School of Visual Arts, a multidisciplinary college of creative arts and design located in the bustling city of New York is home to over 7000 students representing more than 57 countries. The school is known for providing excellent resources and freedom of expression to its artists and is ranked #23 for its Fine Arts program amongst top universities in USA. SVA offers exceptional training in the field of visual arts, animations, film making, and designing through its 30 programs under 11 departments.
Check: School of Visual Arts Courses
Admissions to School of Visual Arts opens twice a year for the spring and fall intake semesters. Recognised among top institutions to study Fine Arts in USA, the school undertakes a moderately selective admissions policy with an acceptance rate of 70%. While assessing the applications, the admissions committee considers flair for art, creativity and potential as pivotal factors to get accepted in SVA.
A recent placement report suggests that 73% of SVA alumni are satisfied with their current jobs. The esteemed institution boasts of being one of the largest communities of creative professionals in the world with 38,000 talented alumni.
School of Visual Arts Rankings
- #32 QS WUR Rankings by subject in Arts and Design.
- #23 in Best Fine arts programs by US News Rankings in the US.
- #3 in Best 3D Animation schools in the world by Rookie Awards
- #4 in top Illustration Schools in US by Animation Review.
Highlights
| College Type | Private |
| Campus Setting | Sub Urban |
| Endowment | 16.1 million USD |
| Session Type | Semester Based |
| Intake Sessions | Spring/ Fall |
| Total Students | 7,000 |
| Faculty members | 1,100 |
| UG Acceptance Rate | 71.1 % |
| Tests Required | SAT/ACT/TOEFL/IELTS |
| Graduation Rate | 93.8% |
| Retention Rate | 85.8% |
| Official Website | https://sva.edu/ |
| Admission Helpline | admissions@sva.edu Tel: 212.592.2100 |
School of Visual Arts Campus & Accommodation
School of Visual Arts is located at the Prime location of New York City that is close to many monumental places providing abundance of exceptional career opportunities for creative individuals. With its safe and supportive environment and residence halls, SVA gives opportunities to its students to stay in the world's best city, New York. Education at SVA comes with full fetched resources for personal development and great campus experience. Following are the amenities and recreational places available at the College.
- School of Visual Arts is operated in a single campus divided into various buildings and floors in and around 23rd Street.
- A welcome center is available for students to deal with all Admissions related queries. SVA, for the ease of transportation, has a shuttle bus service, which stops at four places around the campus.
- College campus consists of two libraries and an archive centre. The SVA library and SVA library west has all the art, media resources and featured books, DVDs, magazine and video games respectively.
- For exhibition of the art works of students, the college has three Galleries. SVA Chelsea Library, SVA Flatiron Library and SVA Gramercy Library.
- SVA Campus Store provides the solution to all technological issues and is the one stop shop for all SVA branded merchandise.
- In the Chelsea neighborhood, SVA has its own Theatre, where presentations of all the visual artworks and entertainment industry are being done.
School of Visual Arts Accommodation
SVA has the fine and quality-wise exceptional residential halls at reasonable costs around the campus. College does not have hostels but it provides Residential Halls as accommodations that provide single and shared rooms, bathroom and common kitchen along with some basic amenities like wifi, cupboards, study tables etc. Costs for the rooms are tabulated below :
| Residential Place | Type of Room | Costs |
|---|---|---|
| 24th Street Residence | Small room, double | $18,200 |
| Double | $19,950 | |
| Single | $16,550 | |
| Gramercy Women’s Residence | Double | $18,050 |
| Shared Studio | $19,800 | |
| 23rd Street Residence | Double | $18,600 |
| Small room, Double | $16,000 | |
| Ludlow Residency | Double | $18,000 |
| Single | $19,600 |
School of Visual Arts Programs
School of Visual arts is famous for its well qualified and creative faculties of all the departments. The school has a total of 11 Departments-Advertising, Animation, Cartooning, Computer Arts, Computer Animation and Visual Effects, Design, Film, Fine Arts, Illustration, Interior Design , Photography and Video, Visual and Critical Arts.
- SVA, like all universities in the USA, provides a 4-year long undergraduate program with a wide range of opportunities and workshops in the field of art and designing. 18+ UG are offered in SVA across 11 departments.
- Graduate programs at this college provide in-depth research and understanding of art with a lot of practical work. SVA offers 20+ PG courses in different academic fields.
- The school offers several MFA, MA degrees in over 31 majors including animation, film, advertising and designing, computer arts, etc/
School of Visual Arts Application Process
Students can apply to SVA through a simple and uncomplicated procedure. After filling out the application form, University usually takes two-three weeks to respond back to the selected candidates. Following are the admission requirements, eligibility, and application details for admission at School of Visual Arts, NYC:
- Application Portal: SVA Online Portal
- Application Fee - $50 for UG, $80 for PG programs
- Application Deadline - 1 July
Application Requirements -
- Official AcademicTranscripts
- Statement of Purpose
- Copy of passport
- English Language Proficiency
- SAT/ACT scores
- Letters of Recommendation
English Language Proficiency Test
| Test Name | Minimum Score Required |
|---|---|
| IELTS | 6.5 |
| TOEFL | 80 |
| PTE Academic | 53 |
| Duolingo English Test | 115 |
Cost of Attendance
School of Visual Arts, NYC consumes a fair amount of cost of attendance. Along with Tuition fees, students are needed to take care of sufficient funds to cover study materials and living costs required to study in USA. The following figures provide an estimated amount to study at SVA:
Tuition Fees
| Degree | Top Programs | Estimate Costs per year |
|---|---|---|
| Undergraduate | Animation | $1200 |
| Cartooning | $800 | |
| Computer Arts | $1340 | |
| Illustration | $800 | |
| Photography and Video | $1465 | |
| Postgraduate | Art Education | $35,000 - $40,000 per semester |
| Art Therapy | $25,200- $26,000 per semester | |
| Design | $26,890 - $30,000 per semester | |
| Fine Arts | $25,200 - $26,000 per semester |
Cost of Living
New York City is famous for its lavish yet cultural lifestyle and great opportunities. Cost of living in New York along with studying at SVA may take a good amount of funds. Basic expenditure that students should look after before enrolling in SVA is :
| Type of Expenses | Estimated Costs |
|---|---|
| Enrollment Fees | $500 |
| Health Insurance Fees | $1,290 - $1,380 |
| Housing Placement Fees | $400 |
| Housing Costs | $16,000 - $19,950 |
| Supplies | $1,050 - $3,150 |
Scholarships and Financial Aids
There are some scholarships and financial aid that helps students to take admission in SVA. Apart from these tabulated scholarships and Aids, students can search for private student loans and external scholarships in USA to cover their tuition fees.
| Type Of Aid/Scholarship | Eligibility | Award Value |
|---|---|---|
| Silas H. Rhodes Merit Scholarships | UG students with minimum 3.0 GPA | All costs |
| National Scholastic Art Award Scholarships | Winners of scholastic art awards national competition | Varies |
| SVA Grant | Need-based | Decided by Authority |
| SVA Matching Outside Scholarships | Merit based scholarships | $2,500 Max. |
Working while study
International students are allowed to work in the USA while studying. But there are certain rules and regulations with it.
- Students who mostly hold F1 and M1 US Visas are only allowed to take on campus work. On campus work includes work performed on the college's premises and for college. Students are allowed to take optional or curriculum practical training if needed in their courses.
- Only under extreme financial crunch, F1 holders will be allowed to work along with studies but with 20 hours per week.
Alumni
According to data,73% of SVA Alumni report overall satisfaction with their current jobs. They recommend SVA to budding artists all around the world. Many famous painters, artists, directors, musicians have been part of SVA such as :
- Renee Cox, Jamaican-American artist
- John Dilworth, American Animator
- Michael Cuesta, American Director
- Keith Haring, Artist
- Nate Powell, Novelist
- John Paul Leon, American Comic book artist
Placements
Average salary of a School of Visual arts graduate is sustainable enough. Alumni and graduates of SVA highly recommend it to art students. New York City in itself is a great market hub and full of job opportunities which makes it easier for students to find work.
| Activity | Average Pay |
|---|---|
| Marketing, Product and communications | $83,000 |
| Media, communications and advertising | $68,000 |
| MA degree graduates | $60,000 |
Over the years, SVA has earned a great reputation in the institutions dedicated to Arts by standing out as a unique institute as it should be. For over 70 years, budding Artists from international communities have joined this college to boost their creativity by working around like-minded people and to accelerate their artistic career. The Institute and the city adds more than just an art degree to the experiences of its students. The exposure and opportunities at SVA are worth experiencing for every student.
FAQs
Ques. What is the application deadline for UG courses for fall session?
Ans. 1st July is the last date to apply for UG courses at SVA.
Ques. Is Portfolio Mandatory for admission in SVA?
Ans. Yes, Portfolios are an important part of the admission process. On the basis of Portfolio, College proceeds with accepting or rejecting the applications.
Ques. Is it tough to get into the School of Visual Arts, NYC?
Ans. SVA's undergraduate acceptance rate is around 70%, that indicates that it is not really tough to get into the college but more than academic scores, SVA focuses on Portfolio and creative aspects of a student. That makes it a competitive place.
Ques. How long does it take my Admission to process at SVA?
Ans. Usually, it takes 3 or more weeks to process; portfolios, LORs, application takes significant amount of time to get processed.
Ques. Has admission in PG programs tough selection?
Ans. SVA demands its students to be more responsible and has tough selection procedures. They have less acceptance rate in PG Admissions than that of UG.
Ques. What does the School of visual arts specialize in?
Ans. SVA, as it is evident from its name, specializes in Fine Arts, Technical Arts, Visual Arts, Filmmaking and art research based programmes. Many graduates of SVA are working in art and entertainment industry.
Ques. Is accommodation available off-campus at SVA?
Ans. No, SVA students are supposed to stay around the campus only. Students may request to not stay at Residential Halls.
