Columbia University School of the Arts and Columbia University Student Financial Services work carefully with students to arrange the financing of their degrees. Loan packages, fellowships, scholarships and other options are available for eligible students. All financial aid applications must be received by February 15, 2013. Please see the Financing Your Degree page for information and important financial aid application procedures and deadlines.
Tuition for the 2012-13 academic year is detailed here. Please note that this information is for the current academic year, and is likely to rise each upcoming year.
While the School of the Arts does not require applicants to have an advanced degree or professional work experience, applicants who do are certainly considered positively in the review process, and such achievements may enhance candidacy for admission.
The School of the Arts receives applications from students with a wide variety of undergraduate backgrounds. Applicants do not need to have a comprehensive academic background or extensive professional experience in their field, but they must demonstrate familiarity with major issues and artists.
Due to the volume of applicants, the faculty will generally not be able to meet with prospective students. We are happy to arrange for you to speak with a current student (depending on student availability), who can give you insight into the School of the Arts program in which you're interested, campus life and living in New York City. Please email admissions-arts@columbia.edu or call 212-854-2134 to schedule an appointment.
It is not possible for prospective students to sit in on classes.
To request a print copy of one of our brochures, please fill out our Request for Information form.
Columbia University offers full campus tours daily. Please see the Visitor Information page for schedules.
School of the Arts admissions representatives are happy to meet with prospective students to discuss programs and admissions policies and procedures. Please email admissions-arts@columbia.edu or call 212-854-2134 to schedule an appointment.
Additionally, the Visual Arts Program offers tours of facilities during the academic year; please see the Visual Arts Tours page for the schedule. No other programs offer departmental tours.
All transcripts must be uploaded online through the online application system.
All letters of recommendation should be submitted electronically through the online application. Applicants register recommenders and they are automatically sent an email indicating the recommendation request and instructions necessary for its completion. They will be directed to an online form and will be given the opportunity to upload a letter. If this is impossible, a recommendation with the appropriate form sent by physical mail will be accepted. The form should be printed or scanned and given to the recommender who should attach it to his or her letter.
Please see the Apply page for all information on creative materials.
You may only enroll in one degree program at a time, even if you are accepted into more than one. The only exception to this is the joint JD/MFA Theatre Management and Producing Program.
The School of the Arts welcomes applications for the fall semester of each year only; no students are admitted for the spring semester.
Please see the Admissions and Financial Aid page for information.
Please see the Application to Two Programs section of the Application and Admissions Policies page.
All interviews are scheduled at the discretion of the committee; you will be contacted if they would like to arrange one.
Columbia University Apartment Housing consists of a limited number of apartment shares, dormitory-style rooms and a very limited number of one-bedroom, studio and family units for which priority is given to couples and families. This housing is primarily located within walking distance of the campus in the Morningside Heights neighborhood.
Applications for Columbia University Apartment Housing are made only after a student has been admitted, and are handled by the University Apartment Housing (UAH) Office. Please see the Housing page for more information.
You can check the status of your application and supporting documents, including letters of evaluation, by going to the Main page in the online application. You will be able to view all documents processed thus far. This page will be updated periodically, but will contain no information until at least 3-5 business days after submission of the application. Applications submitted near the deadline of a program may not contain status information for several days.
We do. Please see the International Students page for specific international student application policies.
No, the School of the Arts does not require applicants to take the GRE.
The School of the Arts offers MFA degrees in Film, Theatre Arts, Writing, and Visual Arts, and an MA in Film Studies. Applicants in Music or Art History should consult the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and applicants in Arts Administration should consult Teachers College.
The School of the Arts serves Columbia University undergraduates through three programs: Film Studies, Visual Arts, and Creative Writing. These programs provide students, including majors, concentrates, and non-majors, with experience as practicing artists and a solid base in history, theory, and criticism within the context of a liberal arts education. Barnard College's Drama & Theatre Arts Program also serves Columbia undergraduates.
Please see the undergraduate Film Studies, Visual Arts, Creative Writing, and Drama & Theatre Arts program pages for more information.
Other undergraduate programs in the arts at Columbia include Architecture, Dance, Jazz Studies and Music.
When reviewing applications, the Admissions Committee in each program considers an applicant's professional promise, talent, background, and depth of commitment to his or her field, in addition to the more specific criteria described in each Program's section of this site. Accordingly, the most critical part of the application is the creative materials, which allow the committees to evaluate these considerations most clearly.
All MFA degree programs at the School of the Arts require the completion of at least two years of full-time study. Visual Arts students will complete the MFA and graduate in two years. Writing, Film, and Theatre Arts Program MFA candidates who complete the required coursework but do not complete the final thesis project within the first two years maintain matriculation by registering as Research Arts Students for up to three additional years. There is a five-year limit on matriculation.
Students pursuing an MA in Film Studies are required to complete one year of full-time coursework (unless granted permission to attend part-time), plus one additional semester of extended residence.
Can I study part-time?
The MFA programs are intensive courses of study that require full-time commitments. The Film Studies MA Program has an option for part-time enrollment with prior written approval, although full-time study is encouraged.