Call for applications

Cranbrook Academy of Art is now accepting applications for fall 2027. What could you do with two years dedicated entirely to your creative practice?

At Cranbrook Academy of Art, you'll find the freedom to experiment, the space to take risks, and a community that challenges you to push your work in unexpected directions. Our graduate-only MFA program is built around a simple idea: artists and designers grow by making, questioning, and learning from one another. 

There are no conventional classes or fixed curriculum. Instead, you'll chart your own course, supported by:
–A community built for connection. Work alongside 10–15 students in each department, with opportunities for collaboration across disciplines.
–Working artists. Each department is led by an Artist-in-Residence who brings their own active creative practice into the studio.
–Fresh ideas. Visiting artists, lectures, workshops, critiques, and spontaneous conversations keep new perspectives coming.
–Room to grow. Private studios, fabrication and digital labs, student-run galleries, publishing opportunities, and a culminating thesis exhibition at Cranbrook Art Museum.

Located just north of Detroit, our 300-acre National Historic Landmark campus has been a place for creative exploration for more than 90 years. Generations of artists and designers have come here to challenge conventions, develop new ideas, and discover where their work can take them.

Now it’s your opportunity to join them. New this year! Apply for just 25 USD. We've reduced our application fee to 25 USD for the 2027 application cycle. Financial support is also available, with full-tuition fellowships and scholarships  that help make the Cranbrook experience possible. Nearly 80 percent of all students receive scholarships or aid. Applications are open for fall 2027. Apply here.