“Private research university in New York City known for design, liberal arts, and performing arts.”
The New School is a progressive private research university in Greenwich Village, New York City, famous for bringing art, design, performing arts, social research, and public engagement together inside one institution. Founded in 1919 by a circle of intellectuals that included John Dewey, Charles Beard, and Thorstein Veblen as a refuge for free academic inquiry, it later absorbed the legendary University in Exile (1933) — a graduate school created to rescue European scholars fleeing fascism. That founding DNA still shapes the school: interdisciplinary, politically engaged, and unapologetically urban. Today The New School enrolls around 10,000 students across five divisions: Parsons School of Design (including Parsons Paris), Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts, the College of Performing Arts (which houses the Mannes School of Music, the School of Drama, and the School of Jazz and Contemporary Music), The New School for Social Research, and the Schools of Public Engagement. Parsons is the university's international flagship — routinely ranked among the top design schools in the world — and its BFAs in Fashion Design, Communication Design, Illustration, Product Design, and Design & Technology draw students from more than 100 countries. Eugene Lang College offers a seminar-style liberal arts curriculum that feels closer to a small radical college than to a big university; The New School for Social Research continues a distinguished tradition of critical theory, political philosophy, sociology, and psychology at the graduate level; and the College of Performing Arts fuses a conservatory-model approach to music, drama, and jazz with the cross-disciplinary creativity of the rest of the university. Signature buildings — the University Center on Fifth Avenue, the Parsons Kellen Archive Center, the Sheila C. Johnson Design Center — anchor the vertical, densely packed Greenwich Village campus. For international students, The New School is one of the most genuinely global institutions in American higher education: students come from 116+ countries, roughly a third of undergraduates are international, and Parsons Paris offers a full BFA pathway in France. The school is test-optional, accepts a range of English-proficiency tests (TOEFL, IELTS, Duolingo, PTE, Cambridge), and evaluates creative applicants primarily on portfolio or audition. Prospective international applicants should note, however, that most need-based financial aid is reserved for US citizens and eligible non-citizens; international students are considered for merit-based partial-tuition scholarships but should plan for substantial out-of-pocket costs in one of the most expensive cities in the world.
Visa, OPT, H-1B alumni outcomes, and acceptance rates by country — sourced from FOIA, USCIS H-1B Hub, and DHS SEVIS.
International Student Enrollment (F-1)
DHS SEVIS by the Numbers (2024)
Research Activity
Carnegie Classifications (2021)
Research classification
Carnegie
Most international university
U.S. News & World Report, 2022
Small classes
The New School
Test Free — No test scores needed — they won't be reviewed even if submitted.
Official SourceEarly Action / Early Decision
Extended deadline for fall 2026 applicants at Parsons, Eugene Lang, and School of Drama (non-binding EA for most programs, binding ED available at some).
Regular Decision
Extended regular decision for fall 2026. Parsons Paris has an earlier RD deadline of February 1. Applications after these dates are reviewed on a rolling basis.
This university does not consider SAT or ACT scores in admissions.
The deep admissions playbook beyond the headline acceptance rate — round-by-round breakdowns, nationality data, requirements, and contact paths.
Tuition & Fees (All Students)
$58,694
/yr
Beyond the sticker price — every named scholarship, the financial aid policy, need-aware notes, and a personalized net-cost estimate.
How life on campus actually feels — clubs, sports, traditions, housing realities, and how the school integrates with its city.
Includes the Mannes School of Music
4 years
The flagship Parsons program and one of the most selective fashion design programs in the world, producing alumni such as Marc Jacobs, Donna Karan, and Alexander Wang. Studio-based curriculum with direct industry access via NYC fashion week collaborations.
4 years
A hybrid studio+lab program in interactive design, generative art, games, AR/VR, and creative coding. Graduates place at Google, Apple, IDEO, Framestore, and independent studios.
4 years
Seminar-style undergraduate politics curriculum taught jointly with The New School for Social Research faculty. Heavy on critical theory, political philosophy, and practical civic engagement in NYC.
4 years
A conservatory-style jazz performance program built around private lessons with working NYC jazz professionals. One of the few BFA Jazz programs in the country and consistently ranked among the top.
Where alumni go after graduation — top industries, grad-school continuation, and the qualitative outcomes story.
Sticker price (annual, out-of-state): $58,694
Net-cost estimate is US-resident-only — international applicants are typically excluded from need-based aid at most schools and should treat the sticker price as the planning baseline.
