If you’re applying to art school, sooner or later you’ll wonder whether to get expert help, and what kind. There are two main options: a focused art portfolio review, or ongoing mentorship. They solve different problems, and choosing the wrong one can cost you time you may not have.
This guide explains what happens in each, what they cost and how to decide. We’ll also be honest about when you don’t need either.
Is Your Portfolio Ready To Submit?
Cadmium students have been accepted to 40+ leading art schools worldwide, including the Slade, Goldsmiths, Central Saint Martins, RISD and Parsons, and our mentors trained at the Slade, CSM and the RCA. A 90-minute online review, one-to-one, and you leave knowing the highest-priority changes to make before you submit.
UCAS closes at 18:00 on 13 January 2027; US early rounds close in November and December 2026.
90 minutes · online · £250
1 hour · online · £150
“My mentor’s feedback was direct but very encouraging, and I felt much more confident afterwards.”
“My mentor’s feedback helped me clarify the direction of my work, identify which projects needed further development, and present my portfolio much more clearly for submission and interviews.”
What an art portfolio review is
An art portfolio review is focused feedback from an expert on the work you already have, with clear advice on what to do next. It usually comes as a final step before applying, when time is short. Our portfolio review is 90 minutes, online and one-to-one, and costs £250. It’s led by a practising artist and former UAL Associate Lecturer in Fine Art, who has interviewed and assessed applicants for UAL admissions.
Here’s how it works:
- You choose a time and book online.
- You fill in a short intake form. It asks for a link to your portfolio (Google Drive, a PDF or a website), the schools you’re applying to and what you’d most like feedback on, so we can prepare.
- In the session, we go through the work together. We discuss its strengths and weaker areas, clarify its conceptual direction and identify practical steps to strengthen your application.
You leave with clear next steps: what to keep, what to change and what to prioritise before you submit. Within a day, we also email you a short written summary of your top priorities, so you have them to hand while you work.
When an art portfolio review is the right choice
A review works best when:
- you already have a body of work, even if it isn’t finished
- your deadline is weeks away rather than months
- you need someone outside your school to tell you which pieces should lead, and which to cut
- you want to check your portfolio against what a particular school asks for
What a review can’t do is make new work for you. If the portfolio is thin, the review will tell you so clearly, but the making still has to happen.
What portfolio mentorship is
Mentorship is ongoing, one-to-one support while you build the portfolio. With an art portfolio mentor, you keep making new work between sessions, not just working on the pieces you already have. Our programmes are all online and designed around your goals and your deadline. Sessions are one-to-one with a practising artist, typically weekly, and programmes usually run for 3 to 12 months. Our mentorship is also neurodiversity-aware, with ADHD- and ASD-friendly support: clear structure, calm pacing and practical next steps.
It starts with a 1-hour online consultation (£150). In it, we review your work in depth, define your strongest direction, identify weak or unresolved pieces and work out how much support you need, whether that’s longer-term mentorship or something more intensive. We then recommend a package, design a bespoke programme and assign a specialist mentor, or mentors, to help you reach your goals. Mentorship fees are quoted after the consultation, because each programme is built around the student.
From there, focused briefs develop your strongest direction and resolve the weaker areas. Closer to the deadline, we refine the order of your projects, your written work, such as the personal statement, and your answers for interview. Mock interviews are typically included where appropriate.
“My mentor’s helped me identify less effective paths and guided me toward new, more authentic directions.”
Constanza, practising artist
When mentorship is the right choice
Mentorship works best when:
- your portfolio is at an early stage, or you’re not sure what direction to take
- you have at least a few months before your first deadline
- you want help with the whole application: the portfolio, the writing and the interview
- you’re applying to different systems at once, for example in the UK and the US, where the requirements differ
- you’re moving into fine art from another subject or career
“I came to my mentor after feeling quite disappointed with portfolio tutoring and studio-based guidance in Asia, where I struggled to find critical depth or clear direction. Working with my mentor has been a completely different experience.”
Han, international applicant
The middle option: a Fast-Track Portfolio Intensive
Sometimes one portfolio review isn’t enough, but there’s no time for months of mentorship. The Fast-Track Portfolio Intensive is for imminent deadlines. Rather than producing lots of new work, the aim is to improve the portfolio you already have, through careful editing, clearer presentation and focused work on key pieces.
Some students need only a few sessions before they submit. Others work with us over several weeks to strengthen key projects and fill gaps. We recommend the right structure at the consultation, once we’ve seen your work and your timeline.
How to choose between an art portfolio review and mentorship
Your portfolio is finished or nearly finished, and your deadline is a few weeks away
Your portfolio needs real work, and your deadline is a few weeks away
Your portfolio is at an early stage, or you have three months or more
You’re not sure where you stand, or you’re a parent working out the options
Four common situations, and what we’d suggest:
- “My UCAS deadline is six weeks away and I have about 20 pieces.” Start with a review. It will show which pieces lead, what’s missing and what to cut. If the gaps are big, the Intensive may be the next step.
- “I’m in Year 12, and my school doesn’t teach much drawing from observation.” Mentorship. You have time to build skills and a body of work before next autumn.
- “I’m applying for an MA, and I’m not sure my portfolio and statement say the same thing.” A review, focused on how the work and the writing fit together.
- “I applied last year and didn’t get in.” Start with a consultation. It helps to understand why before you plan the year ahead.
For the dates you’re working towards, see our 2027 art school deadlines timeline.
When you might not need either
We’d rather you spend money only where it helps. You may not need a portfolio review or mentorship if:
- your art teacher or Foundation tutors already give you regular, specific feedback, and know the schools you’re applying to
- your deadline is a few days away, when finishing, editing and photographing your work well is the best use of the time
- you’re still deciding whether to apply to art school at all, when open days and degree shows will help more
Free advice is worth using too. UAL’s portfolio advice explains what its tutors look for, and reminds applicants: “We’re not just looking for polished, finished work.” Open days are a chance to ask tutors what they want to see. And if you’re applying to US art schools, National Portfolio Day events offer free portfolio reviews from many art schools at once.
Whatever you choose
Whichever route you take, the goal is the same: a portfolio that shows your best work clearly, in an order that makes sense. As one of our students put it:
“My tutor looked at my work very carefully and helped me choose the strongest pieces for my portfolio, while also showing me how to explain the hidden ideas and layers behind my paintings more clearly.”
Alina, accepted to Goldsmiths, BA Fine Art
Cadmium students have been accepted to 40+ leading art schools worldwide, and our Student Results page shows where.
Chen Gong
Portfolio & Admissions Mentorship
Chen transitioned from a career in finance to secure a place on his first-choice MA Fine Art programme at Central Saint Martins – without a Fine Art degree or foundation.
Serena Holliday
Portfolio & Admissions Mentorship
Serena transitioned from chef to fine art, gaining places at UAL Foundation and the Turps Studio Programme.
Not sure which you need? Book a Consultation (1 hour, online, £150) and we’ll recommend the right route for your work and your deadline. If your portfolio is nearly ready, Book a Portfolio Review (90 minutes, online, £250) for focused feedback before you submit. And if you have time to build, see how our mentorship works.