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How do I apply to UX Academy? Are there any prerequisites for the program?

Rudi Goddard

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
  • Possess strong English language skills
  • Be able to commit a minimum weekly time, depending on your track
  • 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:

  1. 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.) 
  2. 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.
  3. Receive your admission decision. Our team will evaluate your application and you'll hear back within 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. 

 

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

 

English Language Proficiency

Clear and effortless communication between students and mentors is a vital part of the UX Academy experience. We require all students to have a minimum CEFR level of C1 or greater.

If you're not sure of your fluency level, please take this free assessment. Please complete both the Business and General English assessments. 

 

Application Restrictions

You can only apply to a given cohort once. If your application meets all of our entry criteria, you'll be invited to enroll in UX Academy. If our design reviewers think your project work is capable of reaching our entry requirements through a single round of iteration, you will be offered the opportunity to iterate and resubmit your application for the same cohort. If you’re still not admitted after iterating, you’ll be invited to enroll in UX Academy Foundations to solidify your skills prior to joining UX Academy.  

 

The UX Academy program is designed to help students gain a holistic understanding of the UX/UI design process, create a professional UX/UI design portfolio, and land a job in the industry. It would be a disservice to an applicant if we were to admit them into UX Academy if we truly believe the program and the community around it are not a good fit for them based on the criteria above.

 

How to apply if you don't have previous design experience:

  1. 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. 
  2. 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. 

Learn more about UX Academy Foundations and then enroll here.

 

Still have questions? Here are some next steps:

  1. Read more about UX Academy and confirm the program fits your goals
  2. Schedule a call to talk with one of our friendly Admissions Team members
  3. Attend our next webinar info session

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