT or ACT alongside your A levels or IB.
Support
Independent support with planning your own application
Avandy provides independent academic and admissions support. It is not affiliated with Harvard College or any of its colleges or departments. Preparation sits within the Avandy Trinity Advisory Model: a Strategic Admissions Consultant, a PhD-level Academic Mentor and a Subject-specific Tutor, working to the actual requirements of each course. Support here is limited to understanding the requirements and planning the applicant's own work; Avandy does not write or edit essays, does not submit any materials and has no partnership with Harvard College. No outcome is promised.
Questions
Questions applicants ask
Can I apply directly to Harvard Art, Film, and Visual Studies?
The pages read describe admission to Harvard College. Students choose a concentration, Harvard's word for a major, once enrolled.
What does the AFVS concentration include?
Harvard says it includes photography, filmmaking, animation, video art, painting, drawing, printmaking and sculpture, plus film and visual studies, critical theory and the built environment.
Does Harvard require a portfolio for AFVS?
The pages read describe no separate application or portfolio requirement for the concentration; they describe admission to Harvard College.
Do I need calculus before applying?
Harvard says calculus is not a requirement for admission and that no specific math course is required.
Do I need the SAT or ACT with A levels or the IB?
Harvard requires the SAT or ACT; IB or A-level results meet the requirement only in exceptional cases when those tests are not accessible.
Are these the rules for 2028 entry?
No. They are Harvard's wording with no entry-year label. Check Harvard's pages again when Harvard publishes its 2028-entry requirements.
Students and families
Talk to us about Harvard Art, Film, and Visual Studies
Tell us about the student's curriculum, their interest in making and in the study of images, and their SAT or ACT plan, the universities on the list, and the intended year of entry. A senior adviser will review the academic profile before recommending how to prepare.