Part 1 - Online Application

Fill out and submit Part 1 (online form) of the application and select the Summer, Fall, or Spring semester you are interested in applying for. Once Part 1 is completed, the Oxbow Admissions Team will contact you to help complete your Semester or Summer application, assist you in applying for Financial Aid as needed, and answer any questions you might have. Please feel free to reach out to us directly at admissions@oxbowschool.org.

Apply Part 1

Part 2 – Semester Application Documents

Fill out and submit Part 2 (pdf) of the application. Part 2 may be handwritten or submitted digitally and includes:

• Self-portrait in any medium (.jpg or .tiff file)
• Parent Statement (also found in part 2 PDF)
• Student Questionnaire (also found in part 2 PDF)
• A copy of your most recent official high school transcript (Official only if mailed or emailed directly from school)
• Two teacher recommendations (teacher instructions pdf), and
• A 300-word essay on one of the following subjects (if applying for a Gap Semester, please use the Gap Semester prompt below):

1. “Art is the lie that enables us to realize the truth.” - Pablo Picasso

Choose one work of art or one artist that allowed you to realize a truth about yourself and/or the world around you. Discuss.

2. Choose a contemporary (Post WWII) work of art that you think best reflects a self-portrait of you. Describe.

3. Project yourself 50 years into the future. You have just finished your 250 page autobiography. How does the 3rd chapter begin?

GAP SEMESTER APPLICANT ESSAY PROMPT (Not required for students looking to attend Oxbow as juniors or seniors)

• Describe a project and area of interest that you would like to focus on during your semester as a Gap student. What open-ended question(s) would you like to explore in depth? Which studio(s) would you like to concentrate in? If you would like to pursue a leadership role within the The Oxbow School community or pursue an internship, please explain the skills you would like to develop during your semester as a gap student. Leadership roles might include: studio teaching assistant, culinary arts intern, elementary school volunteer, or residential life coordinator.

Part 2 – Oxbow Summer Art Institute Application Documents

• Self-portrait in any medium (.jpg or .tiff file)
• Parent Statement
• Student Questionnaire

Application materials can be emailed to admissions@oxbowschool.org or mailed to (please no original artwork):

Admissions Office
The Oxbow School
530 Third Street
Napa, CA 94559

In its consideration of applications for admission, The Oxbow School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, creed, sexual orientation, or national or ethnic origin.

At Oxbow, we are fully committed to working with you and your school to best support your experience on campus and return to your sending school. Oxbow regularly hosts students from some of the nation's top public and private high schools and has over twenty years of experience helping students stay on track with their academic needs. The first step in our application process is for families to meet with their sending school and review our Curriculum Guide with the counselor or advisor. This will allow your sending school to assist you in planning your class schedule. Please feel free to contact our Director of Admissions, Jason Tucker, with any questions about working with your sending school - we are here to help you with any questions that may arise.

Questions can be directed to Jason Tucker, Director of Admissions at jason@oxbowschool.org or 707.363.0449.