Admissions

Admission to NYU Steinhardt is offered to applicants who hold a bachelor’s degree or equivalent international credentials and who show promise of scholarly achievement. An applicant is judged on the basis of a variety of criteria that include academic record, letters of recommendation, and academic or professional honors. When relevant, an applicant may also be judged by test scores and practical experience.

Graduate students are classified as follows:

Matriculated (degree) students — those who have been accepted for study toward a degree or advanced certificate/diploma. Matriculation begins with the student’s first registration. A student is not permitted to be matriculated for two degrees or programs at the same time unless the student is enrolled in a state-registered program offering a dual degree.

Students who hold acceptable degrees from regionally accredited institutions may be considered for matriculation in the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development for the degrees of Master of Arts, Masters of Arts in Teaching, Master of Fine Arts, Master of Music, Master of Science, Doctor of Philosophy, Doctor of Education, Doctor of Occupational Therapy, Doctor of Physical Therapy, or for the Advanced Diploma or Advanced Certificate. See also admission information under individual programs.

Students are advised that enrollment in other than state-registered or otherwise approved programs may jeopardize their eligibility for certain student aid awards. All of the Steinhardt School’s programs are registered by the New York State Education Department. A copy of the State Inventory of Registered Programs is available for student review at http://www.nysed.gov/heds/irpsl1.html.

Special (nondegree) students — those who have filed a special/nonmatriculated student application and credentials showing that they are qualified to take courses but are not degree candidates in the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. Special students must meet the same minimum requirements for admission as matriculated students. Students not intending to matriculate for a degree and who are classified as special students must meet the required average for admission. Special students are permitted to enroll for up to 18 units during their entire status as a nonmatriculated student.

Application Information and Deadlines

Information regarding the application process, financial aid, and housing for graduate students may be obtained from the:

Office of Graduate Admissions
Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development
New York University
82 Washington Square East, 3rd Floor
New York, NY 10003-6680
212-998-5030
steinhardt.nyu.edu/admissions/how-apply/graduate-students

Components of a Degree Application

An application is considered complete and ready for review by the Admissions Committee when all appropriate materials have been received. The following items are necessary before the committee will review an application:

Completed and signed Application for Graduate Admission
Statement of purpose/personal statement
Résumé/curriculum vitae

Official transcripts from each postsecondary school attended. Applicants who hold academic credentials from non-US or non-Canadian institutions must submit a course-by-course credentials evaluation from the World Education Service (wes.org) or Educational Credentials Evaluators (ece.org).

A $75 nonrefundable application fee
Most art and music programs require a portfolio or a performance audiotape, videotape, CD, or DVD for evaluation. Visit the respective program website for specific requirements.

Supplemental materials if required by the desired program:

Graduate Record Exam (GRE) or other test scores are required for all doctoral programs and for selected master’s programs.
English Proficiency scores from the Test of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TOEFL), the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), or the Pearson Test of English (PTE Academic) are required of all applicants whose native language is not English and who did not receive the equivalent of a four-year US undergraduate education from an institution where English is the sole and official language of instruction.

Applicants holding or completing a graduate degree from an English-speaking institution are required to submit official exam scores if their graduate education was fewer than four years in duration. There is no preference as to which exam to take. The Admissions Committee reserves the right to require any candidate, regardless of country of citizenship, to submit results from an English language exam prior to rendering a decision if it believes English proficiency is an area of concern.

All doctoral applicants are required to submit three letters of recommendation and an academic writing sample. Most master’s and advanced certificate/diploma applicants must submit two letters of recommendation.

Important Note: Prospective applicants must check the online Graduate Application Guide for information about supplemental materials, test score requirements, and letters of recommendation. The guide is located at www.steinhardt.nyu.edu/guide.

All programs reserve the right to request additional information and materials if deemed necessary for admission or financial aid consideration.

Students who have been denied admission as matriculants in a particular program may not take courses as a special student in that program, except where specifically permitted to do so by the Director for Enrollment Services, Office of Graduate Admissions.

Special students contemplating eventual matriculation for a master’s degree should take note that 18 units of coursework toward any master’s degree must be completed after matriculation is established for that degree. Applicants with foreign credentials and/or nonimmigrant visas should see below.

Application Deadlines

Apply early since many programs have firm deadlines. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that all materials are in the Office of Graduate Admissions by the appropriate deadline. All deadlines are “in-office” deadlines, not postmark deadlines.

Applications filed after the deadline will be processed as time and space in the program permit. The Office of Graduate Admissions reserves the right to return any application that arrives after the deadline. Should any deadline fall on an official holiday or weekend, the in-office deadline will be the next business day.

Doctoral Programs

Deadlines vary by program. Specific dates are posted online in the Graduate Application Guide at steinhardt.nyu.edu/guide. Candidates may also contact Graduate Admissions at 212-998-5030 or steinhardt.gradadmissions@nyu.edu.

Master’s and Advanced Certificate/Diploma Programs

Online Programs

Deadlines vary by program and are different than the on-campus programs.

Spring Term Programs

Several master’s and advanced certificate programs review applications midyear in the spring term. To determine if a program reviews applications in the spring, please visit the online Graduate Application Guide at steinhardt.nyu.edu/guide.

Summer Study Abroad

For up-to-date information on applying for study abroad, prospective candidates should visit steinhardt.nyu.edu/programs/study-abroad.

International Students and Applicants with International Credentials

NYU Steinhardt encourages applications from international students. We offer a diversity of programs that attract master’s and doctoral candidates from all over the world. A few important points for international students:

Apply on time! Because additional mailing time and processing are required for international credentials, applicants should have all application materials in the Office of Graduate Admissions well before the appropriate deadline.
Transcripts and Degree Information. Degree applicants must have the equivalent of a regionally accredited four-year US bachelor’s degree to be considered for admission. If you hold an artist diploma you may be considered for the Music Performance, Music Theory, or Music Composition programs.

We require all applicants who have completed, or are completing, undergraduate and/or graduate degrees at institutions outside of the US or Canada to provide a translation and a course-by-course evaluation of their transcripts. A credentials evaluation is required of any degree type — bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral — even if you received one of your degrees in the US.

These evaluations help us understand how your grades compare to grades in the US education system as well as what the equivalent US degree is.

We have two approved agencies that can prepare your required course-by-course evaluation:

World Education Services (WES): We prefer the WES Course-by-Course ICAP Credential Evaluation (wes.org), as you can request that WES send the evaluation directly to us.
Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE): Visit ECE’s website (ece.org) and select a Course-by-Course Evaluation Report.

We do not require evaluations for applicants who spent a semester or year of study abroad as part of their undergraduate studies, nor is it required if you attended an English-language institution outside the United States that is regionally accredited by the US Department of Education www.chea.org/regional-accrediting-organizations.

Demonstrated Proficiency in English

Refer to the Components of a Degree Application section to learn more about which English proficiency exams are required for the graduate application.

Financial Aid

NYU Steinhardt encourages international applicants to investigate scholarship support offered by their home country. Master’s and advanced certificate/diploma applicants who are not US citizens or permanent residents are not eligible for federal financial aid and typically do not receive consideration for school-based financial aid. Full-time doctoral applicants, regardless of country of citizenship, will receive consideration for fellowships and assistantships.

Visa Information

All international applicants wishing to obtain the F-1 Student Visa will list “New York University” as the “expected visa sponsor” on the graduate admissions application. When completing the admissions application, please be sure to use the applicant’s full legal name as it appears on their passport. The use of any other names, such as nicknames, will cause serious delays in applying for a US visa. All international applicants must have an international address as their permanent address.

The US government mandates that international candidates have a permanent, international address to receive their visa. Please be prepared to pay additional fees for processing a Form I-20 from NYU and a student visa from the US government.

Heightened security measures may result in delays in processing a Form I-20 and a student visa request. Please apply for these credentials as soon as possible using overnight and express mail whenever possible. Once admitted, international candidates should visit steinhardt.nyu.edu/welcome/next_steps/ to learn more about the visa process and application for an I-20 (for F-1 students) or DS-2019 (for J-1 students).

New International Student Seminar

New Student Seminar for International SAHS-GE 2003 New Graduate Student Seminar for International Students is required of NYU Steinhardt international graduate students during their first term of study. See page 453.

Campus Visits

All prospective students are invited to visit the New York University campus. Many programs host information sessions throughout the academic year. Please call the Office of Graduate Admissions at 212-998-5030 or visit steinhardt.nyu.edu/graduate_admissions to learn about dates.

For more information, go to NYU’s Visitor Information page at www.nyu.edu/about/visitor-information.html.