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.

Submit a brief statement of purpose (up to 300 words) in which you describe who you are as an artist and how you think about the art you make — particularly the work we’ll see in your portfolio. Explain what you are trying to do, ask, or say with this work, identify any important life experiences that have influenced you, and tell us why you are particularly particularly interested in the MFA Fine Arts program at SVA.

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.

Submit a résumé, detailing your education and professional accomplishments. Include exhibitions, screenings, performances, residencies, grants, awards, internships, jobs and any other relevant experience.

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 two letters of recommendation from instructors or arts professionals with whom you have worked.

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 2025 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 of the original academic document.

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

• Name of educational institution
• Country where institution is located
• Length of study
• U.S. educational equivalent (two-year or four-year college)
• Courses studied per academic year
• Conversion of grades/marks/final examination results into equivalent U.S. grades of A, B, C, D or F for each course evaluated
• Total credits earned
• Conversion of course hours into U.S. semester hours of credit
• Cumulative grade point average (GPA) on a 4-point scale
• U.S. degree equivalent

The School of Visual Arts should be listed as the recipient of the evaluation. Transcripts may take up to six weeks to be evaluated. The original academic records must be submitted in addition to the evaluation.

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

SpanTran: Course-by-course evaluations for college transcripts.

2400 Augusta Drive, Suite 451

Houston, TX 77057

Phone: 713.266.8805

Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE): Course-by-course evaluations for college transcripts.

P.O. Box 514070

Milwaukee, WI 53203

Phone: 414.289.3400

World Education Services (WES): Course-by-course evaluations for college transcripts.

Bowling Green Station

P.O. Box 5087

New York, NY 10274

Phone: 212.966.6311

Please note: Pending acceptance, all graduate applicants currently enrolled in school for their Bachelor’s degrees for the Spring or Summer 2025 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 79 (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 6.5 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 115 on the Duolingo English Test.

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

A minimum score of 6 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 53 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.

• MFA Fine Arts is a good fit for artists who want to develop their practice in a fast-paced, community-oriented environment while gaining skills and knowledge that will help them succeed on their own terms.
• We welcome applications from contemporary artists of all kinds. In addition to drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking and photography, our students work in installation, video, digital media, performance, social practice and other forms. Many of our students work in multiple artistic disciplines.
• Older artists and artists with previous degrees in subjects other than art are welcome to apply. Some of our students have recently completed a BFA or other undergraduate degree, others have been out of school and making art independently for several years, and some have had successful careers in other fields and are ready to pursue art professionally.
• We welcome applications from artists with disabilities, and work closely with SVA Disability Resources to accommodate and support students with disabilities.

• All applications submitted by January 15 are reviewed by our Admissions Committee, which includes several MFA Fine Arts faculty members and the Chair of the Department.
• We review portfolios in SlideRoom, conduct interviews with selected applicants and meet as a group to discuss each application in detail.
• Applications submitted after the January 15 deadline are reviewed by a subset of the committee and interviewed as appropriate.

• MFA Fine Arts offers merit-based scholarships to selected applicants. If you are awarded a scholarship, we will email you shortly after you receive email notification of your offer of admission. There is no additional scholarship application.
• Information about other scholarships, student loans and work-study is available on our Financial Aid page.

• Many of our students work part-time. Some work off-campus, often as studio assistants or art handlers; others work for the MFA Fine Arts Department or elsewhere on campus, including in SVA’s galleries, libraries, sculpture center, digital fabrication lab and career development office. SVA pays student employees an hourly rate of $16, and students can apply for these jobs at the start of the fall semester. Some of our students also participate in SVA’s internship-for-credit program. Although we can’t guarantee that you will find a job, most students who want to work on campus are able to find positions. You’ll find more information about student employment and internships on our Career Development page. 
• SVA does not employ teaching assistants; all of our instructors are working professionals.