Fall/Spring Study Abroad Application Requirements

Type or copy and paste your statement in the Personal Statement section within the online application. The personal statement prompt consists of Part A and Part B which should be answered separately as well as the program specific prompts outlined below. 

Your complete personal statement should total 500-1500 words. You may not re-submit the same statement from another Tisch Special Programs application.

Part A - Please explain your motivation for pursuing the program you're applying to. If you have selected a second or third choice program, please also explain your motivation for pursuing each of those programs.

Part B - What foreign-produced* artwork (i.e. a film, TV show, play, painting, piece of music, etc.) has inspired you? And how has it informed your worldview?

*For the purpose of this question the word “foreign” means foreign to you, i.e. from a different culture and/or heritage than your personal culture and/or heritage.

Program Specific Prompts 

Directing the Actor - Name one to three films where the relationship between director and actor work well. In your own words explain what makes the direction great. On the other hand, which one to three films do not work well in terms of direction for the actor and explain what falls short. What would you change or implement to improve the direction?

Screenwriting - Name one to three films with script that work well. In your own words explain what makes the script great. On the other hand, which one to three films do not have a great script and explain what falls short. What would you change or implement to improve the writing?

In the Attachments section of the online application, upload your creative résumé. Your creative résumé should highlight training, awards, projects, community service or employment completed in or outside of school. You can also include working hyperlinked URLs on the résumé to websites that show work that you have completed to supplement your application. Please check NYU’s visual guide to a successful résumé.

You must have and upload a valid passport at the time of your application. The passport must meet all of the parameters listed below. There are no exceptions. If you have more than one passport, upload both.

• Your passport must be valid for at least 6 months past the end of the program you are applying to.
• Your passport should contain at least two adjacent blank pages. 

If you are in the process of renewing your passport at the time of application, you must upload the passport renewal receipt in place of your passport. Once your new passport is received, you will need to email a copy to us at tisch.special.admissions@nyu.edu.

Applications with an invalid passport will be considered incomplete and will not be reviewed. 

Further information and application requirements may be found here.

In the Personal Details section of the online application, non-native English speaking applicants are required to upload copies of one of the following English language proficiency examinations:

• TOEFL iBT (Test of English as a Foreign Language Internet-Based Test)
• IELTS Academic (International English Language Testing System)
• PTE Academic (Pearsons Test of English Academic)
• CAE or CPE (Cambridge English: Advanced or Proficiency)
• Duolingo English Test 

Exemption from English language proficiency testing will be given:

• If your native language is English.

• You already completed (at the time of application submission) at least 3 or more consecutive, full academic years at a school/university where the primary language of instruction was English.

• If you are currently matriculated in a full-time NYU degree program.

We don’t have minimum score requirements, but competitive applicants will receive: 100 and above on the TOEFL iBT, 7.5 and above on the IELTS Academic, 70 and above on the PTE Academic, 191 and above on the Cambridge English Scale, or 125 and above on the Duolingo English Test.

Within the online application, please enter the name and email address of your recommender. Listed in order of preference, the recommendation must be from a college/university representative, a community group leader, a mentor, or a coach, etc. Ideally the reccomendation should be from someone who is familiar with your interest in the performing or media arts. A recommendation from friends or family members will not be accepted.

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

Once you submit the recommender's information, they are emailed instructions on how to submit their online recommendation. If your recommender has trouble completing their online recommendation please have them contact our office. You will be emailed confirmation that the recommendation has been received.

Applicants are responsible for following up with their listed recommenders to ensure timely submission of their recommendations.

Applications that are missing the required recommendation by the deadline date will be considered incomplete and will not be reviewed.

NYU Students: In the Attachments section of the online application, upload a copy of your unofficial transcript from Albert. Don’t know how to access your unofficial transcript on Albert? Find out how to access your transcript here!

Non-NYU Students: We must receive your official transcripts sent from your college/university by the application deadline, via one of the following methods:

• Email: This is our preferred delivery method.
  • Emailed transcripts must come from a school representative or an official transcript service on behalf of your school.
  • Our email address is tisch.special.admissions@nyu.edu.

• Mail: Mailed transcripts must be sealed and issued directly from your school to:
  • New York University
    Tisch Office of Special Programs Admissions
    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.

In the Program Selection section of the online application, upload the following:

• Your headshot. Please use the following specifications: JPG with dimensions of 600x800 pixels. File size should be less than 1MB.

Not sure how to resize your image? We recommend Pixlr: after uploading your headshot in Pixlr, click "Image" at the top of your screen, then "Image Size."

Prague 35mm Applicants

In the Program Selection section of your online application, upload a Production Script based on the following specifications:

Watch the three films selected by Tisch Special Programs and write the shot list/shooting script for one of the three films. 

• Scars by Daija Ayan Nur-Bramwell (Prague 35mm Fall 2016): https://vimeo.com/203900594
• Cut Throat by Noah Weisfogel (Prague 35mm Fall 2016): https://vimeo.com/203900221
• Planet X by Pedro Bitar (Prague 35mm Fall 2016): https://vimeo.com/206299661

RADA Acting Applicants

In the Program Selection section of the online application, upload the following:

• Two (2) monologue speeches (full text) with scene synopses. Please upload them separately using the categories "Synopsis and Speech 1" and "Synopsis and Speech 2". The speeches must be from a play by William Shakespeare and no more than two minutes in length each.  One of your speeches must be selected from the following list provided by RADA; the other speech is entirely of your choosing.
  
  Check back for the updated list of speeches in May.
   

• Your headshot. Please use the following specifications: JPG with dimensions of 600x800 pixels. File size should be less than 1MB. 

  Not sure how to resize your image? We recommend Pixlr: after uploading your headshot in Pixlr, click "Image" at the top of your screen, then "Image Size."

We reserve the right to interview applicants for all of our program tracks as part of the admissions’ assessment. Applicants will be contacted by email if they are invited to participate in an interview. If you are invited to interview, we urge you to come well prepared. All interviews are held via Zoom.

Documentary Video Production in Havana:

If you meet the program requirements, you will be considered for an interview. The interview is an important component in the assessment of your application. We urge you to come well prepared to your interview. Students are contacted via email to schedule a Zoom interview.

Interviews will take place according to the schedule found on the Tisch Special Programs Admissions Calendar.

Applicants to the Berlin Acting program or the London RADA program must attend an audition.  Zoom auditions can be arranged for applicants who are not in the New York City area. Find out more about audition details and requirements.