Please read the following admissions information before starting your online application. You can find important dates on the Tisch Special Programs Admissions Calendar.
Tisch is a collaborative and rigorous program so your presence is keenly felt. The program is competitive; we receive over 800 applications. 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 admissions decision is based on a faculty review of your entire application, including your personal statement, two letters of recommendation, résumé, and transcripts.
All communications regarding your application, including your admissions decision, will be communicated to you via the email address that you designate as your primary email address on the application. Please check this email account regularly, as you will be receiving communications that are often time-sensitive and require a response.
You must submit the following items:
*Need-based application fee waivers are available. Applicants can request a fee waiver by sending an email with an explanation of financial hardship to tisch.special.admissions@nyu.edu.
If accepted to the program, you will be asked to provide a valid passport.
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.
Further information about passport requirements can be found here.
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.
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: 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 the field that you are applying to?
Part B: You must also respond to the question(s) for your specific track:
Drama (All Studios): 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.
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.
In the Documents section of the online application, upload your creative résumé. Your creative résumé should highlight creative and artistic work accomplished, activities, and relevant employment. Your résumé should also include:
Recorded Music applicants: feel free to also include links to your music, SoundCloud, YouTube, or other supplemental materials.
Dance applicants: please feel free to include links to performance and/or choreography video.
In the Documents section of the online application, non-native English speaking applicants are required to upload copies of one of the following English language proficiency examinations:
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.
Exams should be completed before the application deadline, and results cannot be more than 2 years old. While we will consider scores received after the application deadline, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to wait for those scores to arrive before making an admissions decision.
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 names and email addresses of your recommenders. One recommendation must be from a high school representative and the second can be from another academic representative, a community group leader, a mentor, or a coach, etc. Ideally both recommendations should be from people who are familiar with your interest in the performing or media arts. Recommendations from friends or family members will not be accepted.
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 the recommenders' information, they are emailed instructions on how to submit their online recommendations. If your recommenders have trouble completing their online recommendations please have them contact our office. You will be emailed confirmation that the recommendation has been received.
Please upload your transcript in the section of the online application. It will be required in order to submit your application. It is recommended that you contact your school one to two weeks in advance to obtain your most recent transcript. If you have any difficulties requesting a transcript from your high school please contact us ahead of time at tisch.special.admissions@nyu.edu.
Need to convert your GPA to a 4.0 scale? Try CollegeBoard’s GPA Calculator.
Homeschooled Applicants
In place of a formal transcript from a high school, please have your parent/guardian in charge of your homeschooling email a document to tisch.special.admissions@nyu.edu detailing the following:
International/Non-US Candidates
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 unofficial transcript from your institution.
Submit your unofficial transcript to the translator.
Ask the translator to prepare an official English translation.
Upload the translated transcript to the application portal.
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.
Final status notifications will be available on the dates listed on the Tisch Special Programs Admissions Calendar.
Early final status notification is not available.
You will receive an email with more information on how to log in and access your admissions decision through NYU Home.
If accepted, you will be required to confirm your participation. To confirm your participation, the following must be completed by the confirmation deadline found on the Tisch Special Programs Admissions Calendar:
Confirm your spot.
Pay the non-refundable and non-transferable $1,500(USD) deposit by eCheck, wire transfer, credit card, or personal check.
Please note that New York University does not accept personal checks from non-US banks and credit cards for final tuition payment.
Please submit your confirmation deposit as soon as possible, as it can take 3-5 business days for your payment to clear. Deposits must be received by the Confirmation Deadline. Tisch Special Programs reserves the right to rescind admission to any student whose deposit is not received in our office by the deadline.
It is important that you review and understand the Tisch Special Programs Cancellation Policy prior to submitting your confirmation.
If you are having difficulty with the online application, please contact us at (212) 998-1512.