FAQs

In the fall of 2019, we moved into our space at 370 Jay Street, with state-of-the-art facilities.  This will be the location for any courses which require our facilities, such as production or musicianship courses.  However, our student body will still be taking courses in Manhattan, close to 50% depending on their academic level.  As such, we encourage first-year students looking for a residence hall experience to consider the Manhattan offerings.  Many students find their first year residence hall experience to be crucial to their extra-curricular life at NYU.

As far as commuting and transportation, NYU offers a free bus service as well as an after-hours Safe Ride service to students. Students can also opt to take the subway. With a commute time of about 20 minutes, students can easily move between Manhattan and Brooklyn, and can normally plan their schedules accordingly.

While this is not a frequently asked question, it's become more a common misconception of our program. The aim of our program is to teach creative entrepreneurship in the popular music world.  It is not to put students in front of famous producers to "break" them as artists, although that has happened.  Our culture is about teaching students all aspects of their business and empowering them to find a way to make a product or service in an ever-changing industry.  If you are hoping to be introduced to people rather than making your own connections, hoping for shortcuts instead of building your brand and neglecting aspects of our holistic curriculum, this is not the program for you.

That being said, we do have some instances where students can workshop your songs with faculty, students, and outside executives during your time in the program.

We receive approximately 500 applications each year.

Each year we admit 60 students.  Usually around 8 of the 60 students are Transfer students.

All undergraduate applications can apply online, however it is a two-part application.

Please remember that, as a separate step, you must also complete your Clive Davis Institute Creative Portfolio. There is a special section at the back of the undergraduate application called "Special Admissions Requirements." This section lists what you must submit for your specific program at Tisch. All Tisch programs require a creative review. For more specific information on the Clive Davis Institute Creative Portfolio, visit our Applications Requirements page. 

• Early Decision I: November 1 (notified December 15)

• Early Decision II: January 1 (notified February 15)
  
• Regular Decision: January 1 (notified April 1)
• Internal Transfer: March 1 (notified mid-April)

• External Transfer: April 1 (notified-mid-May)

We do not have rolling admissions or spring admits. All incoming classes start each fall. Please note that students are not deferred from Early Decision, and all admissions decisions are final. 

You might see on NYU admissions' website to submit the Common App 1 month prior to the posted deadlines.  For our department, due to the application's online nature, you will still be able to submit both parts of the application by the posted deadlines above.

Yes. The Clive Davis Institute does have a transfer admissions process for students from other accredited colleges and universities. All transfer students must start coursework in the fall semester, and spend a minimum of six semesters in residence in the department in order to complete the 128 credits needed to obtain the BFA degree. The maximum amount of transfer credits that a student can bring to the department is 48 credits, which are typically awarded towards general education and elective requirements. In addition to completing the online application for transfer, applicants must also complete the required Creative Portfolio for admission to The Clive Davis Institute. All applications for transfer and creative portfolios for admission are due April 1.

If you are a student from another division of NYU, you may apply for an internal transfer online here. Students must be enrolled in the division to which they were originally admitted for one full year before they may transfer to another division. Up to 48 credits may be transferred this includes credits taken at any previous institutions, as well as AP or IB scores. Any courses taken within NYU prior to matriculation will transfer in above and beyond the 48 credit limit. All applications for transfer and Creative Portfolios for admission are due March 1.

You can pick up a Tisch Internal Transfer application from the Tisch-Office of Student Affairs, 726 Broadway, 2nd floor. Students must be enrolled in the department to which they were originally admitted for one full year before they may transfer to another department. If you entered Tisch as a transfer student, your transfer credit from your previous college(s) may not apply towards your new degree requirements or may be applied differently. All transfer credit is subject to the policies and procedures of your new department (e.g. residency requirements and transfer credit maximums.)

Tisch Internal Transfer Process:

1. You are required to obtain the signature of your current department chair.
2. The Clive Davis Institute requires a Creative Portfolio for review.
3. Please submit a one-page essay indicating why you wish to internally transfer to the Clive Davis Institute.

4. After you have received the approval of your current department chair, and you have submitted your portfolio, submit this application to: Patricia Decker, Director of Recruitment, Office of Student Affairs, Tisch School of the Arts, 721 Broadway, 8th floor, New, NY 10003

Yes, we do accept international students. International students comprise roughly 16% of our most recent entering class with over 7,000 international students and scholars from over 130 different countries. Please view the international freshman applicant requirements and steps to apply on the Undergraduate Admissions website. In addition, all applicants must complete the required Creative Portfolio for admission to The Clive Davis Institute.

NYU also welcomes applications for transfer admission from international applicants. More international transfer information can be found on the Undergraduate Admissions website. Additionally, more resources for international students can be found on the Tisch-Student Affairs website.   

During the winter and summer sessions, all Clive Davis Institute classes are open to visiting and non-matriculating students. 

During the academic year, NYU Tisch offers a semester long, visiting student program called Semester at Tisch. The semester at Tisch Clive Davis Institute program is open to visiting undergraduate sophomores, juniors, and seniors. For one semester (fall or spring), a student can matriculate at Tisch and take 12 to 18 credits including some of our core curriculum. Internships are also available through this program. For more information, please visit the Special Programs site.

We also offer a limited selection of classes each semester that are open to all currently matriculated NYU students. If a course is open to non-majors, it will be stated in the "Notes" field for the class on Albert.

Click here for the estimated expenses including Tuition/Fees.

Clive Davis Institute students may also be required to pay a non-refundable lab fee each semester. 

Students are encouraged to apply for financial aid electronically - the fastest and most accurate method of completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). You may find more information online at the Tisch-Financial Aid website.

For artistic programs which require a creative submission, standardized tests are optional to apply (with the exception of English language proficiency for international applicants).

Regarding average academic statistics, GPA's vary in meaning from school to school, and country to country.  In general, we are looking for creatively strong as well as academically strong applicants from our highly competitive applicant pool.

General NYU statistics can be found under Undergraduate Admissions NYU Facts.

Applicants to programs in Steinhardt and Tisch School of the Arts that require an audition or portfolio are not required to submit standardized testing for consideration and doing so is entirely optional. For other programs where an audition or portfolio is optional but not required, testing is required.

All applicants to our campus in New York must still meet our English language testing requirements. 

If you would still like to submit standardized testing scores, you may submit any of the following: 

• SAT (essay test not required)
• ACT (writing test not required)
• Three SAT Subject Test scores*
• Three AP exam scores*
• International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma*
• Three IB higher-level exam scores if not an IB Diploma candidate
• Nationally accredited exam that shows you completed your secondary education

* View our list of approved standardized testing categories. 

The primary difference between the Steinhardt Music Business and Music Technology programs and the Tisch Clive Davis Institute program is the degree that students receive upon graduation. The Steinhardt Music Business and Music Technology students receive a Bachelor of Music (B.M.) and Clive Davis Institute students receive a Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.).  

Steinhardt Music Business and Music Technology undergraduates participate in a core music curriculum in music theory, history, and keyboard skills, along with a rich liberal arts foundation. Music Business students take classes in the Stern School of Business and follow an intensive sequence of specialized music business courses. Music Technology students take a sequence of courses offering a solid foundation in all areas of music technology, while giving the flexibility to obtain specialized expertise in a specific area of music and audio technology. As a part of the audition process, students are required to sing or play one piece of music in addition to an interview and music theory test. For more information about the artistic review please visit Music Business Auditions or Music Tech Auditions.  

The Clive Davis Institute B.F.A. undergraduate program is designed to provide professional training for students who aim to succeed as creative entrepreneurs in the music industry. Whether aspiring executives, producers, performers or critics, all Clive Davis Institute students develop their entrepreneurial skills by taking core courses in four areas: business, production, musicianship, and history-criticism. Students learn about business and legal issues and they are expected to become proficient in a range of recorded music practices through practicums in the recording studio. Concurrently, students explore critical writing and music journalism, delving into the cultural impact of recorded music and the history of contemporary musical genres such as rock, R&B, hip-hop, and pop. By senior year, all Clive Davis Institute students hone their skills as music entrepreneurs by developing a comprehensive creative plan to launch a music business venture such as a record label, production company or new media enterprise.  As is the case with all Tisch programs, professional training is combined with a solid liberal arts education.  

For information about the Cilve Davis Institute Creative Portfolio review, please visit our Application Requirements page.

For more information about Steinhardt Music Business or Music Technology, please click here.  

Yes. Department tours and information sessions are held selected Fridays at 12:30 pm at 370 Jay street, 6th Floor. You can reserve a spot by completing our online registration form.

The Office of Undergraduate Admissions offers information sessions and tours of the NYU campus twice daily, generally Monday through Friday at 10 am, 1 pm, and/or 2:30 pm. Please call 212.998.4524 to make a reservation or go to the Undergraduate Admissions website to schedule a visit online.

Yes. Our Open House programs offer the most comprehensive visiting experience. You will learn specific information on our programs, admissions and financial aid. Typically, faculty, school officers, student life offices, current students, and the deans of the Tisch School of the Arts all attend Open House programs. We hold these programs for freshmen during the fall. If you are already on the NYU mailing list, you will receive an invitation to our Open House programs. Dates for these open houses become available at the end of each summer. Please visit the Undergraduate Admissions website for more information.   

No. Because of the participatory and creative nature of many courses at Tisch, none of the departments permit prospective students to observe classes. However, students are welcome to come and visit other NYU classes throughout the year. Classroom visits are offered Monday through Thursday during the Fall and Spring semesters. If you are interested in sitting in on a class, visit the Jeffrey S. Gould Welcome Center, 50 West Fourth Street, for a list of classes that are open for visitation. You may also call 212.998.4524 for more information.  

The administrative staff within the Clive Davis Institute are more than qualified to answer any questions you have about the department. In the case that they cannot, you will be referred to the proper faculty member.  

No. NYU does not allow for second bachelor’s degrees (except for Nursing). The Clive Davis Institute is an undergraduate program only. If you have already earned an undergraduate degree, you are not eligible to apply to the program.  However you are eligible to become a visiting student for our Summer courses, or any other non-matriculated program.

No. You must choose one, and if you are denied admission to one department, you cannot apply to another in the same admissions cycle. However, you can check a box on your common application to be considered for other departments at NYU.

Freshman applicants who have been offered admission to NYU may request to defer their enrollment for up to one year. Students who are approved to defer their enrollment and who satisfy the requirements listed on the NYU-Undergraduate Admissions website do not have to file a new application and are guaranteed re-admission for the subsequent fall semester. Deferred students pay a tuition deposit for the original term of entry, which will be credited to the new term of entry. In addition, deferred students are considered Early Decision applicants for the new term of entry. They are expected to re-confirm their intention to enroll when our new Early Decision students are expected to do so in January and are held to the same expectations as our other Early Decision students. In essence, students who are approved to defer their enrollment are committed to enrolling at NYU, but are simply making that commitment a year in advance. 

Yes, but it can be very difficult if it is with another Tisch major. Because all Tisch departments are studio-based, their curriculum follows a strict schedule. As long as your double major or minor does not interfere with your department work it is not a problem. All incoming students are assigned a departmental advisor who will assist you with any curricular questions. If you are interested in pursuing a double major or minor, you should start by researching the major/minor requirements online, then speak with an advisor in the secondary department.  

To double-major in any department where there is an approved second major, you must first discuss the requirements of the major with a representative of that department. You must then pick up a green double major application form at the front desk in the Tisch-Office of Student Affairs, 726 Broadway, 2nd floor. After an advisor from the second department completes the appropriate section of the form, the form is then submitted to the home department for approval. Once approved, the second major is recorded on the official transcript.   

All admitted students will take the Writing the Hit Song, Music Theory for Producers, and Audio Ear Training for Producers courses. While we encourage our students to continue to take music theory classes as electives to further their knowledge, we do not require our students to take intensive theory or musicianship classes since not all of our students are musicians. 

Clive Davis Institute majors will be required to study abroad either the fall or spring of their junior year. In Fall 2016, the Institute launched its first-ever study abroad program in Berlin, Germany. With a strong focus on the art, business, and historical culture of electronic and club music, students will have the opportunity to take 14-18 credits while abroad, including a German language/culture course, a writing, history, & emergent media course, a business course, a production or performance course, and an internship. By the end of the semester, students will have been fully immersed in the art and culture of one of the most vibrant arts capitals of the world. In addition to Berlin, there are numerous other study abroad opportunities for students to take advantage of, either through Tisch Special Programs or NYU Study Abroad.

The Clive Davis Institute offers two wonderful high school programs, the Future Music Moguls Workshop during the spring and the four-week intensive Summer High School Program. The Future Music Moguls workshop is a FREE 12-week Saturday program designed to introduce talented high school freshmen, sophomores, and juniors to all aspects of the contemporary music business, with a special focus on developing entrepreneurial skills. The Summer H.S. Program is a four-week intensive program that allows rising juniors and seniors to earn six college credits while in residence at NYU. Students will become entrepreneurs-in-training by studying how music is recorded, produced and distributed to consumers.

If you are sending media, please limit it to 5 minutes of material. The creative sample is a substantiation of your talent, so if you are a performer, we should hear you perform. If you are a composer, producer, or budding entrepreneur, show us evidence of that. The bottom line is: show us who you are in a creative, professional, and succinct way. Specific details are included on our Application Requirements page.

If you are a performer and you are primarily interested in developing a brand and honing your business acumen and production skills in the effort to establish yourself as a music entrepreneur, this program is right for you. Many of our students are performers who are also interested in the production and business aspects of the industry. The Clive Davis Institute offers specific classes in performance training such as Vocal Coaching, Studio Performance Workshop, Advanced Musicianship, Writing the Hit Song and Stage Presence & the Art of Performance. Our performance curriculum is consistently changing and developing to meet the needs of our students. Select courses in the Musicianship & Performance area have end of semester live performances at music venues in New York City. There are also opportunities for performance outside of the department throughout New York City, which students are encouraged to pursue. Additionally, students have 26 credits of electives which can be used toward a large number of performance and craft-oriented classes outside the department at NYU. 

You do not need to have experience in the music industry, nor do you need to have access to resources to demonstrate your vision, creativity and passion, and your potential for success in the music industry. For instance, you might take a popular recording artist and write us a letter detailing how you would have used your creativity and vision to differently market or promote that artist, or write us a letter about how you would have recorded that artist differently in the recording studio. You could also discuss what types of programs or events you would create in your hometown or high school to provide greater opportunity for engagement in the music industry, or submit a collection of writings showcasing your music analysis or criticism. Be creative! 

Taken alongside courses in production, musicianship & performance, and writing, history & emergent media, our complement of business courses will give you the necessary training to function in a professional music industry environment. Our program's unique entrepreneurial focus will encourage you to think creatively and with an innovative lens about opportunities for growth in the music business.

Taken alongside courses in business, musicianship & performance, and writing, history & emergent media, our production courses are designed to give students the essential training to operate in a variety of professional audio recording situations. Students who have graduated from our program who have a special focus on producing have gone on to pursue careers as producers, engineers, and mixers among other professional positions.

No. Our goal is to train well-rounded students holistically in four areas: business, production, musicianship & performance, and writing, history & emergent media. As a result, all students in The Clive Davis Institute are required to take common core courses in the aforementioned areas. By the end of the second year of study, students are expected to begin to specialize in one of the areas toward completion of their professional development projects.  

The Clive Davis Institute offers specific classes in performance training such as Vocal Coaching, Studio Performance Workshop, Advanced Musicianship, Writing the Hit Song, and Stage Presence & the Art of Performance. Our performance curriculum is constantly changing and developing to meet the needs of our students. Select courses in the Musicianship & Performance area have end-of-semester live performances at music venues in New York City. Students can also take advantage of special workshops and events offered throughout the semester. Additionally, Students have 26 credits of electives which can be used toward a large number of performance and craft-oriented classes outside the department at NYU. 

The Clive Davis Institute offers a progression of writing, history & emergent media core courses that students are required to take toward the completion of their major. We also offer a variety of writing, history & emergent media electives. Beyond these courses, you may also elect to do a minor or double major in the CAS Journalism department. While enrolled in the department, your advisor will be able to direct you to these opportunities.  

All of our students still take the same holistic, core curriculum. The core curriculum is designed to help students acquire a full spectrum of skills for music industry, and lends itself well to people that feel like they fit into a few different roles in the music industry.

We do not require our applicants to have prior recording production experience. Many do, but we have admitted students with no experience whatsoever. We will train everyone once they arrive.  

The Clive Davis Institute's production facilities utilize a combination of analog and digital audio equipment - balancing traditional and modern technology, and facilitating all production techniques. In its recording studios, edit suites, and music production lab, the department's Mac Pro and iMac computers host multiple digital audio workstations, including Pro Tools and Pro Tools HD, Logic Pro, Ableton Live/Suite, and Reason. In addition to computer-based digital audio workstations, two of our three recording studios are equipped with Studer A827 two-inch analog tape recorders.

Learn more about our equipment and software, and take a virtual tour of our facilities!

No. The studio is used exclusively for classroom projects, and even Clive Davis Institute majors are prohibited from using the studio for personal projects.

Please see our Equipment & Gear list for detailed information.

Please contact us at tisch.recorded.music@nyu.edu or 212.992.8400.