Spring tours are available from January 13 through May 2. The summer tour schedule will tentatively be available in late April.

Pre-registration is required to attend a campus tour. We kindly request students bring a maximum of two guests (total party of 3).

Throughout the spring semester, a select number of tours are reserved for accepted students. Please be mindful when booking your tour registration.

SVA is an urban campus with buildings across Manhattan. All tours begin at the Admissions office and feature indicated majors in addition to common spaces. Please plan to be with us for about 90 minutes.

To learn more about our majors, click here. We invite you to attend as many tours as you would like and look forward to meeting you.

1. Check-in takes place at Admissions, located at 342 East 24th Street, New York, NY 10010
2. Presentation by Admissions Counselor
3. Walk to several buildings on campus*
4. Tours of SVA Library, Campus Store, Student Center and registered BFA major(s)

*Depending on the BFA major you have chosen to see, the walk from Admissions to your major will be between five and 30 minutes.

Need help choosing a tour? Give us a call at 212.592.2100 and we'll be happy to help. If you're interested in arranging a group tour for high school or college students, please email admissions@sva.edu.

Fine Arts - a tour focused on the Fine Arts major as well as first-year foundation classes for Design, Comics and Illustration students.

Comics and Illustration - a tour spotlighting the Comics and Illustration majors exclusively.

East Side - a general tour best suited to applicants exploring a few majors at SVA:

• BFA Advertising
• BFA Comics
• BFA Design
• BFA Film
• BFA Illustration
• BFA Photography and Video

West Side - a specific tour best suited to applicants interested in:

• BFA 3D Animation and Visual Effects
• BFA Interior Design: Built Environments
• BFA Visual & Critical Studies
• the Honors Program

Photography and Video - a tour focused on the Photography and Video building.

Virtual Info Sessions - see Online Events below.

All campus tours begin at the Welcome Center located at 342 East 24th Street New York, NY 10010, between First and Second avenues, in the Gramercy neighborhood of Manhattan.

Mass Transit

• 6 to 23rd Street (at Park Avenue)

• R/W to 23rd Street (at 5th Avenue/Broadway)

• F to 23rd Street (at 6th Avenue)

• New Jersey PATH (at 6th Avenue)

• Uptown M15 bus (on 1st Avenue)

• Crosstown M23 bus

• Express Bus Service

Driving

24th Street is bisected by a pedestrian plaza. You must turn left from 1st Avenue to access our building. Parking is not available in front of the Welcome Center. Nearby 23rd Street is a two-way thoroughfare with limited street parking available.

You will visit several buildings across campus during the tour. The tour will conclude at the BFA major you have chosen to see.

Please see this Google Map for parking garages near the Welcome Center.

NYC street parking is also available. Apps like SpotHero, ParkNYC, and ParkMobile can help you book ahead or feed the meter.

Make the most of your day on campus! The Office of Residence Life is located next to the Welcome Center and offers housing tours weekdays from noon to 2:00pm. No appointment is required. Learn more about our residence halls at sva.edu/housing.

Housing tours of these residence halls depart from the Office of Residence Life located at 340 East 24th Street, ground floor, New York, NY 10010.

Check out the 24th Street Residence Room Tour and 24th Street Residence Facilities Tour on TikTok.

Housing tours are offered directly from the residence at 101 Ludlow Street, New York, NY 10003. Check out the Ludlow Residence Tour on TikTok!

SVA is an active participant in the Portfolio Days sponsored by the National Portfolio Day Association (NPDA). As a member of NPDA, representatives from SVA will join other accredited colleges to review portfolios, offer helpful suggestions, and provide information on specific programs and requirements at events across North America and abroad.

In-person National Portfolio Day events have concluded for the 2024-2025 academic year. Please contact your Admissions Counselor for portfolio questions.

The SVA portfolio review is a great opportunity to receive helpful feedback on your work before you submit your official portfolio submission with your application. We review both in-progress and finished work as well as your sketchbook. You'll receive an informative critique and discuss how your work aligns with SVA's majors to help you edit and curate your portfolio for admission and scholarship consideration. 

We will try to look at as much of your work as possible in the time we have but recommend having your top 15–20 pieces tagged for easy access. We suggest showing us recent work or pieces that you feel best represent your technical and creative ability.

Even if you don’t feel like you have a full portfolio to show, you can still meet with an Admissions representative to ask questions and get info on our undergraduate programs!

Accepted Students Day took place on Saturday, April 5, 2025. Check out a recap of the event here!

In-person Open Houses were held in October and early November. Please see below for recordings and consider visiting us for a campus tour.

• Admissions Presentation
• 3D Animation and Visual Effects
• Animation
• Design and Advertising
• Film
• Illustration and Comics
• Interior Design: Built Environments
• Photography and Video

Financial Aid and Admissions cohosted a webinar for accepted students covering the FAFSA, types of aid, and the awarding process at the School of Visual Arts. Watch the recording here.

Financial Aid Resources

Please visit our Financial Aid page for comprehensive financial aid information. Videos answering common questions and instructions can be found on Financial Aid TV.

Scholarship

Accepted students can check if they were awarded a scholarship through the application portal. Please contact your Admissions Counselor for merit scholarship inquiries. 

MyID

Accepted students should refer to MyID for their financial aid award letter, SVA email, and other important resources.

Webinars will resume in the summer. Get a sneak peek of our portfolio tips on TikTok.

Admissions staff invite you to our Info Session and Portfolio Tips Zoom webinars with a live Q&A! We understand how challenging applying to college can be and we are here to help.

The webinar includes an overview of SVA and our majors as well as the application and scholarship process for freshmen & transfers. Learn how to craft a strong portfolio submission and meet our Student Ambassador Tour Guides. Ask us your SVA, application, portfolio and college life questions. (Note: portfolio reviews are not available during these sessions.)

Medium: Zoom webinar with slide presentation featuring photos, videos, examples of student work and maps of our campus.

SVA is an active participant in the Portfolio Days sponsored by the National Portfolio Day Association (NPDA). As a member of NPDA, representatives from SVA will join other accredited colleges to review portfolios, offer helpful suggestions and provide information on specific programs and requirements. 

Sunday, September 8, 2024

12:00-4:00pm ET

Friday, November 1, 2024

7:00-11:00pm ET

Sunday, December 8, 2024

12:00-4:00pm ET

Sunday, January 5, 2025

12:00-4:00pm ET

Saturday, May 3, 2025

12:00-4:00pm ET - Register

For virtual events, students are encouraged to take digital photos of any physical pieces they wish to share and gather 10–15 images into a multipage PDF in preparation for these events.

The SVA portfolio review is a great opportunity to receive helpful feedback on your work before you submit your official portfolio submission with your application. We review both in-progress and finished work as well as your sketchbook. You’ll receive an informative critique and discuss how your work aligns with SVA’s majors to help you edit and curate your portfolio for admission and scholarship consideration. 

We will try to look at as much of your work as possible in the time we have. We suggest showing us recent work or pieces that you feel best represent your technical and creative ability.

Even if you don’t feel like you have a full portfolio to show, you can still meet with an Admissions representative to ask questions and get info on our undergraduate programs!

Please join us in celebrating the next generation of artists & creative professionals graduating from SVA!

As a way for students, faculty, parents and industry professionals to navigate the many end-of-year exhibitions and events that take place annually at SVA, SVA Shows highlights the diversity and quality of work produced across the College’s undergraduate and graduate departments.

All events are free and open to the public.

Each graduate department hosts a variety of in-person and virtual opportunities to meet prospective students and provide program-specific Information. Many of these experiences involve meeting with the chair, faculty, department staff, current students or alumni.

You may view event descriptions and secure your spot via the links below.

MA/MAT Art Education:

• Appointments and tours are available by request. Please contact Courtney Treglia (ctreglia@sva.edu) to schedule.

MFA Art Practice:

• Meet with an MFA Art Practice faculty member. Schedule your conversation today! REGISTER

MPS Art Therapy:

• Individual information sessions are available by appointment only. Please contact arttherapy@sva.edu to schedule.

MFA Computer Arts:

• Tours and meetings (both in-person and virtual) are available by request. Please contact mfaca@sva.edu to schedule.

MA Curatorial Practice:

• Individual information sessions are available by appointment only. Please contact Re McBride, Director of Operations (amcbride1@sva.edu) to schedule.

MFA Design:

• Weekly Q&A sessions are offered via Zoom or in person every Thursday at 11:00am ET. Please contact Veronika Golova, Director of Operations (vgolova@sva.edu) to schedule.

MA Design Research, Writing & Criticism

• Individual information sessions are available by appointment only. Please contact designresearch@sva.edu to schedule.

MFA Design for Social Innovation

• Appointments are available by request. Please contact dsiinfo@sva.edu to schedule.

MPS Digital Photography:

• Individual virtual or in-person information sessions are available by appointment only. Please contact mpsphoto@sva.edu to schedule.

MPS Fashion Photography:

• Individual information sessions are available by appointment only. Please contact Barry Sutton, Chair (bsutton1@sva.edu) to schedule.

MPS Film Directing:

• Individual information sessions are available by appointment only. Please contact Cailin McFadden, Director of Operations (cmcfadden@sva.edu) to schedule.

MFA Fine Arts:

• Individual information sessions are available by appointment. Please contact Nelson Santos, Academic Advisor (nsantos2@sva.edu) to schedule.

MFA Interaction Design:

• Schedule a one-on-one in-person studio or virtual meeting to learn more about the program! Please contact interactiondesign@sva.edu to schedule.

MFA Illustration as Visual Essay:

• Individual information sessions with the chair, Riccardo Vecchio, are available Monday-Wednesday mornings by appointment only. Please contact mfaillustration@sva.edu to schedule.

MFA Photography, Video and Related Media:

• Individual appointments are available by appointment only. Please contact Randy West, Director of Operations (rwest@sva.edu) to schedule.



MFA Products of Design:

• In-person or video-chat meetings requests, scheduling appointments to sit in on a class, portfolio preparation tips, or any other questions can be directed to Julia Knoll, Director of Operations, (jknoll1@sva.edu).

MFA Visual Narrative:

• Individual Information sessions and portfolio reviews are available by appointment only. Please contact mfavn@sva.edu to schedule.

If you don’t see your program of interest listed above, please contact the department directly for more information about other upcoming events and opportunities to visit throughout the year!

The following departments have informational videos available:

• MFA Art Practice
• MPS Art Therapy
• MPS Branding
• MFA Computer Arts: Chair Interview; Vimeo Channel
• MA Curatorial Practice
• MFA Design
• MPS Digital Photography: Chair Overview/Application Requirements; Facilities
• MFA Illustration as Visual Essay: Program Documentary; Program Overview; Studio Tour; Portfolio FAQs
• MFA Interaction Design: What is Interaction Design?; Metamorphosis: 2021 Thesis Exhibition; IxD Open House
• MFA Photography, Video, and Related Media
• MFA Products of Design
• MFA Visual Narrative: Alumni Panel

Please contact your chosen program directly to find out about other opportunities to visit or ask questions about the curriculum or faculty.

• MA / MAT Art Education – arted@sva.edu
• MFA Art Practice - artpractice@sva.edu
• MPS Art Therapy - arttherapy@sva.edu
• MPS Branding - branding@sva.edu
• MFA Computer Arts - mfaca@sva.edu
• MA Curatorial Practice - macp@sva.edu
• MFA Design - mfadesign@sva.edu
• MA Design Research, Writing, and Criticism - designresearch@sva.edu
• MFA Design for Social Innovation - dsiinfo@sva.edu
• MPS Digital Photography - mpsphoto@sva.edu
• MPS Directing – directing@sva.edu
• MPS Fashion Photography - mpsfashionphoto@sva.edu
• MFA Fine Arts - mfafinearts@sva.edu
• MFA Illustration as Visual Essay - mfaillustration@sva.edu
• MFA Interaction Design - interactiondesign@sva.edu
• MFA Photography, Video, and Related Media - mfaphoto@sva.edu
• MFA Products of Design - productsofdesign@sva.edu
• MFA Visual Narrative - mfavn@sva.edu