School of Visual Arts

Architectural rendering of a residential facade featuring floor to ceiling windows and climbing ivy. Architectural rendering of a residential facade featuring floor to ceiling windows and climbing ivy.
Student sitting on the floor of an art studio sketching a still life with charcoal. Student sitting on the floor of an art studio sketching a still life with charcoal.
Three students working together in an editing suite with several computers, a large monitor and large speakers. Three students working together in an editing suite with several computers, a large monitor and large speakers.
A calla lily against a white sheet and black background is suspended upright by several red strings. A calla lily against a white sheet and black background is suspended upright by several red strings.
An instructor stands at a students workstation pointing at something on their computer monitor; the student in their desk chair looks inquisitively along. An instructor stands at a students workstation pointing at something on their computer monitor; the student in their desk chair looks inquisitively along.
Black and white highly detailed drawing of a bird flying with its wings spread out in a forest. Black and white highly detailed drawing of a bird flying with its wings spread out in a forest.
Two students standing up against library stacks reviewing a glossy magazine. Two students standing up against library stacks reviewing a glossy magazine.
Image of a person pointing a recording camera on a tripod towards a wall with a projected image of what looks like a mountain range. Image of a person pointing a recording camera on a tripod towards a wall with a projected image of what looks like a mountain range.

Accelerate Your Ingenuity

Accelerate Your Inventiveness

Accelerate Your Collaboration Skills

Accelerate Your Creativity

Accelerate Your Critical Thinking

Accelerate Your Artistic Awakening

Accelerate Your Professional Growth

Accelerate Your Creative Vision

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The 3rd Avenue and East 23rd Street Corner Signs with an official “SVA Way” sign underneath (Left); The 23rd Street building with two SVA NYC banners hanging above as students walk below.

Welcome to our urban campus, a slice of New York City life.

A subway station poster with an illustration of a pencil shaving and the words “Stay Sharp (left); Four different posters made by SVA Faculty over the years.

“Stay Sharp” (2024) poster by Riccardo Vecchio on a subway platform (left); more SVA subway posters by (clockwise from top right) Peter Hristoff, Marshall Arisman, Gary Panter, and Carol Fabricatore.

Students reading at a round table with shelves of books around them (left); A student working on a painting on the wall while another works at a desk.

Interior of SVA Library (left); students working in a classroom facility.

A skyline showcasing differently sized buildings, some made of brick, others made of concrete.

New York City skyline as seen from the 23rd Street Residence, which exclusively houses first-year students.

An archival picture of students listening to a lecture (left); Two people observing a drawing at a desk.

An SVA drawing class circa 1960, courtesy of SVA Archives.

We are School of Visual Arts

SVA is a leader in the education of artists, designers, and creative professionals.

By the Numbers

75+

Years Educating

Artists

56

Countries

Represented

46

States

Represented

30

Degree-Granting

Programs

1,500+

Course 

Offerings

35

Extracurricular

Clubs

9:1

Student-to-Faculty

Ratio

43,000

Global Alumni

Community

Best Fine Arts Programs

U.S. News & World Report Best Grad Schools Rankings

#1 Best 2D Animation School In the World

The Rookies Global School Rankings 2024

Best Colleges in New York in 2023-2024

Research.com Best College 2024

Our Community

Major happenings from around the College, including news, events, exhibitions, and more.

A young girl joyfully rides on a large white dog, capturing a moment of playful companionship in a vibrant painting. A young girl joyfully rides on a large white dog, capturing a moment of playful companionship in a vibrant painting.

Announcing 2025’s Alumni Scholarship Award Recipients

a collage on blue paper where the main focus is on two shirtless adolescent boys on a motorcycle. There are black and white inverted photos of what appear to be sailors as well as other faces and skulls in different colors in the backgorund.

On-Campus Exhibitions and Events This March

A photograph of the meridian on Park Avenue in Manhattan, which has been decorated with two large chandelier-like hanging sculptures made of empty plastic water bottles.

Spotlight on Multimedia Artist Willie Cole (BFA 1976 Media Arts)

Simple line drawing illustration of a zoomorphic, rotund egg with legs

A Good Egg: Pablo Delcan on His New SVA Subway Poster

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    A sneak peek at what our faculty and students are up to, day in and day out!

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Our Impact

There’s no place like SVA: an integral element of the Big Apple and the anchor point of a far-reaching global community.

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a bookcover featuring an image of a person's neck with a necklace on overlaid on an image of cherry blossoms
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illustration of a young girl with orange hair drawing on a book as she lays on the ground, there is also a pink bear pointing at the page of a book beside her and a purple bird hovering overhead holding a paper on it's beak
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a visualization of light in waves of blue and red on a black background a visualization of light in waves of blue and red on a black background
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black and white photo of sva students performing in a band at a WSVA radio station event
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a woman in a white room laying on the ground propped up by her hand. She is wearing a blue sheer dress and taking a selfie
Shen Wei
@shenweiartist

A Season Particular, a new book of work by Shen Wei (MFA 2006 Photography, Video, and Related Media), invites the viewer into a world where intimacy and spontaneity collide, yielding a delicate and visceral exploration of the human body through photography.  

There is no creative culture of New York City without SVA.


LAURIE CUMBO

Commissioner of Cultural Affairs, New York City