Frequently Asked Questions

You probably know that NYU is a large research-oriented institution. You may not know that we have over 38,000 students (approximately 19,400 undergraduate students and 19,000 graduate and professional students) distributed over fourteen schools, colleges, and institutes. That makes us one of the largest private institutions of higher education in America. The size of the student body at NYU contributes to our amazing diversity. Students come here from all 50 states and over 140 foreign countries.

It's certainly reasonable to be concerned about losing your individuality in a university the size of NYU. However, the structure of the university itself assures students plenty of individual attention. NYU is divided into eight small to mid-size undergraduate divisions, each of which has its own advising office and its own faculty. Students are advised by individuals who work only within the programs of their division, and, once a student has declared a major, he or she is advised by someone within that academic department.

The average class size at NYU is 30. You will encounter small class situations as early as your freshman year in courses like Writing Workshop I and II, which are limited to 20 students per section, and language courses, which are limited to 20-25 students per section. We also incorporate a small classroom experience in larger lecture courses as well by including weekly recitation and lab sections as part of the course requirements. (A recitation is a small discussion and review section. They are limited to 20-25 students per section.)

Many students are interested in NYU because of its impressive faculty, and you will encounter those faculty members in your classrooms every day. All kinds of classes, from first-year required courses to advanced seminars, are taught by NYU professors. Ph.D. candidates teach some lower-level language courses and often run recitation sections under the direction of the professor teaching the course.

Professors at NYU are extremely interested in undergraduates. One of the ways in which this is obvious is the numerous opportunities students have to meet and work with professors outside of the classroom. Professors act as advisors in their departments, are often involved in independent study and research projects with undergraduate students, and encourage students to attend their office hours for conversation and discussion both relevant to and separate from issues covered in their classes.

It might be easier to tell you what don't we offer! NYU students can choose from over 2,500 undergraduate courses and more than 160 programs of study. Visit the Academic Programs section of our Web site to find out more.

Making certain that NYU students are staying on track in their course work is one of the main jobs of NYU advisors. Whether its helping you choose the correct courses to complete requirements or suggesting interest surveys to assist in determining a major, NYU advisors make certain you are moving in the right direction by making the best possible choices.

Not if you are applying to the College of Arts and Science or the Stern School of Business. (In fact, in both CAS and Stern, "undecided" is often the most popular freshman major!)If you want to apply to the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, the Tisch School of the Arts, or our Robert Preston Tisch Center for Hospitality, Tourism, and Sports Management, you must declare a major when you submit your application.

Actually, many students change their major at least once during their years in college. If your new major is still within your original college, you need only to register with your new department and see an advisor. If your new major is in a different school than the one in which your original major was located, you may apply to internally transfer from the old school to the new.

Certainly! In fact, many students double major at NYU. Advisors can assist you in creating schedules that will accommodate even the most unique combinations of majors.

NYU is determined to produce people who are not only skilled in their fields of study, but also well-rounded individuals who have had exposure to many diverse subjects outside of their major course work. For this reason, all of NYU's eight undergraduate divisions have core curricula that place an emphasis on the liberal arts and sciences. The specific requirements vary from division to division.

Each department at NYU allows selected students who demonstrate exceptional talent in their field of study to complete a progression of honors courses in that department. Although the exact progression is determined by the individual departments, the honors program typically involves a number of small honors seminars that culminate in an honors thesis completed during the senior year.

We encourage our students to take advantage of the resources offered by New York City in any way that they can. One of the best ways to do so is by working an internship. Few institutions will be able to offer you the internship opportunities available at NYU. Students here work internships, for academic credit or for pay, on Wall Street, in television network headquarters, in Broadway theaters, in New York's world-famous museums and in the nation's finest research hospitals. The Office of Career Services www.nyu.edu/careerservices assists NYU students in finding internships to match their interests or areas of study.

Yes! In fact, we encourage it. Quite literally, we are adding new opportunities for study abroad every semester. Visit our Study Abroad Site www.nyu.edu/studyabroad for more information.

Fall classes generally begin a few days after Labor Day. January classes usually begin during the third week in January. Summer classes begin late in either May or June, depending upon which summer session you choose to attend. To find out more about the summer class schedule, visit the NYU main Web site www.nyu.edu.