How to Apply - Graduate

Applicants are required to apply online. You must complete all required fields and upload materials prior to submission. Most materials can be submitted electronically via the online application. Any additional supporting documents that need to be sent electronically or by mail must include an Application Materials Cover Sheet. All supporting materials must be received before your application can be reviewed.

If you're planning to apply using a school email address, please confirm you can receive our email first. Some schools block email from outside their domains.  

Effective November 7, 2025, The New School is not requiring an application fee to apply for any 2026 term.  

The MFA in Contemporary Theatre and Performance seeks artists with the capacity for interdisciplinary practice who prioritize innovation, collaboration, and social engagement in the making of art that is relevant to their communities. Please provide a personal artistic statement discussing your artistic journey, the questions that drive your work, and ways you hope to grow as a creator of original performance (600–750 words, to be submitted with the Online Application).

At least two letters of recommendation from professional and/or academic references are required. Recommendations must be submitted by recommenders directly via the online application portal. Instructions are included in the online application.

All applicants to the MFA in Contemporary Theatre and Performance are required to submit an Artist Portfolio. 

While competitive portfolios will provide evidence of collaboration, curiosity, and interest in and capacity for socially engaged artistry, the most important qualities you can show us are your creativity, your craft, and your willingness to take creative risks. An Artist Portfolio includes three to four samples of artistic work and must consist of the following elements:

Samples of Artistic Work 

• Actor–Writer Pathway: Please present two contrasting monologues, each approximately two minutes in length and no more than five minutes in total. Though students can audition with pieces from any genre, one selection must be drawn from any writers whose text is poetic or elevated. Please submit two writing samples. The first should be a complete full-length script for live performance. The second may be an additional complete script or an excerpt from a longer work in any medium (theatre, film, television, or other), not to exceed 15 pages.
• Actor–Director Pathway: Please present two contrasting monologues, each approximately two minutes in length and no more than five minutes total. Though students can audition with pieces from any genre, one selection must be drawn from any writers whose text is poetic or elevated. Please upload a maximum of 15 minutes of video demonstrating your best work as a director. Submissions can consist of multiple clips but must be less than 15 minutes in total. Videos should consist of substantive excerpts from productions or rehearsals, rather than promotional trailers, highlight reels, or heavily edited marketing materials.
• Director–Writer Pathway: Please upload a maximum of 15 minutes of video demonstrating your best work as a director. Submissions can consist of multiple clips but must be less than 15 minutes total. Videos should consist of substantive excerpts from productions or rehearsals, rather than promotional trailers, highlight reels, or heavily edited marketing materials.Writing Sample: The first should be a complete full-length script for live performance. The second may be an additional complete script or an excerpt from a longer work in any medium (theatre, film, television, or other), not to exceed 15 pages.

In lieu of video submissions, applicants interested in directing should submit a digital portfolio that demonstrates their directorial process and creative practice.

Portfolios may include prompt books, blocking scripts, production notebooks, rehearsal materials, devised-work documentation, design research and dramaturgy, production materials, and director's statements that articulate the artistic vision and conceptual approach behind specific projects. We are particularly interested in materials that reveal how applicants generate ideas, collaborate across disciplines, and shape original performance.

Process Statement

The process statement should briefly enlighten us about your way of working. We invite you to take your own approach, but compelling process statements will highlight what tools you use, how you make your work, and why this program specifically will expand your capacities in your areas of study (300 words maximum).

Applicants who are invited to participate in a round 2 Portfolio Conference will be notified after review of their completed round 1 application. Applicants who apply after the December 1 priority deadline will be considered for the round 2 Portfolio Conference on a rolling basis as space allows.

The full-day Portfolio Conference is required for admission to the MFA in Contemporary Theatre and Performance program. It consists of three parts:

1. Discipline-Specific Workshops: Faculty facilitate workshops in two of three disciplines indicated by applicants' proposed pathways of study—acting, writing, and directing. Through these sessions, applicants are evaluated on their capacity for sustained engagement, artistic imagination, curiosity, responsiveness to feedback, ability to apply notes and redirection, and commitment to rigorous multidisciplinary training.

2. Group Collaboration and Making Experience: Faculty lead a collaborative making exercise in which groups of applicants create something new and exciting. This is primarily an opportunity to evaluate applicants' capacity for and contributions to long-form collaboration.

3. One-on-One Interview with Faculty: All applicants have a brief interview with a member of the Drama faculty. Topics may include but are not limited to work samples, live performance presentation, professional goals and artistic interests, experiences with socially engaged creativity, and particular interest in The New School’s Master of Fine Arts program in Contemporary Theatre and Performance.

Conferences will take place in person at the School of Drama in New York City, with a virtual option for those who are unable to participate in person. If you have any questions or concerns, please email us at [email protected].

Applicants must upload an unofficial transcript, mark sheet, or academic record for each institution (even if you didn’t receive a degree) in the Academic History section of the online application.

All uploaded transcripts must be accompanied by a key, a legend, or the back copy of the transcript. Non-English transcripts must be accompanied by an English translation. Records from non-U.S. institutions must have grades or marks and contain a copy of diploma if the degree has been conferred. Make sure your name appears on the transcript/record. Scanned documents must be clear and legible.

If you experience trouble uploading your transcript, email [email protected] and give a detailed description of the issue and attach the document in question.

The New School reserves the right to require official transcripts or an official NACES course-by-course evaluation at any time during the admission process. Any fraudulent activity or discrepancies found between uploaded and official transcripts will result in the immediate revocation of admission and/or dismissal from The New School. Transcripts uploaded with the online application are considered unofficial.

Applicants offered admission will be required to submit official transcripts with proof of their degree conferral(s) prior to enrollment. Admitted applicants must submit all official transcripts pertaining to their entire academic career. Transcripts uploaded with the online application are considered unofficial, and do not satisfy this requirement.

How to Submit Electronic Transcripts
The New School accepts electronic transcripts from our approved vendors and directly from universities. Our approved vendors:

• National Student Clearinghouse
• Parchment Exchange
• TrueCopy Credentials

School officials may also email transcripts to [email protected] from their school's official email address. All documents not sent from a school official email address or forwarded will be considered unofficial. This email address is intended for use exclusively by school officials.

Whenever possible, please send all official communication electronically, including transcripts and letters of recommendation. 

Our Mailing Address:

The New School
Office of Admission
55 West 13th Street
New York, NY 10011

All materials and documents submitted in association with a New School application become the property of the New School and cannot be returned to you or transmitted to a third party.

All applicants who are native speakers of languages other than English must submit valid results of an English language proficiency test taken within the past two years.

We permit applicants to submit one of the following tests: TOEFL, IELTS, PTE, Duolingo English Test, or Cambridge English C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency.

Minimum required scores are:

• TOEFL iBT—100, 4.0 writing, 4.5 speaking
• IELTS—7.0
• PTE—68
• Duolingo English Test—120 writing, 115 speaking
• Cambridge English—191

Our TOEFL institution code is 2521.

The New School does not accept English language proficiency test results from IELTS Indicator, IELTS for UKVI, iTEP, TOEFL Essentials, TOEFL ITP Plus for China, or the University College London preparatory certificate program.

The New School does not require TOEFL, IELTS, PTE, Duolingo English Test, or Cambridge English results for applicants who have earned a four-year degree from a U.S. college or university or from a university where English is the primary language of instruction (minimum of three years' attendance). After reviewing your application, the Office of Admission may require you to submit an English language proficiency test score to evaluate your candidacy.

We accept test scores taken within the past two years. If your scores are older, you must retake the test.

Applicants also have the option of enrolling in The New School English as a Second Language (ESL) program. Students must pass Level 6 to waive the TOEFL/IELTS/PTE/DET requirement. Visit the ESL website for more information.

All admitted students are considered for merit scholarship awards determined by the strength of their applications. International students are eligible only for merit scholarships. If you are a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen, you must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid  (FAFSA) in order to be considered for federal financial aid. The FAFSA is available each year on October 1. The New School’s federal school code is 002780. You don’t need to wait for an admission decision to apply for federal aid. Our Financial Aid staff are available to guide you through the process of applying for financial aid.

Applications become complete and ready for review once all required items have been received by the Office of Admission. You can check your application status in the Admission Hub.

Allow at least 14 days from the date you submitted your application for items to be marked as received in your Admission Hub. Applicants are responsible for following up with schools and recommenders to confirm that transcripts and recommendations have been sent.

The Office of Admission will periodically notify applicants by email if their file is missing any documents and again when their file is complete for review. These notifications are sent to the email address provided in the online application.

If you need to change your email address, mailing address, or other contact information, email the Office of Admission.

Spring admission decisions are released on a rolling basis starting in November.

Fall admission decisions are released on a rolling basis starting in late March.

Fall transfer admission decisions will be released on a rolling basis starting in April.

In any given academic year, a student can apply to only one department or program within The New School. Applicants who file more than one application in an academic year will be required to withdraw one of the applications, and application fees will not be refunded.

All materials and documents submitted in association with The New School application become the property of The New School and cannot be returned to you or transmitted to a third party.

Students who wish to return to a graduate degree program after an absence of four semesters must reapply via the graduate application. They must first confirm that their program is still accepting applications and that they are meeting time limit requirements (if applicable), before completing the application.

Readmission applications will not be processed for former students with holds on their student record, including but not limited to a Bursar, Student Support, or Registrar hold, until holds are resolved.

The New School welcomes undocumented students and students who hold DACA status to apply. Undocumented status does not affect the admissions process or your final admission decision. For questions about financial aid, please contact the Office of Financial Aid at [email protected].

Learn more about how we support undocumented students.

While applicants are expected to show developed skill in one or more theatrical disciplines, no formal training in an individual discipline is required to be considered for admission into the MFA in Contemporary Theatre and Performance. The program values all forms of theatrical creation that lead to original work.

We invite you to interpret this requirement in a way that best suits your artistry — comedic, dramatic, classical, or contemporary; from an extant play or something original. We are looking for your unique creativity as it is displayed in your work, and that includes interpretation of criteria.

We understand socially engaged art as artistic practices that involve individuals and communities in the creative process. Socially engaged art interrogates the context in which it is being created and in which it will exist and reflects an understanding of the artist's own responsibility to be aware of, responsive to, and provocative toward this context. The concept of socially engaged art recognizes the potential for artists to participate in and lead community-driven change. Socially engaged art is connected to principles of equity, inclusion, and social justice.

There is no preference given to those who have a creative technology background. However, the creative use of technology is encouraged in our program, and those who already incorporate electronics and technology in their practice are encouraged to apply. There are numerous resources at The New School that tech-inclined students can take advantage of, such as the Making Center at Parsons and the Equipment Center, where students can access a wide range of professional audio and video production equipment.

Yes. The selection committee is interested in learning about a candidate’s breadth of work and how that work is conceived. Therefore, the committee is interested in works-in-progress as much as it is interested in final versions of works.