I'm just catching up with the list after the first week of school. I did a
major project last year looking into the requirements of a lot of schools.
First, see if your student has specific schools in mind. Schools vary on
their portfolio requirements. Some are very specific while others are
general. All will send their requirements.
Regardless of what type of art the students are interested, all schools want
to see observational drawing. Most schools do not want to see too many
computer generated pieces. They prefer to train the students themselves on
that. Portfolios usually consist of 15 - 20 pieces. A variety of media is a
bonus and a process piece is also a good thing to show.