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SVA’s MFA Visual Narrative department welcomes storytellers from all disciplines interested in creating their own original content as both author and artist.
Application
Timeline
Applications Remain Open
There’s still time to apply for Summer ’24! Applications accepted on a rolling basis while space, scholarships, and housing awards remain available.
January 15, 2025: Application Deadline for a Summer 2025 Start!
Apply for first round consideration of modest Merit-Based Scholarships, Educator’s Scholarships, and a select number of Housing Grants!
Things You Can Do
Before You Begin…
Connect with current students or alumni
Join one of our info sessions and chat with MFAVN members with questions and to learn whether the program is a good match for you. Join our newsletter to be informed of upcoming info sessions and other events.
Let’s get to know each other!
Fill out our form to let us know about you, your work, and what you’re looking for in your graduate studies. If you give us your mailing address, we’ll send you a packet of department info and swag!
Schedule a portfolio review
Contact us to meet with department chair Nathan Fox for a portfolio review.
Understand financial aid, grants, and housing options
Speak with SVA’s Financial Aid staff about options.
Check out the application overview and FAQ below.
Application Requirements
At the link below, you will find the general School of Visual Arts application requirements as well as the specific MFA Visual Narrative departmental requirements.
Application Process
Part 1
SVA Graduate Admissions Portal
The SVA Graduate Admissions Portal primarily processes administrative materials such as transcripts and letters of recommendation.
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Step 1
Open an SVA Graduate Admissions Portal account so SVA’s Graduate Admissions team can support the process.
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Step 2
Follow the instructions to request transcripts.
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Step 3
Contact your recommenders to ask if they are willing to write you a letter, and then enter their contact information. Grad Admissions will then contact your recommenders and follow up with reminders.
NOTE: Complete the requirements in steps 2 and 3 as soon as you have an interest in applying, as the receipt of these can sometimes delay the admissions process.
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Step 4
Upload your resume and a statement of purpose.
Part 2
SlideRoom Portal
SlideRoom is the portal where the MFAVN Faculty Review Committee will access and evaluate your portfolio and other materials.
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Although you are free to upload and edit each item separately, we recommend fully preparing your materials before uploading anything – this can avoid errors later.
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For a full outline of submission materials and detailed instructions and links to apply, please go to the MFA Visual Narrative Department Requirements page. Read through all of the materials that you need to prepare.
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There will be a few items that are needed in both places. You’ll be able to see a checklist throughout of the status of all the required materials – please follow up as needed.
Important!
Until the “Submit” button is pressed by the applicant, SVA does not see any materials. They only see an active account. Once submitted, no further changes can be made.
Application FAQs
SVA’s Office of Financial Aid coordinates the many sources of aid to meet as much of the student’s financial needs as possible.
- Consultation with financial aid staff can be arranged at any time prior to or during the application process.
- Their site includes a listing of free scholarship search engines, including a specific one for international students.
We recommend that US citizens have the FAFSA form completed as soon as possible – this can be started before or in parallel to your application.
- Be sure to use the form for the year that you would start through the following year. For example, applicants with a start date of June 2024 would fill out the 2024-25 FAFSA form.
- Once accepted, having this already in place will speed up your process of obtaining loans and other aid, which is important with a June start date.
SVA will match any domestic outside scholarship up to $2500. The SVA Alumni Society offers a thesis grant award competition during your thesis year.
SVA matching scholarships are available to full- and part-time graduate students, based on the student‘s financial need, as determined by the completion and submission of the FAFSA form. Details here, under “Graduate.”
To learn more about what awards and grants our department offers, feel free to check out this blog post here.
All candidates are encouraged to submit applications by January 15th to be considered for first-round reviews and merit-based awards, as well as the Educator’s Scholarship. Remaining admissions and awards will continue on a rolling-deadline basis as space allows.
Tuition and fees are outlined here.
Payment plans are available.
For international students, the MFA Visual Narrative program is a perfect fit, as students are only required to be on campus in NYC for three eight-week periods during three summers. Because students are not considered “full-time” in the four six-credit fall and spring online semesters, the educational visa with SVA will not allow students to stay in the United States during those four semesters.
- Typically, students can arrive in the US 30 days prior to the summer session and must leave no later than 60 days after the end.
- Some students have enrolled in ESL studies at other institutions in NYC during the fall and spring to bridge this gap, in which case the visa gets transferred temporarily to the other school during those periods, returning to SVA for the summer sessions. Contact us for more details or to be connected with an international alumnus who can answer your questions about this option.
- Please carefully review this structure – detailed information can be found on SVA’s International Student Office page, which includes a FAQ section.
Fully half of our curriculum is devoted to developing creative writing skills, which makes it essential that students enter exhibiting a strong command of both spoken and written English. MFA Visual Narrative applicants must have a minimum score of 100 (internet-based) or 250 (computer-based) TOEFL to be considered for admission.
A working knowledge of Adobe Creative Cloud applications is highly recommended, including Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, After Effects, and Premiere. Mastery of Adobe Acrobat and word processing software such as Microsoft Word, Pages, and/or Google Docs is required. Remedial courses for those who do not have mastery of these core applications can be arranged and should not discourage candidates from applying.
All students must bring a laptop computer to the summer residency sessions.