• University Center building windows showing people inside

    About us

    Discover a new kind of university in New York City, one where scholars, artists, and designers come together to challenge convention and create positive change. Our university takes full advantage of its location in one of the most vibrant and diverse cities in the world. Our colleges and graduate schools include Parsons School of Design, Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts, the College of Performing Arts, The New School for Social Research, the Schools of Public Engagement, and Parsons Paris.

    Since our founding in 1919, The New School has redrawn and redefined the boundaries of intellectual and creative thought as a preeminent academic center. Our rigorous, multidimensional approach to education dissolves walls between disciplines and helps nurture progressive minds. At our university, students have the academic freedom to shape their unique, individual paths for a complex and rapidly changing world.

    With leading-edge faculty and world-renowned alumni, we are committed to developing students who will have an impact on the world and address the most pressing social issues of our time. Our legacy of commitment to creating a more equitable, inclusive, and socially just environment continues to drive our mission and work today. 

    NYC

    Greenwich Village is home to our main campus in New York City

    126

    degree and diploma programs

    #1

    most international university (U.S. News & World Report, 2022)

    Thomas Benfield, BA Literary Studies, Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts

    Thomas Benfield, BA Literary Studies, Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts

    “For me, it's about the academic sphere. The New School is interesting, conceptual. We acknowledge how important it is to be experimental."

    Zuzanna Krzatala, MA Liberal Studies, NSSR

    Zuzanna Krzatala, MA Liberal Studies, The New School for Social Research

    "There’s something really beautiful about the diversity of the student body at The New School. We bring in and engage with all the global perspectives."

    Matt Mathews, MA Media Studies, School of Media Studies

    Matt Mathews, MA Media Studies, School of Media Studies

    "I was able to integrate a broad range of topics into my assignments—I've never experienced academic freedom like I have at The New School."

    Interior hallway of University Center building showing people walking up stairs and Fifth Avenue outside windows

    Mission & Vision

    Our mission is to prepare students to understand, contribute to, and succeed in a rapidly changing society, thus making the world a better and more just place. As a university where design and social research drive approaches to studying issues of our time, we seek to provide students with the tools needed to grapple with complex problems facing society and to pursue more fluid and flexible career pathways.

    University Leadership

    The New School's leadership team sets the course for the academic, intellectual, and creative work of the university. Committed to excellence in all areas, the leaders of our university ensure that we adapt and respond to contemporary issues, create an inclusive community, and foster an environment in which students challenge convention through scholarship and creative exploration.

    With the creation of the Office of Equity, Inclusion, and Social Justice, our leadership has demonstrated an ongoing commitment to bringing together students, staff, and faculty who reflect our society’s diversity of thought and identities. This effort has further advanced equity on campus.

    A model in a white dress poses on a platform surrounded by students drawing her. From the 1920's.

    History

    In 1919, a group of visionaries sought a new and evolved model of education, one providing the intellectual and creative freedom to tackle the most pressing issues of the day. Since the founding of The New School, some of the finest minds in our society have pioneered courses in emerging areas of academic inquiry, attracting students and faculty from around the world.

    2019 marked the 100th year of The New School. To commemorate this university milestone, we reflected on a century of scholars, artists, and designers who dared to question the status quo — and reimagine the future. Learn more about how we celebrated our next century of groundbreaking scholarship, bold creativity, and world-changing ideas.

  • Take The Next Step


Submit your application

Undergraduates

To apply to any of our undergraduate programs (except the Bachelor's Program for Adults and Transfer Students and Parsons Associate of Applied Science programs) complete and submit the Common App online.

Undergraduate Adult Learners

To apply to any of our Bachelor's Program for Adults and Transfer Students and Parsons Associate of Applied Science programs, complete and submit the New School Online Application.

Graduates

To apply to any of our Master's, Doctoral, Professional Studies Diploma, and Graduate Certificate programs, complete and submit the New School Online Application.