Tisch Summer High School Application Requirements

• You must be a current high school junior or sophomore (rising senior or junior) to apply.
• Preference is given to current high school juniors. Freshmen and seniors are not eligible.
• You must have a 3.0 minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) on a 4.0 scale and be in good academic standing. SAT and ACT testing grades are NOT reviewed.
• If accepted, you must live in NYU assigned housing. You will not be permitted to commute / live with family or friends on or off-campus during the program.
• You may apply to only ONE program.

Tisch is a collaborative and rigorous program so your presence is keenly felt. The program is competitive; we receive over 700 applications for the high school programs in NYC. You should arrive ready to absorb, challenge and internalize what is being offered. Your prior accomplishments are not as important as being open to the ideas and training that will be presented.

Your admission decision is based on a faculty review of your entire application, including your personal statement, two letters of recommendation, résumé and transcripts. 

• Online Application

Your personal statement must be a minimum 500 words / maximum 1500 words. The personal statement consists of parts A and B. You can copy and paste your Personal Statement into the "Personal Statement" section of your application.

Part 1: Answer all of the following questions, no matter which program you are applying to:

Tell us about an experience you had working as a part of a team on a collaborative project.

• What was your role? What did you learn from that experience? What do you feel you can contribute to a collaborative environment?
• Why do you think you are prepared for this type of experience, and what do you hope to gain from it?
• Why do you feel training and education are necessary to sustain a career in creative computing, filmmaking, game design, photography, recorded music, theatre, or writing?

Part 2: You must also respond to the question(s) for your specific track:

• Creative Computing at ITP: Cancelled
  
• Dance: Please provide a brief personal response to the Tisch Department of Dance mission statement presented below and answer the following question. What does dance mean to you and how can you contribute to the greater dance community? Department of Dance Mission Statement: We seek to develop and prepare fully realized dance artists to be critical thinkers, fearless leaders, and fluent performers who understand their global responsibility and the transformative power of collaboration inherent in the expansive language of dance.
• Drama (Atlantic Acting School, Meisner Summer Intensive, New Studio Summer Music Theatre Program, Stonestreet Screen Acting Workshop, Experimental Theatre Workshop at the ETW, or Production and Design Studio): Please describe an event that happened to you on stage, in performance, or while participating in a production and what you learned from this experience.
• Dramatic Writing: Describe your interest in dramatic writing and indicate if you are interested in playwriting and/or screenwriting. What do you think the role of dramatic writing is in film and theater? What is your favorite film or play? What is it about this work that engages you?
• Filmmakers Workshop: Narrative: How have film and television directly influenced your life? List your five favorite films and/or television programs. For each favorite, please explain your choice. Please keep your maximum word count for this question to 650 words.
• Game Design: Describe a game that you've designed yourself, what type of game was it, what was the main idea, and how did it play?  If you haven't made any games of your own, describe one of your favorite games and what you like most about it.
• Photography and Imaging: What is photography and imaging? Physically describe a photograph or image that you consistently return to view, then talk about how it engages you. Outside of photography, what do you love to do?

• Recorded Music: Let's travel in time and envision what the music industry of 2025 looks like. You've just launched a new music venture. What is it? Tell us how your music venture fits into the marketplace and how it has added value to the music industry of the future.  

Your creative résumé should highlight creative and artistic work accomplished, activities and relevant employment. Your résumé should also include:

• Your full name and contact information.
• Any extra curricular activities or work in your community.
• Additional information such as awards, clubs, and activities.
• URL links to your online media (e.g. video, music, photography, etc.)
• Recorded Music applicants: please also include links to your music, SoundCloud, YouTube, or other supplemental materials.

In the Documents section of the online application, upload a clear, fully legible copy of your photo and biographical information page from your passport.

• If you have more than one passport upload both.
• US Permanent Residents: please upload a copy of your US Permanent Resident card.

In the Documents section of the online application, non-native English speaking applicants are required to upload copies of TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language), IELTS (International English Language Testing System), or PTE Academic (Pearsons Test of English Academic) results, which have been issued within the past two years.

Exemption from English language proficiency testing will be given:

• If your native language is English;
• If you have been studying in a school or college/university where the language of instruction is English for at least three years; or
• If your education has been completed entirely in schools/colleges/universities where the language of instruction is English.

If you meet any of the above exemption criteria, please state this at the end of your personal statement.

We do not have any minimum test score requirements, but our most competitive applicants score above 100 on the TOEFL Internet-based Test (iBT) and 7.5 or above on the IELTS. Information about the TOEFL may be secured by visiting the TOEFL website and information on the IELTS is available on the IELTS website.  

Within the online application, please enter the names and email addresses of your recommenders. One recommendation must be from a high school representative and the second can be from a personal acquaintance (not a relative) or another academic representative, a member of the clergy, community group leader or coach. Ideally both recommendations should be from people who are familiar with your interest in the performing or media arts.

Register your recommenders early! You should allow your recommenders 1-2 weeks to complete the recommendations. Recommendations must be received by the application deadline.

Once you submit recommenders' information, they are emailed instructions on how to submit their online recommendations. If a recommender has trouble completing his/her online recommendation please have him/her contact our office. You will be emailed confirmation that the recommendation has been received. The subject of the confirmation email is “Tisch Application Reference Submission”.

Request your transcripts early. You should allow at least 2-4 weeks for processing and delivery to Tisch Special Programs. Your official transcripts must be received (not postmarked) in our office by the application deadline.

If we have not received your official transcripts by the application deadline, your application will not be considered for admission.

Official transcripts must be issued directly from the high school to Tisch Special Programs and should be sent via one of the following methods:

• Email: This is our preferred delivery method.
  • Emailed transcripts must come from your school's email address or an official transcript service on behalf of your school.
  • Our email address is tisch.special.admissions@nyu.edu
• Fax: Our fax number is 212-995-4578. Faxes must include:
  
  • a cover page from school;
  • student’s name;
  • student’s cumulative GPA on a 4.0 scale
• Mail: Mailed transcripts must be sealed and issued directly from your school. The mailed transcripts must include:
  • a cover page from school;
  • student’s name;
  • student’s cumulative GPA on a 4.0 scale

  Your school must mail the sealed transcripts directly to:
  

Tisch Office of Special Programs
New York University
721 Broadway, Rm 1248
New York NY  10003

Need to convert your GPA to a 4.0 scale? Try CollegeBoard’s GPA Calculator.

Non-US/Non-English transcripts: Please note that you are required to submit both the official transcript and its English translation. If the institution you attend does not provide an English translation with the official transcript, you must obtain a certified English translation. Following these steps will ensure the validity of your transcript:

• Secure an official transcript from your institution in a sealed envelope.
• Submit your unopened official transcript to the translator.
• Ask the translator to prepare an official English translation.
• Ask the translator to provide you with one sealed envelope containing both your original transcript and its English translation. The back of the envelope must contain the translator's signature to reflect the unaltered, true contents.

Email is our primary method of communication; therefore, please make sure to allow emails from tisch.special.admissions@nyu.edu to be viewed. 

You will receive two verification emails after submitting your application.

• "Application Received" - Within 24 hours of submitting your application, you will receive a confirmation email verifying that it was successfully received. However, this does not mean your application is complete. Your application received email will contain a link to an NYU Supplemental Form. We recommend you complete the NYU Supplemental Form in a timely manner.
• "Application Complete" - After receipt of your "Application Received" email, please allow 3-5 business days for your application to be assessed for completeness. Our office will send an email verifying that your application is either complete or missing materials.  Any part of your submitted application that is missing/incomplete, must be completed and/or received by the application deadline.

Only once your application and NYU Supplemental Form is verified as complete will you be evaluated by our faculty for admission and receive final status notification.  

Final status notifications will be sent on the dates listed in the 2015-2016 Tisch Special Programs Admissions Calendar.

Early final status notification is not available.

Notifications are communicated only by email, and only to the primary email address given in the application. 

If accepted, you will be required to confirm your participation. You should confirm as soon as possible, as space is limited. If the program reaches capacity before we receive your confirmation, you will be placed on a waitlist. 

To confirm your participation, the following must be completed by the confirmation deadline found on the 2015-2016 Tisch Special Programs Admissions Calendar:

• Confirm your spot
• Pay the non-refundable and non-transferable $2,000(USD) deposit by eCheck, wire transfer, or personal check.
• Please note that New York University does not accept credit cards or personal checks from non-US banks.

It is important that you review and understand the Tisch Special Programs Cancellation Policy prior to submitting your confirmation.  Details can be found on the Tisch Special Programs Cancellation Policy.