Undergraduate Application Requirements
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Application
Submit your application online via SVA’s Application Portal. Admissions is currently reviewing applications for the Fall 2025 term.
SVA reviews applicants for admission on a rolling basis and for as long as space is available in our programs. Priority is given to applications submitted by the below postmark deadlines:
Fall Admission
- December 1 - Early Action Deadline (non-binding early admission for first-time freshmen)
- February 1 - First-time Freshmen Deadline for Scholarship Consideration
- March 1 - Transfer Applicant Deadline for Scholarship Consideration
Spring Admission
- October 1 - Deadline for International Applicants
- November 1 - Deadline for Freshmen and Transfer Scholarship Consideration
A note to spring applicants: Entry into the spring semester is limited based on space in the program.
Application Fee
The nonrefundable application fee for all applicants is $50.
You will be required to pay the fee in order to submit the online application.
SVA accepts application fee waivers from NACAC, CollegeBoard, ACT, SCOIR or a written statement from a school counselor confirming the applicant’s qualification and need for the fee waiver. Fee waivers must be received before the application is submitted. To submit an application fee waiver, you can mail it to our office or email it to admissions@sva.edu. Once your fee waiver is processed, you will be provided instructions for completing the online application.
Statement of Intent
In approximately 500 words, discuss your reasons for pursuing undergraduate study in the visual arts.
Feel free to include any information about yourself, as well as your goals and interests that may not be immediately apparent from the review of your transcripts or portfolio.
Your statement of intent can be sent online within our application portal. After you have certified and submitted your application, an upload button will become available for your statement of intent.
Portfolio
Portfolio requirements for SVA vary based on your major of interest. Find more information about individual requirements and tips below.
You are highly encouraged to submit your portfolio via SlideRoom. Applicants can upload their work or link via major media hosts (i.e. YouTube, Vimeo, etc.) and may choose to include titles and/or descriptions of their work in the portfolio submission portal.
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General Portfolio Requirement
The BFA programs listed below share common portfolio guidelines. Those applying to the BFA Film or BFA Photography & Video program may skip this section.
- BFA Advertising
- BFA Animation
- BFA Comics
- BFA 3D Animation and Visual Effects
- BFA Design
- BFA Fine Arts
- BFA Illustration
- BFA Interior Design: Built Environments
- BFA Visual & Critical Studies
Students applying for the majors listed above should submit a portfolio of 15-20 images, including a minimum of 3 pieces created from direct observation.
Direct observation implies that an object or person is physically in front of you rather than working from a photograph or screen. These can include self-portraits (using a mirror for reference), figure drawings, object studies, still lives, landscapes, or anything else you are observing in three dimensions and trying to render on the page. Two-dimensional references can be included in a portfolio, but do not meet this requirement.
Beyond the observational requirement, we want to see the work that you are most excited about. Show us the strongest work you have rather than demonstrating your growth over time. The pieces that you include in your portfolio could be from personal projects, school assignments, and anything in between. Major-specific work is not required but is highly encouraged if you have it.
Digitally created projects and computer-generated images are welcome in addition to the observational requirement listed above. While digital work can make up the majority of your portfolio, we highly encourage applicants to submit some pieces created using traditional media.
Painting, printmaking, drawing, collage/mixed media, sculpture, and time-based work are welcome. Carefully consider the documentation and presentation of each project. Three-dimensional pieces may require views from multiple angles, detail shots, or staging on a neutral backdrop.
Sketchbooks offer valuable insight into the creative process of an applicant. Applicants are encouraged to include recent sketchbook work in their portfolio submission and at in-person portfolio reviews.
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BFA Film Requirement
The portfolio requirement for the BFA Film program is a 3-5 minute film reel or a two-part film essay.
Film Reel
Film and video production work should be submitted online via SlideRoom. Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit motion-based work for the film portfolio in the form of a 3-5 minute film reel. This reel should highlight the best parts of film projects that a student has created within the past two years. You may submit a 3-5 minute clip of a single project instead of a film reel if you do not have sufficient work for a reel or feel that the clip better demonstrates your current skill level.
We understand that the filmmaking process is collaborative. If you have worked with other filmmakers on a project that you would like to include in your portfolio, please indicate what elements of the process (screenwriting, direction, cinematography, editing, etc.) you are responsible for. This can be indicated in the bottom third of the screen in the reel and/or in the description section of your Slideroom submission.
Two-Part Essay
Applicants who do not wish to submit motion-based work may submit a two-part film essay instead. Students will create a brief narrative in 500 words and then grow that story to 1,000 in part two. Part two should use more descriptive language and give the reader more details about the setting, insight into what would be said between the characters, and possibly what the scenes would look if they were being filmed. More information about this two-part essay can be found below.
Part One
In the first part, applicants must describe an imaginative story or significant real-life event in 500 words or less. This essay should be told as a short story with a plot, including a clear beginning, middle, and end.
Part Two
In the second part, applicants must adapt the story from part one into cinematic terms using 1,000 words or less. By retelling the same story in these terms, the applicant is encouraged to be very visually descriptive, using camera cues/angles and dialogue. By controlling these elements, the applicant as filmmaker must engage the reader, communicate the significance behind the event or story, and take the reader someplace the filmmaker feels is worth the ride.
The essays are not meant to be scripts or screenplays. The admissions review will focus on an applicant's storytelling ability and how successfully images, ideas, and plot are communicated.
The essays should be double-spaced and neatly printed or typed and each page numbered and labeled with the applicant's name.
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BFA Photography & Video Requirement
Photography and Video applicants should submit 10 to 20 photographs or videos. Applicants submitting video work must also include at least 5 examples of still photographs in their portfolio. Portfolios should be submitted online via SlideRoom.
Work that explores cohesive themes or ideas across a series of images is recommended. By submitting a series of at least 3-5 images that relate to each other, we gain more insight into your artistic vision. Some applicants may have more than one photographic series they wish to include in their final portfolio submission.
Portfolios should reflect an applicant's conceptual interests as well as their understanding of composition, light, form and space. Consider how these images look next to each other within the Slideroom portal. Order and pacing are important things to consider when building your portfolio.
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Portfolio Tips (all majors)
- We encourage you to submit your most recent, strongest work rather than a portfolio that shows your incremental growth. We want to see the pieces that represent your current skill set and conceptual focus.
- Beyond the above-stated requirements for your major's portfolio, we want to see the pieces that you are most excited about. The projects that reflect your voice, your style, and your interests are generally among the strongest in a portfolio.
- If you have created major-specific work, we encourage you to include it. For transfer applicants, submission of work reflective of your major is important if you are seeking advanced placement.
- Your work must be original. Rather than submitting pieces copied from your favorite artists, characters, or shows, think about how you can integrate the things you like into your work in a new way.
- A series can bring together your portfolio. While not a requirement, we always encourage applicants to include at least one short series in their final submission. Multiple pieces that have a common theme allow you to explore a concept or narrative with your art.
- A group of photographs exploring a specific topic
- Illustrated character designs, backgrounds, keyframes and storyboards for a narrative project you have in mind
- Multiple paintings that tell a story or examine a common theme
High School Transcripts
Official transcripts are required if you have earned less than 24 college credits, including coursework in humanities and sciences.
SVA recommends submitting secure electronic transcripts through Parchment Exchange (Naviance), National Student Clearinghouse, and SCOIR. Check with the registrar's office at your institution to see if your school is a member.
Transcripts may also be mailed to our office. In order to be considered official, transcripts must be in an unopened envelope stamped and sealed by the issuing institution. Our mailing address is:
SVA Undergraduate Admissions
209 East 23rd Street
New York, NY 10010
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International Applicants
International 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 beginning with the first year of secondary school or high school. These records should be in the original language issued. Secondary school transcripts can be waived for transfer applicants with more than 24 college credits from a regionally accredited college.
All foreign secondary (high school level) and 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.
It is recommended that applicants with transcripts from institutions outside of the U.S. begin to obtain official transcripts and, if needed, initiate the transcript evaluation process at least eight weeks prior to application deadlines. Evaluation agencies may ask applicants to supply additional credentials or information which require extra time for the applicant to fulfill.
The original academic records must be submitted in addition to the evaluation.
The course-by-course evaluation should include:
- Name of the educational institution
- Country where the institution is located
- Length of study
- U.S. educational equivalent (high school/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. Applicants should confirm the timeline with the evaluation agency and request their transcripts from their school early in the application process.
The School of Visual Arts requires that international academic records be evaluated by either of the following approved external evaluation agencies:
- Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE)
- The Evaluation Company (formerly SpanTran)
- World Education Services (WES) - (For College Transcripts Only)
Note: Official high school transcripts that adhere to Chinese and Korean national grading scales often do not require an external evaluation. If we are unable to evaluate your credentials, Admissions will contact you. All transcript documents must be issued in English or accompanied by an official translation.
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Home-Schooled Applicants
To be considered for admission, home-schooled applicants are required to submit transcripts. Official transcripts must be submitted from any high school attended in addition to the home-school transcript. A GED score will be required for enrollment.
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GED
Applicants who have completed a GED must submit official transcripts if they have attended high school, in addition to their official GED score report.
College Transcripts
Official college transcripts are required from all institutions attended.
SVA recommends submitting secure electronic transcripts through Parchment Exchange (Naviance), National Student Clearinghouse, and SCOIR. Check with the registrar's office at your institution to see if your school is a member.
Transcripts may also be mailed to our office. In order to be considered official, transcripts must be in an unopened envelope stamped and sealed by the issuing institution. Our mailing address is SVA Undergraduate Admissions, 209 East 23rd Street, New York, NY 10010.
All transcripts from foreign institutions must be officially translated into English and U.S. educational equivalencies. Those records that are not converted into U.S. equivalencies must be evaluated by an external evaluation agency, such as ECE or WES.
Copies of course descriptions of classes taken at other colleges can be helpful to the transfer review process. For more information on our transfer credit policies, click here.
Standardized Test Scores
Applicants are not required to submit SAT or ACT test scores to complete the application. If you wish to submit your test results to supplement your application, use CEEB code 2835 for SAT score submission and test code 2895 for ACT score submission. For additional instructions, see the CollegeBoard and ACT websites. Transfer applicants are not required to submit SAT or ACT scores.
Demonstration of English Proficiency
Official English proficiency exam results are required.
In addition to the general admission requirements, all international applicants whose primary/native language is not English must demonstrate proficiency in written and spoken English.
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).
Official test scores should be sent directly by the testing agency to the Admissions office. The following are acceptable ways to demonstrate English proficiency:
- Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL):
- Internet-based Test (IBT): A score of 80 or higher is required for consideration to our BFA Programs.
- TOEFL IBT Home Edition: A score of 80 or higher is required for consideration to our BFA Programs.
- TOEFL Essentials Test: A score of 8.5 or higher is required for consideration to our BFA Programs
- SVA does not accept MyBEST TOEFL scores.
- SVA’s code is 2835.
- International English Language Testing System (IELTS): A minimum score of 6.5. IELTS is jointly managed by University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations (Cambridge ESOL), the British Council and IDP Education Australia: IELTS Australia.
- Cambridge English B2 First, C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency: A score of 176 or higher, earned within the last five years, is required for consideration to our BFA programs. Scores can be sent to SVA directly via the Cambridge English Student Portal.
- Pearson PTE Academic: A score of 53 or higher for consideration to our BFA Programs.
- Duolingo English Test: A score of 115 or higher is required for consideration to our BFA Programs. Scores can be sent to SVA directly via the Duolingo student portal.
- English and the Visual Arts Program
- Applicants who meet the academic and creative requirements for admission to the School of Visual Arts but do not yet meet the English Proficiency Requirement for undergraduate study may qualify for the English and the Visual Arts program (EVA).
- The score requirements for the English and the Visual Arts Program are as follows:
- TOEFL: 60–79 on the TOEFL or TOEFL ibt Home Edition, 6.5-8.0 on the TOEFL Essentials Test
- IELTS: 6.0 on the International English Language Testing System (IELTS)
- Cambridge English: 169–175 on the Cambridge English B2 First, C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency, earned within the last five years.
- Pearsons PTE: 46–52 on the Pearson PTE Academic
- Duolingo: 95-110 on the Duolingo English Test
Recommendation Letters
While not required, if you wish to include with your application you can email them to admissions@sva.edu.
Mail your application materials to:
SVA Undergraduate Admissions
209 East 23rd Street
New York, NY 10010 USA
Transcripts must be received in an original envelope sealed by the issuing institution. We recommend sending all packages with tracking.
Important Admissions Deadlines
October 1, 2024
Recommended deadline for spring 2025 international applicants
November 1, 2024
Admissions completion deadline for all spring 2025 applicants for the Silas H. Rhodes Scholarship program; all application materials must be postmarked by this date in order to be considered for scholarship. There is no scholarship application. Only scholarship recipients are notified.
December 1, 2024
Application completion deadline for early action for fall 2025; materials must be postmarked by this date in order to be considered for early action.
February 1, 2025
Admissions completion deadline for all fall 2025 incoming freshmen applicants for the Silas H. Rhodes Scholarship program; all application materials must be postmarked by this date in order to be considered for scholarship. There is no scholarship application. Only scholarship recipients are notified.
February 15, 2025
Deadline to submit Honors Program application (first-time freshmen only)
March 1, 2025
Admissions completion deadline for all fall 2025 incoming transfer applicants for the Silas H. Rhodes Scholarship program; all application materials must be postmarked by this date in order to be considered for scholarship. There is no scholarship application. Only scholarship recipients are notified.
May 1, 2025
Enrollment fee priority deadline for fall 2025 (all payments received after May 1 will be processed as space remains available in those programs)
May 1, 2025
Recommended admissions completion deadline for international applicants requiring a student visa for the fall 2025 semester