All graduate applicants are required to complete the online application and submit the nonrefundable $80 application fee.

You must enter valid credit card information in order to submit the online application.

Applicants must submit a Statement of Purpose (250-500 words) describing their reason for pursuing graduate study.

Online submission is available through the online application. After you submit your application, you will have access to a checklist to upload materials like the Statement of Purpose.

If you are experiencing difficulty uploading your materials via the online application, please email them to Graduate Admissions and include your full name and date of birth in the email.

Applicants must submit a résumé, which should include professional experience as well as related activities such as research, awards and exhibitions.

Online submission is available through the online application. After you submit your application, you will have access to a checklist to upload materials like the résumé.

If you are experiencing difficulty uploading your materials via the online application, please email them to Graduate Admissions and include your full name and date of birth in the email.

Applicants are required to submit three letters of recommendation from instructors or practicing professionals.

Online submission is available through the online application. Applicants will be required to provide the email address and contact information for their references. A “Send Email” button for each recommendation is provided to send the online form to the email address you provided for your recommender.

If your recommender is experiencing difficulty (uploading the letter via the recommendation portal, receiving emails, etc.), please instruct them to email the letter to Graduate Admissions and include your full name and graduate program in the email.

Note: The School of Visual Arts does not provide letter of recommendation forms.

Applicants must submit official transcripts from each college or university they’ve attended. In order to be considered official, transcripts must come directly from the institution(s).

Please Note: Unofficial transcripts, screenshots, or PDFs emailed by applicants do not fulfill this requirement. There are no exceptions to this policy. Please follow the guidelines below.

Electronic Transcripts

• SVA accepts secure electronic transcripts from Parchment, National Student Clearinghouse, and Credentials Solutions.
• Applicants from institutions in India should request and submit official transcripts directly through TrueCopy Credentials. Requests are processed by TrueCopy Credentials and will be sent electronically to SVA Graduate Admissions.

Check with the registrar’s office at your institution to see if your school issues its own digital transcripts or if it’s a member of any of the organizations mentioned above. (Important Note: Please be sure that all electronic transcript submissions are directed to “Graduate Admissions” at gradadmissions@sva.edu.)

Mailing Transcripts

• Transcripts may also be submitted in an unopened envelope that is stamped and sealed by the college registrar of the issuing institution.

Please address to:

School of Visual Arts

Graduate Admissions

209 East 23rd Street

New York, NY 10010                                           

Special Notes

• Pending acceptance, all graduate applicants currently enrolled in school for their bachelor’s degrees for the Spring or Summer 2026 semesters are required to submit verification of graduation before they attend SVA.
• All transcripts from foreign institutions must be officially translated into English and U.S. grading equivalencies. For more information, see the below accordion.

Applicants who have academic documents from institutions outside of the U.S. are required to provide original, attested, or certified true copies of academic records for all institutions attended. These records should be in the original language issued.

Please Note: SVA does not review PDFs or screenshots sent directly via email from applicants.

Records Not in English

For records not in English, applicants must also submit an official translation of all academic documents. Translations must be a complete, literal, word-for-word translation in the same format as the original academic document.

All foreign post-secondary (university-level) transcripts should be converted into U.S. educational equivalencies. Records that are not converted into U.S. equivalencies must be evaluated by an external evaluation agency. The evaluation should be course-by-course.

The School of Visual Arts should be listed as the recipient of the evaluation. The original academic records must be submitted in addition to the evaluation.

The School of Visual Arts requires that international academic records be evaluated by one of the following approved external evaluation agencies:

• The Evaluation Company (formerly SpanTran)
• Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE)
• World Education Services (WES)

Please note: Pending acceptance, all graduate applicants currently enrolled in school for their bachelor’s degrees for the Spring or Summer 2026 semesters are required to submit verification of graduation before they attend SVA.

In addition to the general application requirements, international applicants whose primary/native language is not English must demonstrate proficiency in written and spoken English. The following are acceptable ways to demonstrate English proficiency:

A minimum score* of 100 (internet-based or paper-delivered) Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).

• The CEEB code for the School of Visual Arts is 2835. This is the code that must be supplied to ETS in order to have TOEFL scores mailed to SVA.
• Please note this means a composite score for a single test date. SVA does not accept MyBEST TOEFL scores.

A minimum score of 8.0 on the International English Language Testing System (IELTS).

• IELTS is jointly managed by University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations (Cambridge ESOL), British Council and IDP Education Australia: IELTS Australia.

A minimum score of 130 on the Duolingo English Test.

• Scores can be sent to SVA directly via the student portal.

A minimum score of 9 in all categories of the English proficiency examination administered by the New York University American Language Institute in New York.

• For information on taking the NYU test, call 212.998.7040.

A minimum score of 68 on the Pearson PTE Academic.

Requirement Waivers

• This requirement may be waived for native English speakers who are citizens of any of the following countries and attend schools where English is the primary language of instruction: England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Singapore, India, South Africa and Common Wealth Caribbean (Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago).
• SVA will consider waiving the English proficiency exam requirement for students who have earned a degree at a regionally accredited U.S. college or university. Students seeking this waiver must submit a written request with their application materials.

Applicants must upload their portfolio to the Graduate Admissions SlideRoom account. To create an account and for further instructions, visit the SlideRoom Portal. (Important note: Portfolios submitted via CD, DVD, URL or email will not be reviewed.)

Applicants will have the ability to upload the following to SlideRoom:

• Still imagery: 15–20 images. All images should be JPEG format. Digital images should be no larger than 1500 pixels on the largest dimension, at 72ppi.
• Video: MOV, FLV, or WMV files, not to exceed 10 minutes in length, up to 60MB each.
• Audio: MP3 not to exceed 10 minutes in length, up to 10MB each.

AI Policy

• While limited, transparent use of AI for research or editing is permitted, your application should foreground your own ideas, words, and artistic production. Applicants to the MFA Art Practice program are expected to present application materials that authentically reflect their own voices, experiences, and creative practices.
• Applicants must disclose the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies beyond basic grammatical correction or image editing. In most cases, reliance on generative AI will not serve you, as our review process seeks to understand who you are as a unique individual and artist.

Portfolio Submissions

• Within Slideroom, applicants should use the “Description” field to detail their process. This includes noting any use of generative AI for research, reference, or production.

Please select one of the following prompts and write an original response up to 500 words. (See AI policy.)

• Describe in detail a recent experience with a work of art, elaborating on both the work itself and your encounter with it. How did this experience clarify or shift your own practice?
• Describe your art making process. How does your way of working express itself in your finished products?
• How do you wish your work to be received? Describe specific (real or speculative) reactions and impacts.
• Describe a text that has changed your worldview. Use specific examples.
• Fiction. A toaster oven in your studio has become sentient. Elaborate.

AI Policy

• While limited, transparent use of AI for research or editing is permitted, your application should foreground your own ideas, words, and artistic production. Applicants to the MFA Art Practice program are expected to present application materials that authentically reflect their own voices, experiences, and creative practices.
• Applicants must disclose the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies beyond basic grammatical correction or image editing. In most cases, reliance on generative AI will not serve you, as our review process seeks to understand who you are as a unique individual and artist.

Writing Submissions

• Generative AI may be used at the very beginning of your process for research or brainstorming, but AI-generated content is not considered original and must be cited as borrowed ideas, wording, or imagery.
• Any use of generative AI in your personal statement or writing sample must be clearly attributed or cited. Failure to do so may be considered a breach of academic integrity.

Online submission is available through the online application. After you submit your application, you will have access to a checklist to upload materials like the Writing Sample.

If you are experiencing difficulty uploading your materials via the online application, please email them to Graduate Admissions and include your full name and date of birth in the email.

Select applicants will be invited to interview. All interviews will be conducted via Zoom.

The MFA Art Practice department is looking for artists working in any medium, from traditional and non-traditional arts backgrounds, who are interested in working creatively in a researched-based, interdisciplinary manner.

Our MFA candidates have backgrounds in biochemistry, creative writing, engineering, medicine, K-12 education, dance, branding and PR, politics, publishing, and editing, as well as more traditional arts backgrounds. A bachelor’s degree in any discipline is welcome. Successful students will demonstrate a high level of professional discipline and practice, as well as a willingness to collaborate and engage with disciplines that are new to them.

• All applications are reviewed by our Admissions Committee, which includes several MFA Art Practice faculty members and the Chair of the Department.
• Applications received by December 1st will be considered for Early Decision and will receive an informal decision prior to the holidays. Applications received by January 15th will be considered for the Regular Decision process.
• We begin by reviewing portfolios in SlideRoom and reviewing the statement and writing sample submitted with the application, then conduct interviews with selected applicants before meeting as a group to discuss each application in detail.
• Applications submitted after the January 15 deadline are screened by a single member of the committee and interviewed as appropriate if there are spots remaining.