Frequently Asked Questions

Admission to NYU is highly selective. A large and exceptionally well-qualified applicant pool enables us to enroll a freshman class that is academically talented as well as remarkably diverse. However, there are no set "formulas" that we follow when we review your application. Recognizing that each applicant offers a unique combination of achievement and potential, we carefully consider your entire application Ñ academic and extracurricular records, essay, letters of recommendation and standardized test scores. We actively seek students who have a variety of interests, talents and goals. We also seek a class that is diverse geographically, socially, racially, and economically. Finally, we are interested in how well you have made use of the opportunities available to you, however great or limited they may have been.

No. NYU does not utilize numerical cut-offs when we evaluate applications for admission. Having said that, you should also know that NYU receives applications from many students with extraordinary academic records; more, in fact, than we could possibly admit each year. As a general rule, applicants with the strongest academic programs, the highest grades, and the highest test scores are those most likely to be offered admission.

Grades and test scores provide a tangible record of your academic accomplishments. Essays and recommendations broaden our knowledge and understanding of the "academic" you. Your record of participation in school, community and work experiences adds information concerning your interests and accomplishments outside of the classroom, and assists us in evaluating important personal qualities such as motivation, compassion and leadership. If we had to select one factor as being more important than any other, it would probably be your overall academic record as viewed in the context of the strength of your program.

Yes. We encourage students to take the most challenging curriculum available to them, because when we evaluate your record, we consider the rigor of the program you've completed.

The most helpful and informative recommendations are from individuals who know you well and who can write specifically about you and your accomplishments, either academic or extracurricular. For example, recommendations assist us when they discuss information about you that might not be readily apparent from even a careful review of your transcript, or when they provide insight into your character; in other words, when they help us to distinguish you from other applicants. However, note that the admissions decision is not influenced by the number of recommendations we receive for an applicant, nor by the social or political prominence of the person providing the recommendation.

It might. If your application is otherwise competitive, the fact that you are the child of an alumnus or alumna of NYU may help influence the admissions decision. However, having an NYU graduate in the family won't compensate for a mediocre academic record, and no one is admitted solely because they are related to an NYU alumnus.

Yes. We do accept both the paper version and the online version of the Common Application. Using the Common Application instead of the NYU application has absolutely no impact on the admissions decision.

We do, however, have a supplement to the Common Application that MUST be returned with your Common Application. [In fact, while you will be able to submit the online version of the Common Application your application will actually not be released to NYU until you have completed and are ready to submit the NYU Supplement as well.]

If you complete the online version of the Common Application, you must submit the online version of the supplement [available on the Common Application website].

Likewise, if you complete the paper application, you must complete the paper version of the NYU Supplement that can be downloaded from our website at admissions.nyu.edu/apply.now/.

Yes. You may apply either online or via a downloadable form. The medium you use to submit your application has no influence on the admissions decision.

No. When you apply for admission, you must indicate the single undergraduate college you wish to attend. If you are interested in cross-disciplinary study, take a look at the Gallatin School www.nyu.edu/gallatin.

Very important. Your application and all supporting credentials should be received in our office on or before the application deadline; the earlier the better. For the last several years, we have had to return applications for admission that we received after the application deadline. Just how late after the deadline information is received usually determines how it is dealt with. A day or two late is usually not a problem. A week or month late, on the other hand, could be a big deal. Information received extremely late is usually not considered. If, for example, you wait until January or February to take standardized tests you should realize that those scores usually do not reach our office until mid to late February.

Formal interviews are not part of the admissions process at NYU. We feel that we can fairly evaluate your candidacy through a careful and thorough review of your application and supporting credentials. If you would like to provide information beyond the regular application materials, you may wish to include a personal statement with your application. Note, however, that we definitely recommend that all prospective students visit NYU.

NYU sends admissions decisions for Early Decision freshmen by mid-December, and on or about April 1st for regular decision freshmen.

Early Decision is an admissions option for freshman applicants who are certain that New York University is their first choice college and who have decided that they will attend NYU if admitted. If you apply as an Early Decision student, you must submit your application by November 1, and you will receive your admission decision in either December or January. If you apply to NYU for Early Decision consideration, you may also apply to other schools. However, if we offer you admission, you must withdraw any other applications you may have submitted to other colleges and pay a nonrefundable tuition deposit within three weeks of notification. Please note that NYU does not offer early action admission.

Possibly. The Early Decision applicant pool is considerably smaller than the regular decision applicant pool. Also, keep in mind that the number of offers of admission we can make for regular admission students is always limited by the number of spots we have available in the freshman class. Every year, we have regular decision students who have qualifications very similar to those we have admitted who are not offered admission due to space constraints. That problem doesn't occur for Early Decision students, since we do not have to cap the number of Early Decision offers of admission we can make.

Yes. The NYU application packet includes a paper "Early Decision Program Financial Aid Application". All Early Decision students who want to be considered for need-based financial aid must file this form by November 1st. Early Decision students who receive awards must confirm the information submitted on the Early Decision Program Financial Aid Application by filing the 2009-2010 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) after January 1, 2009, and before February 15, 2009. All Early Decision students are considered for merit awards whether or not they file an application for an estimated package. However, Early Decision students who do not file the Early Decision Program Financial Aid Application WILL NOT be considered for NYU need-based financial aid at a later date, even if they file the FAFSA after January 1st.

Use the same application as if you were applying for Regular Decision, but clearly identify yourself as an Early Decision applicant. Do this by checking the appropriate box under "Filing Status" and by completing the Early Decision Agreement. If you use the Common Application to apply, you should follow the instructions to indicate that you are an Early Decision applicant. All Early Decision applicants must complete the Early Decision Agreement Form.

No. NYU used to have such a program but it has been discontinued.