Hopefully this page will answer any questions you may have. If your question has not been answered, please feel free to email us at gradacting@nyu.edu and tisch.gradadmissions@nyu.edu
This is a Master’s Degree program. You must have a Bachelor’s Degree or be in the process of completing your Bachelor’s Degree in order to be considered for the program. Exceptions have been made but they are very rare. If you have a question about this please contact Graduate Admissions.
No. Anyone with a Bachelor’s Degree is welcome to audition. If you don’t have any theatre/acting experience, you are still a viable candidate. The most important element is what you bring in the audition.
You can view our virtual tour or find updated information about current graduate open house opportunites here:
https://tisch.nyu.edu/admissions/graduate-admissions/graduate-information-sessions
No. Individuals of all ages are welcome to apply as long as they hold a bachelor’s degree.
We accept 16 students each year.
Deadline to apply and register for auditions: The next application cycle, which will be for entry in Fall 2026, will begin in early September 2025.
The program is 3 consecutive years.
We recommend folks to read through our class descriptions and watch faculty videos which describe the program.
Yes. Please see our Applying Page for more detailed information about our significant need based scholarships and work to make the program affordable for each student.
NYU does offer Grad Housing. However, our students opt to live off-campus. We do have a large network of current students and alumni who are often subletting their apartments or looking for roommates.
Yes, there is a total fee of $115 for the application / audition process.
If you would like to request an application fee waiver, please contact Joseph Miserendino at joe.miserendino@nyu.edu and he can let you know what the procedure is. In your email, be prepared to explain the nature of the hardship and provide evidence supporting your request for a waiver.
You will need two letters of recommendation. If you would like to include three, you are welcome to but it is not required.
We ask that all Letters of Recommendation be submitted by the time of your audition.
If you are unable to submit your official transcripts as a PDF, you can submit unofficial transcripts. However, if invited to attend Callbacks, you must submit official transcripts.
Yes.
This year, we will have a limited number of spots to audition virtually.
What You Have to Prepare
1. Your audition.
Four monologues and approximately 16 bars of a song. Monologues should be classical and contemporary, both comedic and dramatic, two being in verse (rhymed or unrhymed).
Specific Requirements:
Two contemporary pieces (1919 to Present).
Two classical pieces (2500 BCE to c.1918).
No piece should be longer than 2 minutes and 30 seconds.
Advice on Selection & Preparation:
2. A full-face photograph (headshot).
3. A detailed résumé listing your prior acting experience.
4. A personal statement in essay form. Please check back here after the application opens for this year’s essay prompt.
Callbacks
Approximately 60 applicants from the first round of global auditions will be asked to come to New York for two of three available days in March 2026 for the final callback round. The entering class of 16 students will be selected from the March callback.
If you are called back, you will be given specific instructions as to how to prepare for your callback “weekend.”
This question has gone under much debate, and often is considered “Classical” for one audition may be “Modern” for another.
Specific Requirements:
Two contemporary pieces (1919 to Present).
Two classical pieces (2500 BCE to c.1918).
No piece should be longer than 2 minutes and 30 seconds.
Advice on Selection & Preparation:
The song is not to see if you are a singer, but to see where your voice is and if you are capable of acting through a song.
For additional questions, please email gradacting@nyu.edu.