Admission to BFA Industrial Design
Eligibility
Basic eligibility: If you have completed an upper secondary school/high school education that makes you eligible for higher studies in your home country, then you have completed the first step towards eligibility for bachelor's level university studies at Umeå Institute of Design.
You also need to be able to demonstrate proficiency in English by means of an internationally recognised test, such as TOEFL, IELTS or the equivalent. Proficiency in English equivalent to Swedish upper secondary course English B/6.
Programme specific eligibility: For acceptance to the programme, artistic talent and design aptitude is valued. Selection among qualified applicants is based upon submitted work sample material, letter of motivation, and interviews.
Application
Application is made in two steps, registration and uploading of portfolio and letter of motivation. You can only apply to UID programmes in the first admission round, during the autumn semester, at University Admissions. This means that UID programmes are not open for late applications. Please note that communication about your admission process will be handled through your University Admission account, which you create when you register.
1) Register
Register your application via universityadmissions.se when the application opens. Follow the instructions and upload required supporting academic documents. Important: You need to keep your personal application number for further steps (an eight or nine digit number).
2) Submit work samples and letter
Work sample requirements
The work samples include homework assignments, free work, and a letter of motivation. The assessment of your work samples is based on several aspects. We want to see your analytical ability – that you have researched, understood, and analyzed the task in depth. Demonstrate how you approach problem-solving methodically, opening up new solutions. We assess the breadth of your ideas, your creative ability, and how you explore issues from a norm-critical perspective.
An important part of your application is how you communicate visually through sketches and images, both artistically and in dialogue with others to explain ideas. Your work samples should showcase your understanding of form, your ability to work three-dimensionally, and your skill in sketching perspectives. You should demonstrate a sense of form and show that you can create three-dimensional objects in any material.
Please note, works samples are uploaded directly to UID from this website. Instructions for the work sample assignment will be posted here at a later date.
Letter of motivation requirements
In the letter of motivation, you should tell us who you are, your educational background, professional experience (including any odd jobs), and why you wish to study industrial design. The letter should be submitted/uploaded together with your work samples in a separate PDF document.
Submission format
- The work samples must be uploaded as a PDF.
- The letter of motivation must be uploaded as a PDF.
Submission deadline
We strongly advise applicants not to wait until the February deadline to submit the required academic documents and proof of English to universityadmissions.se. The same goes for uploading work samples and and letters of motivation to UID, as an earlier submission of documents allows time to upload additional material if any documentation is missing. Please be aware that the documentation deadline applies even if University Admissions has requested more documents from you shortly before, or even after, the deadline. Learn more about required documents and country specific instructions.
Selection process
The selection process is solely based on the applicant's submitted materials. It is carried out in two steps.
- First part: 20-30 applications are shortlisted by the recruitment group.
- Second part: Applicants who are shortlisted for the second part of the selection process will be contacted for an interview.
Further questions?
Please contact us, by writing an email to uid-enquiries@umu.se.
Key facts
The programme is taught in English.
Approximately 15 students are admitted to the programme each year, and up to two exchange students may be accepted for one or two semesters.
Tuition fees are covered by Swedish government grants for EU citizens. Scholarships are available for non EU students.
Important dates
15 October 2025
Application opens at universityadmissions.se.
15 January 2026
Last day to register at universityadmissions.se, deadline at midnight CET.
3 February 2026
Last day:
- To submit your supporting academic documents at University Admissions.
- To submit your portfolio and letter of motivation via the UID web. Deadline at midnight CET.
- To confirm your EU/EEA citizenship status in order not to have to pay application or tuition fees. If you are EU/EEA citizen, read more here.
- For the application fee of 900 SEK to be received by University Admissions in order for your application to be processed.
27 March 2026
Notification of selection results is sent out via 'University Admissions'.
Latest update: 2025-04-22