Application Process
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This article covers everything you need to know about the application process for UX Academy and UX Academy Foundations. Questions covered in this article:
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When are the upcoming start dates for UX Academy Foundations?
UX Academy Foundations typically begins on the first or second Monday of each month, and you can enroll here to save your spot in any of the upcoming 3 start dates. Enrolling early secures your spot and gives you access to the course platform and pre-launch materials. You won’t be charged until the start date, so early enrollment is encouraged.
Upcoming UX Academy Foundations start dates:
- January 27th
- February 10th
- March 10th
If you have any questions, please reach out to admissions@designlab.com.
How do I apply to UX Academy? Are there any prerequisites for the program?
Course Prerequisites
We accept a limited number of students per cohort of UX Academy. To be accepted into UX Academy, you must meet the following prerequisites:
- Have a foundational level of visual design experience, demonstrated through samples of your work. Please see below for details.
- Possess strong English language skills.
- Clear communication between students and mentors is essential to the UX Academy experience. We require a minimum CEFR level of C1. If you're unsure of your fluency, take this free assessment, completing both the Business and General English tests.
- Be able to commit a minimum weekly time, depending on your track.
- The part-time track for UX Academy is 30 weeks long with a time commitment of 20 hours/week. The full-time track is 15 weeks long with a time commitment of 40 hours/week. You can learn more information about track options here.
- Have keen motivation and be a good fit for the program, demonstrated through professional and respectful communication with the Designlab team and community.
Skills Assessment
All students interested in joining UX Academy must pass a skills assessment to demonstrate that they have the foundational skills necessary to be successful in the program. There are two pathways to apply to UX Academy, depending on whether or not you have sufficient previous design experience.
How to apply if you have previous experience as a graphic, web, or digital designer:
- Complete our Design Challenge. The design challenge project brief will ask you to create high-fidelity wireframes that showcase your understanding of fundamental UI design principles and responsive design. You should use an industry-standard UX design tool, such as Figma, to complete the challenge. If you aren't familiar, you can learn the basics via our free Figma 101 course or tutorial resources on YouTube. (Please note that projects created in platforms such as Canva, Squarespace, or Wix do not meet the criteria for entry.)
- Apply to UX Academy. On the application, select the option indicating you have previous design experience. Then copy and paste the link to your design challenge project file in the appropriate application field.
- Receive your admission decision. Our team evaluates applications on a rolling basis, and you'll hear back within 2–4 business days. If you're accepted, you can enroll to save your spot in an upcoming cohort of UX Academy. If you're not accepted, you’ll be invited to enroll in our UX Academy Foundations prerequisite course to build the foundational design skills needed.
- See below for upcoming application and enrollment deadlines for UX Academy.
Note: If you meet the requirements for UX Academy and are accepted, Foundations will NOT be required.
Evaluation of Design Work
All design work submissions should demonstrate understanding of UI principles, and will be evaluated and scored on the principles below:
- Theme
- Color
- Typography
- Graphical Elements
- Layout
- Alignment
Application Restrictions
You can only apply to a cohort once. If your application meets our entry criteria, you'll be invited to enroll in UX Academy. If our reviewers think your project can meet the requirements with one iteration, you'll be allowed to resubmit for the same cohort. If not, you'll be invited to enroll in UX Academy Foundations to strengthen your skills before enrolling in UX Academy.
UX Academy is designed to help students master the UX/UI design process, build a portfolio, and land a job in the industry. We won’t admit applicants who aren't a good fit for the program based on the criteria above, as it would be a disservice to them.
How to apply if you don't have previous design experience:
- Enroll in UX Academy Foundations. This prerequisite course will help you learn fundamental visual and UI design skills and also get comfortable using an industry-standard UX design tool such as Figma. You'll also get a sense of how Designlab's project-based, asynchronous, mentor-led course format works, in addition to experimenting with AI tools.
- Join UX Academy. Upon successful completion of UX Academy Foundations and fulfillment of all entry criteria, you’ll be automatically accepted to UX Academy. You can read more about the requirements for automatic acceptance here.
What are the upcoming dates and application deadlines for UX Academy?
Bistre cohort: January 20, 2025
- Application deadline: January 10, 2025
- Enrollment deadline: January 17, 2025
Chartreuse cohort: February 24, 2025
- Application deadline: February 14, 2025
- Enrollment deadline: February 21, 2025
Damask cohort: March 24, 2025
- Application deadline: March 14, 2025
- Enrollment deadline: March 21, 2025
Note: All application and enrollment deadlines close at 11:59pm PT
Still have questions? Here are some next steps:
- Learn more about UX Academy here and determine if the program aligns with your goals
- Schedule a call to talk with one of our friendly Admissions Team members
- RSVP here to attend a live upcoming informational webinar.
Do I need to apply to UX Academy after I complete UX Academy Foundations?
Automatic Acceptance to UX Academy
Students who successfully complete UX Academy Foundations by fulfilling all of the following criteria are automatically accepted to UX Academy:
- Complete all required units of Foundations coursework
- Have the Final Design Challenge approved by your mentor
- Hold at least 5 sessions with your mentor with no more than 1 forfeited session
- Complete the course by the scheduled end date
- Demonstrate professional and respectful communication with all members of the Designlab community
UX Academy Foundations students who meet all of the criteria for automatic acceptance will be invited to enroll in UX Academy to save their spot in any of the upcoming 3 cohorts.
UX Academy Foundations students who don’t meet all of the criteria above can still apply to UX Academy via the application process outlined below and be admitted to the program following a review of their performance in the course.
Applying to UX Academy
Students who don’t fulfill all of the criteria for automatic acceptance to UX Academy are welcome — and encouraged! — to submit an application once they’ve completed UX Academy Foundations. The Admissions Team will review the student’s performance in the course to ensure we’re confident that the student is set up for success in UX Academy.
How to Apply
- Submit the UX Academy application form.
- When filling out the application form, make sure to select “I have completed UX Academy Foundations.” Copy and paste the link to your Final Design Challenge in the space that appears.
- The Admissions Team will review your application and respond within 4 business days.
Evaluation Criteria
The Admissions Team will review your application to ensure:
- Your design skills are at the necessary level for entry into UX Academy
- You have a clear understanding of the expectations and requirements of UX Academy
The Admissions Team might reach to ask for additional context as to why you didn’t complete the course on time, didn’t utilize at least 5 mentor sessions, or forfeited more than 1 session.
Please note: any level of unprofessionalism or disrespect in your communication with other students, mentors, or the Designlab Team will result in non-admission to UX Academy.
Questions?
Reach out to the Admissions Team at admissions@designlab.com or schedule a call, and we'll be happy to help!
I applied to UX Academy previously — can I apply again?
We're excited to hear you're interested in continuing your design education with UX Academy! The process to re-apply to UX Academy will depend on your situation. Review the scenarios below for the information that's most relevant to you, and feel free to reach out to the Admissions Team with any questions by emailing us at admissions@designlab.com or scheduling a call.
I applied and was accepted into a recent cohort of UX Academy, but had to postpone enrolling for a month or two.
You don't need to re-apply to UX Academy. Please email Admissions and we'll be happy to send you an updated enrollment invitation to the relevant cohort.
I applied and was accepted into a cohort of UX Academy, but a significant amount of time has elapsed since then.
You might need to re-apply to UX Academy, depending upon how long it's been. If so, we'll ask you to provide a more recent example of project work in your application so that our design reviewers can evaluate where your skill set is now. Please email Admissions with an explanation of your scenario and we can let you know what the next steps are for you!
I applied to UX Academy and was asked to iterate on my work in order to be considered for admission into UX Academy.
We're looking forward to receiving your updated work! Once you've completed your iteration, please resubmit your application using this form.
If you don't submit your iteration within 7 days, your application to UX Academy will be canceled. You're always welcome to apply again to a future cohort, and you'll just need to submit a new application at that time.
I applied to UX Academy and wasn't accepted the first time around. I've continued to improve my design skills and would like to apply again.
We'd love to receive your application! Please apply by submitting a new application, including a more recent sample of your work. You can review the application prerequisites and our design challenge brief for more details. Please note that you can only apply once to a given cohort of UX Academy.
I previously enrolled in UX Academy but had to withdraw from the course, and I'd like to re-enroll.
We're looking forward to having you back in the course! Since you've previously withdrawn, you'll need to submit a new application to UX Academy. Depending upon how long it's been since you first applied, we might ask you to provide a more recent example of project work in your application so that our design reviewers can evaluate where your skill set is now. Please email Admissions with an explanation of your scenario and we can let you know what the next steps are for you!
For more details about whether you’re eligible to have the UX Academy Foundations tuition credit applied toward your UX Academy tuition, please see this article.