How to apply

Admission to the Vilnius Academy of Arts (VDA) is based on 2 main stages: your portfolio and motivational interview (each sums up the assessment score by a ratio of 50:50). As a non-EU/EEA foreigner who does not qualify for a state-funded place and hold a Lithuanian language certificate needs to apply through the VDA application portal. 

If you are an EU/EEA citizen, a person of Lithuanian origin or a non-EU/EEA national who have a right of permanent residence in Lithuania - you need to complete an application form via the website of the Association of Lithuanian Higher Education Institutions (LAMA BPO portal). About eligibility requirements please learn more here.

VDA Application portal

1. From the top menu bar, under Apply for degree studies, click on the Application portal.

2. Select the desired degree and click Apply.

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3. You will be redirected to the Application portal.

4.  Enter the desired programme, select filter options below (degree, terms, study languages) and click Find programmes.

5. After selecting a program from the results, click Apply now! (please note that admissions must have started).

WHAT IS NEXT?

Once you submitted your application, we will review it and forward it to the relevant department/s of the selected programme/s you are applying for. After the department has reviewed your portfolio and verified that it meets the minimum requirements, after the application period we will send you an email with the invite to an online entrance exam interview (admissions interview), which usually takes place at the end of June - beginning of July.

Next round of applications for the Fall intake are planned to open from February, 2026.

Please note, that the admission dates & deadlines are preliminary and may be changed considering the general agreements of Lithuanian higher education institutions.

3. Submitting the portfolio

You need to have your own personal portfolio when applying to the VDA. The artwork portfolio will have to comprise of artwork projects to be presented in a digital format and focused on the desired study programme/s. These creative works should be uploaded to your online application as a link to a Google Drive, PDF, social network, video, or personal website with external access (the format is free of choice).

General requirements:

• The portfolio file must be named after the applicant's full name. In PDF format, the title page must also indicate the applicant's name, surname, contact details, and study programme/s to which the applicant is applying to;

• The contents of the portfolio files are not strictly regulated. The applicant freely chooses which of his creative works to submit to the admission committee, but it is recommended to do so with motivation so that the works and their quantity best describe the applicant's ideas and their wide expression or knowledge of the field. Any active links to executed and developed projects, contests, festivals, publications, and social activities can be added;

• It is reccommended that each applicant's work of art are accompanied by short descriptions (motive or title, description of the idea (theme) of the creation, year of creation, technique, dimensions;

• Works must be submitted in visible quality condition - scanned or photographed - with a resolution suitable for showing fine work details

Please avoid:

• Leaving additional passwords to access your portfolio. It should have external access through the link.
• Sending your portfolio through file-sharing programs where uploaded material must be downloaded within a limited time, such as "Wetransfer".

When submitting the portfolio to the admissions committee, the applicant guarantees that the submitted work(s) is the result of independent creative activity (the authorship of the work is defined in accordance with the laws of the Republic of Lithuania). Submission of third-party works or works created with artificial intelligence (AI) is strictly prohibited. If it turns out to be false, the evaluation results are cancelled and the application is rejected.

A few days or a day before the entrance exam date, the applicant receives the link and time of the online motivational admissions interview. The applicant must immediately confirm that the invitation by e-mail has been received. The expected entrance exam dates for each study programme is published on the VDA website here: Entrance exam schedule 2025.

4. Requirements and procedure for the admissions interview

• The applicant must prepare for the interview in advance, ensuring that the video and sound (camera and microphone) quality is good and working properly. The applicant's face should be visible and there should be no bright objects shining behind the Applicant which can block the view;

• Before the start of the admission interview, the applicant is informed about its duration and other requirements;

• The applicant must have an identity confirmation document - passport, ID card, or driver's license, and clearly show it to the admissions committee at the beginning of the interview;

• During the interview, the applicant must be ready to share a screen on the online platform for the admission committee and show the portfolio;

• The applicant introduces themselves to the committee;

• During the interview, the applicant talks only with the admission committee members and answers their questions;

• The duration of the interview may last between 10-20 minutes depending on the number of applicants in each study programme;

• Depending on the results of the interview and after calculating the competitive score, The applicant receives an automatic VDA letter (indicating that he has been accepted or rejected);

•  Accepted students should make a decision whether to accept or reject the study offer within the specified timeframe of receiving the acceptance letter.

Portfolio requirements

You need to have your own personal portfolio when applying to the VDA. The artwork portfolio will have to comprise of artwork projects to be presented in a digital format and focused on the desired study programme/s. These creative works should be uploaded to your online application as a link to a Google Drive, PDF, social network, video, or personal website with external access (the format is free of choice).

General requirements:

• The portfolio file must be named after the applicant's full name. In PDF format, the title page must also indicate the applicant's name, surname, contact details, and study programme/s to which the applicant is applying to;

• The contents of the portfolio files are not strictly regulated. The applicant freely chooses which of his creative works to submit to the admission committee, but it is recommended to do so with motivation so that the works and their quantity best describe the applicant's ideas and their wide expression or knowledge of the field. Any active links to executed and developed projects, contests, festivals, publications, and social activities can be added;

• It is reccommended that each applicant's work of art are accompanied by short descriptions (motive or title, description of the idea (theme) of the creation, year of creation, technique, dimensions;

• Works must be submitted in visible quality condition - scanned or photographed - with a resolution suitable for showing fine work details

Please avoid:

• Leaving additional passwords to access your portfolio. It should have external access through the link.
• Sending your portfolio through file-sharing programs where uploaded material must be downloaded within a limited time, such as "Wetransfer".

Final remarks

When submitting the portfolio to the admissions committee, the applicant guarantees that the submitted work(s) is the result of independent creative activity (the authorship of the work is defined in accordance with the laws of the Republic of Lithuania). Submission of third-party works or works created with artificial intelligence (AI) is strictly prohibited. If it turns out to be false, the evaluation results are cancelled and the application is rejected.

A few days or a day before the entrance exam date, the applicant receives the link and time of the online motivational admissions interview. The applicant must immediately confirm that the invitation by e-mail has been received. The expected entrance exam dates for each study programme is published on the VDA website here: Entrance exam schedule 2025.