Admission Requirements

Fine Arts (MFA) Application Instructions

Deadline

The Admission Committee will make a decision on your application only after all the required materials have been received.

The complete application packet must be received by January 10 for the applicant to be admitted for the next fall semester.

Required materials

You may download these instructions.

Parsons graduate programs use a self-managed application process: You apply online and then mail any supplemental application materials, preferably in a single packet, to the Office of Admission. The Materials Cover Sheet, which can also be downloaded from the Supplemental Forms section of the online application, should accompany all mailed application materials.

Applicants must submit the following items to the Office of Admission:

1. Application form: Complete the online application.
2. Application Fee: Pay the $50 nonrefundable application fee. A credit card is required to submit the online application.
   
3. Official Transcripts: Submit a sealed original copy of your official college transcripts along with your application packet. If that is not possible, instruct the institution to send the transcripts directly to the Office of Admission. Photocopies are not acceptable.
   
   International Transcripts: All applicants with international transcripts must submit an original transcript from each institution attended outside the United States along with a certified English language translation. Applicants who would like to transfer academic credits earned at non-U.S. institutions also must have their transcript(s) evaluated by World Education Services (WES), our preferred provider, or by another member of the National Association of Credit Evaluation Services (NACES). A course-by-course evaluation report must be prepared for each transcript. Please start the evaluation process as early as possible, including the submission of all required documents to WES (or another provider), in order to ensure the timely completion of the evaluation report. In addition, an admission counselor may require a transcript evaluation by WES or an NACES-approved evaluator if it is deemed a necessary part of the application process, even when applicants do not want transfer credits applied to a program of interest. Instruct the provider to send the report to
   
   Parsons The New School for Design
   Office of Admission Graduate Programs
   72 Fifth Avenue
   New York, NY 10011
   
   If applying online for transcript evaluation, search for “New School Parsons" when requesting our institution.
   
   If your provider is unable to send the evaluation report directly to the Office of Admission, please obtain a copy and forward it yourself to Parsons with a Materials Cover Sheet.
4. Résumé: Provide a brief résumé (CV) listing your relevant work experience, travel, exhibitions, etc., including dates and positions held. This must be submitted online.
5. Statement of Interest and Intentions: This essay must be submitted online. 
6. Recommendations: Submit two letters of recommendation from faculty members with whom you studied or from people with whom you have worked professionally. Your references may submit their recommendations online, or you may forward sealed original letters with your application packet.
7. TOEFL: If English is not your native language, you must submit a TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) score. The minimum score required for admission consideration is 580 on the paper-based, 237 on the computer-based, or 92 on the Internet-based exam.
   Students required to take the TOEFL can obtain further information from the Educational Testing Service.
8. Portfolio: Submit 20 images of your fine art work, which may include painting, drawing, sculpture, printmaking, photography, video, installation, or performance. The portfolio may be submitted on a CD in PDF format and/or on a DVD containing not more than four three-minute clips of time-based work in any medium. Slides or URL links are not acceptable.
   
   Inventory List: Please enclose a numbered inventory of the contents of your disk, including title (in italics), medium, dimensions (height first), date completed, and a thumbnail image of the work in the right-hand margin. The numbers used in the  inventory list should correspond to the numbering of your image files.
   
   Example:
   1. Title, oil on canvas, 50" x 40", 2008
   2. Title, wood, steel, and plaster, 16" x 20" x 5", 2008
   
   All the images should be placed in a folder labeled in the following manner:
   
   LASTNAME_FIRSTNAME
   
   Within the folder, label each image with your name and a number, with the numbers  corresponding to your inventory list.
   
   Example:
   LASTNAME_FIRSTNAME1
   LASTNAME_FIRSTNAME2
   
   Mail your portfolio to the Office of Admission accompanied by a Materials Cover Sheet (also available in the Supplemental Forms section of the online application).
9. Interview: All finalists for the Fine Arts MFA program must be interviewed by the graduate faculty.