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.

1. Personal written statement: We want to know how critical and creating thinking shapes your design work and other pursuits. Please answer the following questions in 500-700 words:

• Tell us about someone you look up to and why. The person can be a designer, a friend, a relative, someone in your neighborhood — anyone who inspires you and your creative practice.
• Imagine it is 20 years from the present moment. Describe your life — what kind of work are you engaging in, what are your home and community like, in what ways have you shaped the field of interaction design and how has the field of interaction design shaped your life?
• MFA Interaction Design offers modest, merit-based scholarships. Please indicate in your essay if you would like to be considered for a merit-based departmental award. 
• Please submit this as a PDF document.
• 750 words maximum.

2. Personal video introduction: We want to know who you are and why you are choosing to apply to the MFA ixD program. We invited you to share your unique personality with us in your video. Record a video introduction answering the following:

• What excites you about the field of interaction design at this moment in your life?
• What does interaction design mean to you?
• We invite you to share your unique personality with us in your video.
• video must be submitted as a URL
• 90 seconds maximum
• Please add the URL of the video to your written statement.

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.

Applicants must submit a Résumé, which should include professional experience as well as related activities such as research, awards and exhibitions. Please keep your Résumé to two pages or less.

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 three letters of recommendation from instructors or practicing professionals.

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 as 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.

Applicants are required to submit a portfolio of curated work that demonstrates a point of view. Portfolios can include a broad range of artistic, design-based, and creative work. Portfolios must include at least five projects. You might consider:

• Design work that demonstrates visual literacy, craft, process and the corresponding product/service
• Usability and social science research that emphasizes the concept, and findings
• Strategy and writing projects that communicate audience, challenge, and outcomes
• Coding projects that show samples, processes, and outcome
• Project management accomplishments that make clear the responsibilities, challenges, and problems solved

Guidelines:

• Portfolio must be submitted as an online portfolio site (preferred) or a PDF document
• Do not send links to Google Folders, DropBox folders, or individual jpg/mp4 files please
• Do not make portfolio sites of files password-protected

Selected applicants are invited to interview with the Department Chair and Director of Operations. Interviews are conducted online via video chat. Please check your email frequently for an invitation to interview; if you do not respond, we will not be able to proceed with your application. Please do not reach out to inquire about interviews.

The MFA Interaction Design department seeks bold thinkers, makers, entrepreneurs, and passionate change-makers from all disciplines who are excited to shape the future of design and technology. We are looking for candidates keen on shaking up the status quo and applying design to make products, services, and experiences more inclusive, sustainable, and joyful. 

We encourage applications from candidates of all academic and professional experiences and career pivoters at any stage of their professional journeys. Our students join our program with backgrounds in graphic design, gaming, psychology, education, nursing, accounting, engineering, marketing, project management, and many other design and non-design fields. A bachelor’s degree in any discipline is required. 

While many enrolled students hold part-time jobs or internships during the semester, our academic program is full-time and studio-based — classes, workshops, and special events take place throughout the daytime and evenings on all weekdays. 

• All applications submitted by January 15th are reviewed by our Review Committee, which includes several MFA Interaction Design faculty members and the Chair of the Department.
• Applications submitted after the January 15th deadline are screened by a single member of the committee. The department continues to accept applications after the deadline as space in the program remains available.

• MFA Interaction Design awards partial scholarships to candidates who grew up in New York City and attended NYC public schools. Please indicate your interest in being considered for these awards in your Statement of Purpose.
• We also offer a limited number of modest financial awards to help offset tuition costs.
• If you apply by SVA’s priority deadline (January 15), you are automatically considered for departmental awards and you will receive notice about financial awards shortly following notice of admission. 
• Candidates who receive any financial awards or scholarships must maintain good academic standing during the program to remain eligible for financial award renewal.
• Candidates interested in being considered for a merit-based award must indicate this in their Statement of Purpose.
• Other awards include Course Assistantships, which students are awarded, and Departmental Assistantships, which students may apply for upon enrollment.