Who Should Apply
The Collaborative Arts program is ideal for inventive experimentalists who think and create outside the confines of one artistic area. We are looking for independent innovators who also want to work with others - eager to generate interdisciplinary projects, take part in performative work, and discover something new.
Our students are curious, quirky, unconventional and willing to take risks. If you're interested in exploring the potential of working between disciplines, this may be the right place for you.
When to Apply
The below application deadlines are for both the Common Application AND the Creative Portfolio. You will receive a link to upload your Creative Portfolio only after your Common Application has been received by NYU. To ensure proper processing time, we strongly recommend that you submit your Common Application at least two weeks before the posted deadline.
| APPLICATION TYPE | APPLICATION & PORTFOLIO DEADLINE | FINANCIAL AID DEADLINE | NOTIFICATION |
| Early Decision 1* | November 1 | November 15 | December 15 |
| Early Decision 2* | January 1 | January 15 | February 15 |
| Regular Decision | January 5 | February 15 | April 1 |
| Internal Transfers | March 1 | April 1 | May |
| External Transfers | April 1 | April 1 | May |
*If NYU Collaborative Arts is your first choice program for your college experience, applying Early Decision I or II lets us know that. If this is where you want to spend the next 4 years, we encourage you to apply Early Decision!
How to Apply
Applicants must complete the NYU Common Application and submit a Creative Portfolio.
1. NYU Common Application
You must complete the Common Application with the NYU Supplement. Please refer to NYU Undergraduate Admissions for more information about applying to NYU. Once you submit the Common Application successfully, you will receive an email confirmation from NYU within 2-3 business days with a link to access your applicant portal where you can submit your Creative Portfolio.
2. Creative PORTFOLIO
The following are all required components for the 2023-2024 Collaborative Arts Creative Portfolio:
A) WRITTEN STATEMENT
Collaborative Arts is a non-traditional, interdisciplinary performing arts program focused on the creation of new and original work. Our most successful students push themselves beyond the confines of specific artistic areas – including those they may be less familiar with – in order to grow dynamically as versatile artists of the future. Our first-year core curriculum explores performance, movement, visual art, filmmaking, emerging media and technology, acting, music production, fabrication, playwriting, screenwriting, and art theory. Following the first year, students take expanded coursework in all areas, further blurring the lines between disciplines. You are not expected to enter our program proficient in every area, but you will be expected to passionately engage in all of them.
Please provide a written statement (400 words max) about why you are choosing an interdisciplinary arts degree. Why pursue Collaborative Arts as opposed to a discipline-specific course of study? What excites you about joining a highly diverse artistic community that values play, experimentation and creative invention? Please cite examples from your artistic work, art and artists you admire, and/or unique hobbies that inform your work.
B) WHO ARE YOU? VIDEO
Using your phone or laptop, record a 1-2 minute video that shows and tells us who you are as an artist and what you love about making art. How might our program help you realize your artistic goals? This is your opportunity to help us get to know you better, so you should be the primary subject of this video (avoid using friends and family).
C) CREATIVE SUBMISSIONS (2 Parts):
1. PERFORMANCE SUBMISSION
While Collaborative Arts welcomes creators from all disciplines and backgrounds, we are built on a foundation of performance: you will be required to engage in multiple performance courses in your first year. Please submit examples of work that best represents you as a performer. If you are showing a collaborative project, you must be the primary contributor or creator. Please provide a title and short description for each submission.
Examples may include, but are not limited to:
A narrative monologue, a movement piece, a musical experiment, stand-up or sketch comedy, or any other performative work. (1-3 videos, not to exceed 5 min total)
2. ADDITIONAL SUBMISSIONS
We are interested in everything that makes you a creative maker and thinker. In addition to your performance submission, please submit examples of your original work that best represents your talent and your passions in at least TWO of the following areas. Please provide a title and short description for each submission.
Examples may include, but are not limited to:
Visual: Photography, Drawings, Sculptures, Painting, Mixed-Media (5-10 images)
Video: Film, Animation, Experimental (2-3 videos, 5 min total)
Music: Original Songs, Compositions (2-3 recordings, 5 min total)
Writing: Stage Play, Screenplay (5-10 pages)
Design: Website, Games, Interactive (website links, screenshots)
Emerging: Technology, Digital Art, 3D Fabrication, New-Media
If you have questions about what and how to submit, contact Collaborative Arts directly at tisch.collabarts@nyu.edu.