How to Apply

Applicants are required to apply online using the Online Application. 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.

The 2025 application will become available in mid-September.

The application fee for U.S. domestic applicants and international transfer applicants is $50. Application fees are paid through the online application and are non-refundable. The New School waives application fees for those who meet the eligibility guidelines listed in the Application Fee Waivers section of our university-wide undergraduate and graduate How to Apply pages.

On the online application, you'll have the opportunity to select your major of interest. Your major will be officially established once you meet with your academic faculty advisor during your first semester of enrollment in the program. If you are not certain which major you’d like to pursue, please select ‘Liberal Arts’ - the self-designed major. If admitted, you will have the opportunity to change majors once you meet with an advisor.

Personal Statement
Explain why you're applying to the Bachelor's Program for Adults and Transfer Students. Briefly describe your academic and/or professional accomplishments, and explain why you would like to continue your education now. Describe the goals you have for the time following degree completion, and explain how The New School will support you in your journey to realize these goals. Also, to help us understand how you'll approach your education, review the Current Course Offerings and select five courses you would like to take in the Bachelor's Program for Adults and Transfer Students. Discuss how these courses will provide a good foundation for you and how they support your academic and professional goals. Include anything else you think is important for the Admission Committee to know. (500–650 words)

Submit a one to two-page résumé/curriculum vitae summarizing your academic qualifications, relevant work experience, published writing, volunteer/community work, professional networking, public speaking, and/or any other relevant experiences that may relate to your field of study, including dates and positions held. Please also note any special language or computer skills that you have.

While a letter of recommendation is not required, applicants have the option to submit one if they wish. If submitting a letter of recommendation, the letter should come from an academic or professional reference who can attest to your potential for success in an undergraduate degree. Recommenders can submit recommendations online. Instructions are included in the online application. If preferred, the recommendation form can instead be sent by mail in a signed, sealed envelope. To send by mail, download the PDF recommendation form found in the online application, complete the personal information, save the form, and forward it to the recommender for completion and submission. Applicants can also send signed and sealed recommendations to the Office of Admission using an Application Materials Cover Sheet.

All applicants must provide official high school and/or college transcripts from all institutions attended. Undergraduate applicants who have attended multiple high schools can submit only the graduating school’s official transcript as long as all prior coursework is listed on that transcript.

First Year Applicants

First-year applicants must provide official high school and/or college transcripts. If you are currently in school, submit transcripts for all coursework taken to date. Transcripts that are not in English must be accompanied by a certified translation.

Applicants who have attended multiple high schools may submit only the transcript from the school from which they are graduating as long as all prior coursework is listed on that transcript. All academic credentials for homeschool students must be submitted as indicated in the Additional Information for Specific Applicant Populations section below.

Transfer Applicants
Transfer applicants must submit an official high school/secondary school transcript with graduation date or General Education Diploma (GED). Transfer applicants who have completed 24 U.S. college credits in a degree-granting program, or the equivalent, are not required to submit their high school transcripts. Official transcripts are also required for each college or university you have previously attended.

Applicants with High School Equivalency Tests

Students may submit one of the following in lieu of official high school transcripts: General Education Development (GED), Test Assessing Secondary Completion (TASC), High School Equivalency Test (HiSET), or California High School Proficiency Exam (CHSPE) exam results. Final results must be sent directly from the testing agency.

How to Submit Electronic Transcripts

Transcripts can be submitted through an approved electronic vendor (see below), submitted via email by a school official, from an official school email address, to [email protected], or through postal mail. Transcripts will be considered unofficial if forwarded in an email.

Approved electronic vendors: BridgeU, Common Application, Cialfo, Credentials eScrip-Safe, Kuder, MaiaLearning, MEFA Pathway, National Student Clearinghouse, Naviance, OverGrad, Parchment Exchange, UniFrog, SCOIR, SchooLinks, Xello).

If your school does not use any of these vendors and your school official is not able to email them from an official school email address, transcripts must be sent directly via postal mail by a school official in a sealed envelope.

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

In rare circumstances where items must be mailed, please send to:

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 admitted students are automatically considered for scholarship awards. No separate application is required. International students are typically 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 need-based financial aid. The FAFSA is typically available each year on October 1, but will be delayed in 2025. 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.

Students who wish to further supplement their financial resources should consider applying for external scholarships.

Instructions for Early Decision Applicants

Domestic students, permanent residents, and other students eligible to submit the FAFSA who are applying Early Decision must submit the Net Price Calculator by November 10 in order to receive a need-based aid package with their Early Decision admission offer. Additional information about the Net Price Calculator will be shared with Early Decision applicants after they submit the application.

The New School does not require submission of SAT or ACT scores, and they do not play a part in our review process. If you choose to share your scores, our SAT institution code is 2521, and our ACT code is 2828.

All applicants whose first language is not English must submit valid results for 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 — 92
• IELTS — 7
• PTE — 63
• Duolingo English Test — 115
• Cambridge English — 185

TOEFL iBT is the world’s most trusted and widely accepted English proficiency test to demonstrate academic readiness. Take it at home or in a test center in less than two hours. Register for an upcoming TOEFL iBT test to realize your dreams of studying, working, and living abroad. Our TOEFL institution code is 2521. IELTS test takers should electronically submit their test results to The New School.

The New School does not require TOEFL, IELTS, PTE, Duolingo English Test, or Cambridge English scores for applicants who have:

• Studied in English, as the primary language of instruction, for all four consecutive years of high school/secondary school. However, students who have taken any English as a Second Language (ESL) courses while in high school, regardless of how long they have been in high school, must submit TOEFL, IELTS, PTE, or Duolingo English Test results.
  
• Successfully completed two full semesters of college-level coursework while taking non-ESL college-level expository writing or equivalent courses (transfer students only).
• Earned a four-year degree from a U.S. college/university or from a university where English is the primary language of instruction, with a minimum of three years' attendance (transfer students only).

After reviewing your application, the Office of Admission may require you to submit an English language proficiency test score to evaluate your candidacy.

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.

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

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

The New School welcomes applicants from all over the world. To be competitive for admission, applicants must be on track to complete required coursework to earn a high school diploma within their home country that qualifies them for university entry. Below are some of the most common international secondary school curriculums that we see students applying from and helpful guidance for each one.

• Advanced Levels (A-Levels): Students who are most competitive for admission will have completed or be in the process of completing A Levels from three subjects at the time of application.
• Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) or Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE): Submission of both Standard X (SSC) and completed or predicted Standard XII (HSC) exam marks is required.
• International Baccalaureate (IB): Students can pursue either the IB Diploma Program (DP) or IB Career-related Program (CP). Applicants who are taking individual IB courses as a supplement to a national curriculum are permitted to pursue individual IB courses rather than the DP or CP. 

For more information about submission requirements see the Submitting Transcripts section above. Applicants with questions about their secondary school transcripts as they relate to admission can email [email protected].

Some international secondary school coursework will qualify for pre-matriculation credit, awarded by the Registrar upon enrollment.

AP, IB, and A-Level Courses may be eligible to transfer to your degree. If you have taken any of these exams, please submit these official scores so that they may be considered for transfer credit. Exam scores must come directly from the examination board. Scores reported on high school or college transcripts are not considered official.

Upon completion of the homeschool curriculum, students must provide proof of high school graduation or an equivalent. We will accept an official transcript from a state homeschool association or sponsoring public high school; GED, TASC, or HiSET exam results; individual homeschool transcripts with date of completion; and certificates of completion recognized by local homeschool associations.

Homeschool applicants must provide the equivalent of a high school transcript with course or subject titles, duration of study for each title, content of study for each title, and an assessment of performance or “grade” at the time of application. Preferably, the courses completed at home are part of a curriculum developed and evaluated by a nationally recognized diploma-granting organization or agency. 

Upon review, applicants may be required to submit additional application materials.

A maximum of 84 credits earned from regionally-accredited institutions in disciplines or subjects taught at The New School may transfer to our program. Courses with grades of C or better are eligible to transfer. Courses with grades of C- or lower are not eligible to transfer.vCredits earned at non-regionally accredited institutions will be considered for transfer on a case-by-case basis by the admission committee and may require additional documentation for review. For more information on transfer credit eligibility, please review the University Undergraduate Transfer Credit Policy. Our admission counselors can provide a preliminary transfer credit evaluation before you formally apply for admission. Contact the Office of Admission to schedule a transfer credit review.

The Internal Transfer Application is required for all current New School students who wish to transfer from one New School college to another. If you would like to apply as an internal applicant, review the deadlines and requirements in the Undergraduate Internal Transfer Policy section of our University Admission How to Apply page. Students who wish to change departments or majors within the same college should speak with their academic advisor. Internal transfer applicants should connect with a Financial Aid Counselor. Financial aid packages, including scholarships, will change as a result of changing programs.

The Application for Readmission should be completed by students who wish to return after an absence of four semesters (fall and spring). If you would like to apply for readmission, review the readmission deadlines and requirements in the Readmission section of our university How to Apply page. If you have enrolled at another institution as a degree seeking student since you were last enrolled at The New School, you should apply for admission as a transfer student according to the instructions outlined above.

Applicants to the Writing and Democracy Honors Program must provide samples of their writing to demonstrate they have the writing skills and experience to excel in upper-level workshops and courses. The portfolio should include 10-15 pages of fiction or nonfiction or 10 pages of poetry. Portfolios will not be returned. The portfolio should be typewritten, double-spaced, and uploaded into the Riggio section of the online application.

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.