Visiting Students

You can apply to The New School as a visiting or exchange student.

• Visiting students are degree-seeking students at another college or university who enroll at The New School for a semester but plan to return to their home institution afterward. Visiting students are charged full New School tuition and relevant fees. Financial aid and scholarships are not available to visiting students. If you have questions about applying to and studying at The New School as a visiting or non-degree student, please email [email protected].
• Exchange students are students whose home institution has an established exchange agreement with The New School. If you are enrolled in an exchange partner school with Parsons School of Design or an exchange partner school with Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts, please contact your home institution for information on next steps and how to apply.

Undergraduate Visiting Student Application Deadlines

Fall semester, New York campus (late August to mid-December): May 15 priority deadline; application closes June 15

Fall semester, Parsons Paris campus (late August to mid-December): April 26 priority deadline

Spring semester, New York and Paris campuses (late January to mid-May): October 15 priority deadline

Non-EU citizens applying to Parsons Paris must complete their application within ten days after the priority deadline, because of French visa processing timelines. We accept applications from EU citizens after the priority deadline on a rolling basis.

Undergraduate Visiting Student Application Requirements

Submit your visiting student application. In the application, you will be prompted to upload the following:

• Statement of Purpose (500–750 words, uploaded to the online application) addressing the prompt: Please outline your reasons for applying to The New School as a visiting student. Include a thoughtful description of your background, tentative plan of study or area of inquiry in the field, and professional goals and an explanation of how the New School curriculum will help you realize those goals. Additionally, include the ways you will contribute to the program's subject matter. 
• Unofficial transcripts from all secondary and postsecondary institutions attended, to be uploaded to the online application form. The typical admitted visiting or non-degree student has earned As and Bs at their prior school or university.
• Parsons (all majors except BBA Strategic Design and Management) and Parsons Paris (studio-based coursework only): A portfolio consisting of 8 to 12 pieces of work, which may include drawings, paintings, photographs, digital media, and/or design. Submit your portfolio as a single PDF through the application form.
• Parsons and Parsons Paris: an interview scheduled by the Office of Admission after you submit your application.
• A TOEFL, IELTS, PTE, Duolingo, or Cambridge score, required for all international applicants and for students whose native language is not English. After reviewing your application, the Office of Admission may require you to submit an English language proficiency test score to allow us to evaluate your candidacy. Review the chart for minimum score requirements. The New School does not require TOEFL, IELTS, PTE, Duolingo, or Cambridge scores for applicants who have:
  • Studied in English as the primary language of instruction for all four consecutive years of high school or 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 English proficiency 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 or university or from a university where English is the primary language of instruction, with a minimum of three years' attendance (transfer students only).

Minimum Score Requirements