School of Visual Arts

The School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York City is an established leader and innovator in the education of artists. From its inception in 1947, the faculty has consisted of professionals working in the arts and art-related fields. SVA provides an environment that nurtures creativity, inventiveness, and experimentation—enabling students to develop a strong sense of identity and a clear direction of purpose.

The four-year curriculum remains responsive to the needs and demands of the industry and is designed to allow students a greater freedom of choice in electives and requirements with each succeeding year. The first year of each program, a foundation year, ensures the mastery of basic skills in each chosen discipline as well as in writing and art history. After the first year, students focus on specific areas of concentration and, under the guidance of academic advisers and faculty members, pursue their own individual goals.

In addition, SVA’s Internship for Credit Program gives students the chance to work alongside top art directors, photographers, painters, and illustrators as well as in film and animation studios. SVA has a very high job placement rate—approximately 88 percent of SVA’s students are employed within a year of graduation.

Program Facilities

SVA provides students with studios that continually mirror the standards of the professional art world. Studio space and equipment are offered in different departments, varying in availability depending on such factors as the student’s class seniority and major of study. The SVA library’s holdings include distinctive multimedia collections, over 65,000 books, more than 260 periodicals subscriptions, and special collections of pictures, color slides, film scripts, comics, videotapes, exhibition catalogs, CD-ROMs, and recordings.

Faculty, Resident Artists, and Alumni

The School of Visual Arts is proud of its illustrious faculty of more than 700 professional artists and designers who represent an array of fields in the fine and applied arts. Each faculty member has chosen to commit to the professional art world as well as to teaching the next generation of artists. The SVA community is enthusiastic about the faculty’s ability to balance the life of a dynamic artist with the vivaciousness that only a dedicated teacher can provide to his or her students. SVA has some of the world’s greatest artists among its alumni. Many of them live and work in New York City; others can be found throughout the United States and in more than thirty countries around the world. They work at advertising agencies, television networks, publishing houses, film studios, recording companies, design firms, art galleries, and major museums. Others do freelance work or run their own start-up companies.

Exhibit Opportunities

The College operates two campus galleries as well as a Chelsea gallery space, affording SVA students the opportunity to exhibit their work twelve months a year. Students are encouraged to show their work outside of SVA by participating in exhibits and competitions held in New York City and throughout the United States.

Special Programs

SVA students have the opportunity to participate in art programs abroad during the summer semester. SVA offers Painting in Barcelona, Painting in Florence, Digital Photography in Florence, Art History in Southern France, Cinema in Italy, and the Myths and History of Ancient Greece in Greece. For more information, students should contact the Office of International Studies at 212-592-2543.

Application Procedures

Deadline--freshmen and transfers: continuous. Required: essay, high school transcript, college transcript(s) for transfer students, portfolio, SAT or ACT test scores, 2-part essay for film applicants, TOEFL score for applicants whose primary language is not English. Auditions held 1 time. Portfolio reviews held by appointment year-round on campus and off campus in various locations throughout the U.S. on National Portfolio Days; the submission of slides may be substituted for portfolios (required for transfers, scholarship applicants, and students not attending an in-person portfolio review).