Frequently Asked Questions

Graduate Admissions FAQ

Can I visit the department?

Some departments welcome visits from prospective students, but other departments are not able to accommodate in-person requests. Please reach out to your department of interest directly to ask whether they are able to meet with you.

Regardless of whether you are able to visit the department, NYU's Graduate Marketing and Admissions Consulting office offers campus tours for prospective graduate students. While these tours are general, not specific to Tisch, they're a great way to get a feel for the NYU campus and community. Register for a tour here.

do you require the GRE for admission?

No, we do not require the GRE for any of our graduate programs. The Game Design MFA program will accept GRE scores as supplemental material for their application, but it is purely optional and not submitting scores will not have an effect on your application.

can i study part-time?

Under special circumstances, Cinema Studies MA and Interactive Telecommunications Program (ITP) students may attend part-time with permission from the department. All other Tisch programs are full-time only.

can i apply to more than one program?

Yes. You can apply to a maximum of two programs in one year. You need to submit two applications, two sets of supporting and pay two fees. If accepted into both programs, you will need to accept the offer from one and decline the other as Tisch policy does not allow a student to be enrolled in more than one program.

Note - Applicants cannot apply to the following combinations of programs in one year:

  • MFA Filmmaking and the MBA/MFA Dual Degree
  • Cinema Studies MA program and the Moving Image Archiving & Preservation program 
  • Cinema Studies MA and Cinema Studies PhD
  • Performance Studies MA and Performance Studies PhD
  • Interactive Telecommunications Program (ITP) and the Interactive Media Arts (IMA) Low Residency program

do you offer application fee waivers?

Yes. Applicants for whom the application fee poses a hardship can request a waiver by sending an email to the Director of Graduate Admissions Joe Miserendino (joe.miserendino@nyu.edu). In your email be prepared to explain the nature of the hardship and provide evidence supporting your request for a waiver.

CAN I APPLY TO A GRADUATE PROGRAM EVEN IF I DON'T HOLD A BACHELOR'S DEGREE?

A bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution (or international equivalent) is required for admission to any of our Master's degree programs. 

In addition, applicants to one of our PhD programs must have earned or be in the process of earning an MA or MS degree in order to be eligible for admission. The Cinema Studies PhD program will not consider applicants who have earned or are in the process of earning an MPS degree; the Performance Studies PhD program will not consider applicants who have earned or are in the process of earning an MPS or MFA degree.

HOW DO I SUBMIT LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION WITH MY APPLICATION?

On the Tisch General Graduate Application, once you have logged in and started your application, on the left hand side you will see a menu with all the different sections. Towards the bottom you will see “recommendations”; click on that. On the next screen, you will be asked to enter the names and contact information for two recommendation providers.

Once you hit save, the system will send them an email with a link and instructions on how they can submit the letters. 

I WOULD LIKE TO APPLY FOR THE FALL BUT WILL NOT COMPLETE MY UNDERGRADUATE DEGREE BY THE APPLICATION DEADLINE. CAN I STILL APPLY?

You can still apply as long as you will receive your degree before starting classes with us in the fall. For the applicaiton, please submit your most up to date transcript at the time of applying, showing courses taken and marks received. 

If you are accepted into the school, we will then request a final official transcript from your school showing all courses taken and that you have received your degree.  

Do you require prior experience or training in order to apply to a graduate program?

Prior experience or training in the respective artistic field is not required for the majority of our graduate programs. Admission is based on the strength of the application.

The only exception to this is with the Dance Interdisciplinary Research MFA program. Applicants to this program are expected to have at least seven years of professional experience prior to applying to the MFA program. Those applying straight from an undergraduate program or that do not have the required experience will not be considered for admission.