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:

• Dance:
  • Answer the following question: What does dance mean to you and how can you contribute to the greater dance community? 
  • Please provide a brief personal response to the Tisch Department of Dance mission statement, presented here: We seek to develop and prepare fully realized dance artists to be critical thinkers, fearless leaders, and fluent performers who understand their global responsibility and the transformative power of collaboration inherent in the expansive language of dance.

• 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.
  

• Dramatic Writing:
  • Describe your interest in dramatic writing and indicate if you are interested in playwriting and/or screenwriting.
  • What do you think the role of dramatic writing is in film and theater?
  • What is your favorite film or play? What is it about this work that engages you?
    

• Filmmaking:
  • Please list your five favorite films and/or television programs.
  • Please tell a story about yourself. This prompt is intentionally open-ended. We want to learn more about you and we want insight into your approach to storytelling.

• 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.

• Photography and Imaging: 
  • What is photography and imaging? 
  • Physically describe a photograph or image that you consistently return to view, then talk about how it engages you. 
  • Outside of photography, what do you love to do?

• Recorded Music: Let's travel in time and envision what the music industry of 2025 looks like. You've just launched a new music venture. What is it? Tell us how your music venture fits into the marketplace and how it has added value to the music industry of the future.  

 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:

• Your full name and contact information
  
• Any extra-curricular activities or work in your community
  
• Additional information such as awards, hobbies, and interests
  
• OPTIONAL: URL links to your online media (e.g. video, music, photography, etc.)

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, upload a clear, fully legible copy of your photo and biographical information page from your passport.

• 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.
• US Permanent Residents: please upload a copy of your US Permanent Resident card.

Further information and application requirements may be found here.

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:

• 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)

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, or 191 and above on the Cambridge English Scale.

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. The subject of the confirmation email is “Tisch Application Reference Submission”.

Request your transcript early. You should allow at least 2-4 weeks for processing and delivery to Tisch Special Programs. Your official transcripts must be received (not postmarked) in our office by the application deadline. If we have not received your official transcripts by the application deadline, your application will not be considered for admission.

Official transcripts must be issued directly from the high school to Tisch Special Programs and should be sent 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.

• Fax: Our fax number is 212-995-4578. The fax must include:
  • a cover page from the school
  • student’s name
  • student’s cumulative GPA on a 4.0 scale

• 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.

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:

• Completed and in-progress coursework
• Summary of each course's content
• Explanation of academic achievement in each course, summarized with a letter grade (A-F) if possible
• If you have previously attended a high school, please request that they send an official transcript to Tisch Special Programs via one of the delivery methods outlined above.

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 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.