New York University (NYU)

New York University is a private research university whose history goes back to 1831. Its main campus is spread across Manhattan and Brooklyn, and two further degree-granting campuses operate in Abu Dhabi and Shanghai. NYU is 26th in the ShanghaiRanking ARWU 2026, joint 31st in the THE World University Rankings 2026 and 58th in the QS World University Rankings 2027. Applications go through the Common App: last cycle's deadlines were 1 November and 1 January for binding Early Decision and 5 January for Regular Decision, and SAT and ACT scores remain optional through the 2027–28 application cycle. A year of undergraduate study in New York costs from $100,998 in 2026–27 including housing and food, but NYU commits to meeting the full demonstrated need of first-year students on its New York campus, and international applicants apply for aid through the CSS Profile. In fall 2024 NYU admitted 9.2% of 110,807 first-year applicants.

Who NYU suits, and who should look elsewhere

NYU suits applicants with a clear goal that matches one of its strong schools and who want to study in a big city rather than a college town. If a traditional campus matters more, compare Cornell or the University of Pennsylvania. All the city's universities are covered in our guide to universities in New York.

NYU's schools: where undergraduates apply

On the Common App you choose a campus as well as a school and programme. In 2026–27 undergraduate programmes in New York are offered by:

• College of Arts & Science: humanities, natural and social sciences, mathematics and computer science (with the Courant Institute);
• Stern School of Business: business and finance;
• Tandon School of Engineering: engineering and applied sciences, based in Brooklyn;
• Tisch School of the Arts: film, theatre, dance and media, with admission by portfolio or audition;
• Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development: education, psychology, media, music and art (audition or portfolio for music and studio art);
• Gallatin School of Individualized Study: self-designed interdisciplinary study;
• Liberal Studies, the Rory Meyers College of Nursing, the Silver School of Social Work and the School of Professional Studies.

NYU Abu Dhabi and NYU Shanghai are not satellite branches; they are full campuses awarding NYU degrees, with their own requirements and financial aid policies, and you apply to them through the same Common App.

For Stern and Tandon, NYU asks applicants to show mathematics: if you submit three AP exams instead of the SAT, one must be in mathematics, and NYU encourages higher-level mathematics in IB and A-levels.

How studies are organised

An NYU bachelor's degree takes four years and follows the American model: you choose a major within your school, can add a minor and take courses in other schools. Full-time status means at least 12 credits per semester, which matters both for keeping NYU scholarships and for F-1 status. The academic year consists of fall and spring semesters. Expect a heavy load of writing and independent reading between classes, so aim for English you can write essays in comfortably, not just a test score.

How to apply as an undergraduate

Who can apply

NYU accepts first-year applicants who, by the time they enrol, will have completed their country's pre-university education (the equivalent of US 12th grade), as well as students completing the IB Diploma, at least three A-levels, or a foundation year outside the US. NYU's International Qualifications Tool shows how a specific national qualification is treated; check it before you apply.

Application components

1. Common App with NYU's questions and the $85 fee (or a fee-waiver request).
2. School Report from your counsellor with your transcript, plus a Mid Year Report when available.
3. One recommendation, required, from a teacher, counsellor, coach, supervisor or another person in authority; up to three are accepted.
4. STARS, a self-reported academic record, which you are invited to complete after submitting.
5. Testing, optional. If you submit it, choose one type: SAT, ACT, three AP exams, IB, A-levels or a national exam. SAT and ACT scores must be no more than five years old, and NYU superscores across sittings. Predicted IB or A-level results are accepted, with final results required after admission.
6. English, if it is not your first language and your last three years of schooling were not entirely in English. NYU accepts TOEFL iBT, IELTS Academic, PTE Academic, Cambridge C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency, and Duolingo. There is no minimum, but competitive applicants have TOEFL 100+ (tests up to 20 January 2026) or 5+ overall and in every section (from 21 January 2026), IELTS 7.5+, PTE 70+, Duolingo 135+ or Cambridge 191+. Scores must be no more than two years old; MyBest TOEFL and IELTS One Skill Retake are not accepted. SAT, AP, IB and national exams in English do not waive the English test.
7. Portfolio or audition for all Tisch programmes and for Steinhardt's music and studio art programmes. NYU recommends submitting these applications a month before the deadline.

Documents not in English need an official translation, issued by a school official or by a translation agency accredited in the country of the school. Use your name exactly as it appears in your passport. NYU does not conduct admission interviews.

Early Decision or Regular Decision

NYU releases students from the Early Decision commitment if they are not admitted to their first-choice school, programme or campus, or if the aid offered does not meet enough of their need. You cannot compare aid packages from other universities under Early Decision, and NYU itself advises against applying early if finances are a concern. NYU's first-year page does not say which cycle these dates belong to, so confirm them again before you submit.

Action plan for 2026–27

1. September–October 2026. Choose campus, school and programme; check your qualification in the International Qualifications Tool; decide whether and which tests to submit.
2. By the end of October. Take the English test, secure a recommendation, and write the Common App essay and NYU's questions; prepare portfolios for Tisch and Steinhardt.
3. 1 November, 1 January or 5 January. Submit under your chosen plan. If you need aid, complete the CSS Profile in the same weeks.
4. After submitting. Complete STARS when invited and upload missing documents through the applicant portal.
5. December–April 2027. Decision under your plan; confirm your place if admitted.
6. Spring–summer 2027. Financial documents for the I-20, SEVIS fee and F-1 visa interview.

For essays and supplements, see our overview of applying to US universities; for the testing choice, see SAT or ACT.

Master's and doctoral programmes

Graduate applications go directly to the school: the Graduate School of Arts and Science, Stern (MBA and specialised master's programmes), Tandon, Steinhardt, Tisch, Wagner (public service), the School of Global Public Health, Silver, the School of Law, the Grossman medical schools and others. Each sets its own deadlines, English thresholds, GRE or GMAT policy and price; tuition depends on the programme, admit term and number of credits, and is calculated with the Bursar's Tuition and Fee Lookup Tool.

Funding works differently from undergraduate level. International applicants cannot file the FAFSA; many schools offer merit-based scholarships and usually review applicants automatically if materials arrive on time. Each school states whether a separate application is required. Doctoral funding is typically tied to the programme. See our guide to the MBA in the USA.

What NYU costs

NYU published these amounts ahead of final approval in July 2026, so the final bill may differ slightly. Health insurance is not included: students without adequate coverage are enrolled in the university plan and can waive it only with sufficient cover of their own. These figures cover two semesters; flights, summer and settling-in costs come on top. Our guide to the cost of studying in the USA shows how to plan all four years.

Financial aid: how the NYU Promise works

For first-time, first-year undergraduates admitted to the New York campus, NYU states that:

• it meets 100% of demonstrated financial need;
• families with income below $100,000 and typical assets pay no tuition;
• scholarships are adjusted each year to keep pace with tuition increases.

International and other non-US-citizen applicants apply with the CSS Profile only; they do not file the FAFSA. NYU sets scholarship amounts from CSS Profile results and may ask some families to verify their information. NYU's aid page lists CSS Profile deadlines of 10 November for Early Decision I, 10 January for Early Decision II and 1 February for Regular Decision (2025–26 cycle dates; confirm them before applying). Scholarships renew without a new application as long as the student stays full-time, with at least 12 credits a semester. Transfer students are not eligible for NYU scholarships, including the Promise.

The Common Data Set 2024–25 shows what this meant in practice: 366 international undergraduates received institutional aid, averaging $35,436 a year, which is well below the full cost. NYU's aid pages do not say whether requesting aid affects the admission of international applicants. For external funding, see our guide to financial aid for international students in the USA.

Housing

More than 11,000 NYU students live in 23 residence halls, most of them in Greenwich Village and two in Brooklyn Heights near Tandon. Every residence has private bathrooms, some have kitchens, and halls have dedicated building staff and 24-hour security. Food and housing account for $26,438 of the annual budget. Renting privately in New York is expensive and slow, with landlords asking for credit history and deposits, so a residence hall is the sensible choice for the first year. See our guide to student housing in the USA.

F-1 visa and work

After admission and the enrolment deposit, international students complete NYU's online Application for Certificate of Eligibility (AFCOE) with proof of funding, and NYU issues the I-20 on that basis. With the I-20 you pay the SEVIS fee ($350) and the visa fee ($185), then attend a consular interview; for Russian citizens that means Warsaw or Astana, as the Moscow embassy no longer handles their visas. The consular officer, not NYU, decides. See our F-1 student visa guide.

During semesters, F-1 students may work on campus for up to 20 hours a week; off-campus work in the field of study is possible through CPT, and after graduation through OPT for 12 months, with a 24-month extension for STEM fields. These earnings will not cover New York living costs. More in our guide to working while studying and OPT.

Applying to NYU from Russia and the CIS: helps and hurdles

What helps:

• testing is optional, so you do not have to plan around an SAT sitting;
• only one recommendation is required, whereas Penn asks for two and Cornell for three;
• international applicants take part in the aid programme through the CSS Profile;
• one application can cover New York, Abu Dhabi and Shanghai.

What makes it harder:

• without tests, grades, essays and English carry the whole application;
• the expected English level is high: IELTS 7.5 or Duolingo 135;
• the budget starts at $101,000 a year, and average aid to international students in 2024–25 was less than half of that;
• fees are billed in US dollars; payments from Russia must go through legal routes only, see our guide on how to pay for studies abroad from Russia;
• the CSS Profile requires collecting and translating documents on family income, which takes time.

Mistakes to avoid

• Applying Early Decision before the money question is settled. You cannot compare other offers after an early admission.
• Assuming a test-free application is weaker. NYU treats IB, A-levels, three AP exams and national exams as full alternatives.
• Expecting an exam taken in English to replace the language test. NYU states that SAT, AP, IB and national exams do not waive it.
• Filing the CSS Profile late. Aid is calculated from it, and its deadlines sit close to the application deadlines.
• Sending a Tisch portfolio on the last day. NYU recommends applying a month ahead.
• Confusing the budget with the bill. The $100,998 includes costs NYU does not charge, while insurance is a separate line.

Checklist before you apply

• Campus, school and programme chosen; portfolio or audition ready for Tisch and Steinhardt.
• Qualification checked in the International Qualifications Tool.
• Decision made on testing: SAT, ACT, AP, IB, A-levels or a national exam.
• English test taken within the last two years.
• Recommender, School Report and translations arranged.
• Family income documents gathered for the CSS Profile if you need aid.
• Early Decision chosen only if you are certain and the budget is clear.

Admission statistics

According to the Common Data Set 2024–25, NYU received 110,807 first-year applications for fall 2024 and admitted 10,232 (9.2%). Only 28% of enrolled first-years submitted the SAT; their middle 50% scored 1480–1550, and ACT submitters 34–35. These figures describe the scale of competition and cannot predict individual outcomes.

Rankings

Subject rankings and school-level information are more useful for choosing a programme: NYU's strengths differ considerably between Stern, Tisch, Courant and its other units.

FAQ

Does NYU require the SAT?

No. NYU remains test-optional through the 2027–28 cycle. If you choose to submit testing, the SAT, ACT, three AP exams, IB, A-levels or national exams are accepted, and one type is enough.

How much does a year at NYU cost?

For 2026–27 the full cost of attendance is $100,998 in most schools, $102,886 at Stern and $107,748 at Tisch, excluding health insurance.

Does NYU give financial aid to international students?

Yes. Under the NYU Promise, NYU commits to meeting 100% of demonstrated need for first-year students on the New York campus; international applicants use the CSS Profile. In 2024–25, 366 international undergraduates received institutional aid averaging $35,436.

When are NYU's deadlines?

In the 2025–26 cycle they were 1 November (Early Decision I), 1 January (Early Decision II) and 5 January (Regular Decision). Confirm the 2026–27 dates on NYU's first-year page before applying.

What English level does NYU expect?

There is no minimum, but competitive applicants have TOEFL 100+ or 5+ on the new scale, IELTS 7.5+, Duolingo 135+ or PTE 70+.

Can I apply to NYU Abu Dhabi or NYU Shanghai?

Yes. They are separate campuses awarding NYU degrees, with their own requirements and aid policies, and you select them on the same Common App.

Can StudyU help with an NYU application?

Under a service agreement we help you choose the school and programme, check requirements, plan test dates, discuss essay ideas and assemble CSS Profile and visa documents. The applicant writes the essays and submits the application; NYU decides on admission and aid, and the US consulate on the visa.

Sources

• NYU: All First-Year Applicants
• NYU: Standardized Tests
• NYU: English Language Testing
• NYU: International Applicants
• NYU: Early Decision
• NYU: Cost of Attendance 2026–27
• NYU Financial Aid: First-Year Applicants
• NYU Financial Aid: Scholarships and Grants
• NYU Financial Aid: Prospective Graduate Students
• NYU: Housing and Dining
• NYU Common Data Set 2024–25
• NYU Abu Dhabi: About
• US Embassy in Russia: Visas
• ShanghaiRanking ARWU 2026
• THE World University Rankings 2026
• QS World University Rankings 2027

All amounts are in US dollars as published by NYU; figures were checked on 24 September 2026. For other US universities, see studying in the USA. Help choosing the NYU school and application plan that fit your profile is provided under an agreement with StudyU — to start, submit an application.

During the free initial consultation, we clarify your goal, profile, timing, and budget and identify the next realistic step.