Applicants seeking admission to the Master of Fine Arts (MFA) program are required to have earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) or equivalent degree from an accredited college or university. A portfolio of original art and design work must also be submitted to the Fine Arts Graduate Portfolio Committee for evaluation. All portfolios must be sent on a CD or DVD and formatted to display independently on multiple platforms. For additional information, call the Department of Fine Arts at 212.261.1796 (Manhattan Campus) or 516.686.7542 (Old Westbury Campus).

The CD/DVD portfolio must include all three of the following criteria:

• An inventory of the contents of the portfolio, detailing each work with a title, brief description, measurements or time length and date of completion (collaborative work must be individually identified and credited as such)
• Contact information, including name, address, telephone number and e-mail address
• Fifteen examples of current work, including two non-digital drawings created by hand

Applicants with an undergraduate grade point average (G.P.A.) of 2.85 or higher and an acceptable portfolio will be admitted with full matriculation status. Those whose undergraduate G.P.A. falls between 2.60 and 2.84 may, at the discretion of the director, receive provisional matriculation admittance, with the opportunity to demonstrate their qualifications for full matriculation by achieving a grade point average of 3.0 or better in their first four graduate degree courses. In addition, students may be required to take one or more parts of the Graduate Record Examination.