Admission for Undergraduate Students

The New School admits applicants of any race, color, gender, religion, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accounted for, or made available to students at the University. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, religion, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin in the administration of its educational policies, admission policies, financial aid programs, and other school administrative programs, including its faculty and staff recruitment.

Each of our undergraduate colleges has its own criteria for admission. Below is a list of general application requirements:

Online Application
Official high school transcripts and college transcripts (when applicable)
Letters of recommendation
A statement of purpose or personal/academic essays
Creative work/portfolio (required for Parsons School of Design, Parsons Paris, and College of Performing Arts; more details on the college websites)
English language proficiency testing is required for some applicants for whom English is not their first language. This requirement may be waived for applicants who attended high school where the language of instruction for all four years of high school was English and they were not enrolled in any ESL coursework, took two semesters of non-ESL college composition, or who have earned a 4-year degree from a U.S. college or university. We permit students to submit results from the TOEFL, IELTS, PTE, Cambridge English, or Duolingo English Test taken within the past two years.

Undergraduate Admission Programs and Priority Deadlines

College or Program	Fall admission	Spring Admission
Bachelor's Program for Adults and Transfer Students (BPATS)*	June 1	November 1
College of Performing Arts - School of Drama	Early Action: November 1 Regular Decision: January 15	October 15
College of Performing Arts - School of Jazz and Contemporary Music	January 15	October 15
College of Performing Arts - Mannes School of Music	December 1	October 15
Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts	Early Action: November 1 Early Decision: November 1 Regular Decision: January 15 Transfer: March 1	October 15
Parsons School of Design	Early Action: November 1 Early Decision: November 1 Regular Decision: January 15 Transfer: March 1	October 15 (No Spring Admission for AAS)
Parsons Paris	Early Action: November 1 Early Decision: November 1 Regular Decision: January 15 Transfer: April 1	Not Applicable

*Permits summer admission. Priority deadline is April 1.

Early Action Admission

Students can apply for admission to Parsons School of Design, Parsons Paris, Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts, and the School of Drama (CoPA) as well as the Parsons/Lang BA-BFA under the Early Action option and receive an admission decision in mid-winter. This decision is non-binding. In some cases, the admission committee may decide to hold off on a final decision in order to review further information, such as first-semester grades, new writing samples, and additional recommendations. In that case, the application is reviewed again with the pool of applicants for regular decision.

Please note the following programs are not eligible for Early Action:

BFA in Jazz and Contemporary Music (CoPA)
All undergraduate programs offered through the Mannes School of Music at the College of Performing Arts
Lang/Jazz BA-BFA dual-degree program

Early Decision Admission

Students for whom Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts, Parsons School of Design, and Parsons Paris is their first college choice may apply under the Early Decision (ED) program and receive an admission decision in mid-December. This is a binding decision, meaning that students offered admission under the ED program, are expected to enroll at The New School and withdraw applications and refrain from filing new applications to any other universities. Applicants to The New School through Early Decision will receive an estimated financial aid award at the time of admission. If a student’s financial aid award does not meet the need of the family to make attending The New School possible, they are encouraged to contact the Office of Admission and the Office of Financial Aid to discuss options.

Please note the following programs are not eligible for Early Decision:

BFA in Jazz and Contemporary Music (College of Performing Arts)
BFA in Dramatic Arts (College of Performing Arts)
All undergraduate programs offered through the Mannes School of Music (College of Performing Arts)
Lang/Jazz BA-BFA dual-degree program
Bachelor’s Program for Adults and Transfer Students
Parsons AAS Programs

Admission for Transfer Students

Prospective students who are attending or have attended another college or university and who wish to complete their education at The New School should apply for transfer admission. Please contact the Office of Admission at admission@newschool.edu or 212.229.5150 to learn if you qualify to apply as a transfer student. Please see the Transfer Credit Policy for undergraduate students in this catalog as well as program descriptions for program-level transfer policies. For more information on transferring credits, please visit the Registrar's Office website.

Admission Requirements

Admission Requirements