New York University, usually just called NYU, is a private school in New York City. When we say “in New York City,” we really mean IN it. Located in downtown Manhattan, NYU doesn’t have a traditional campus. Some students love this, and some hate it, but if you are looking for a college with an urban campus, you should definitely look into NYU.

NYU offers many options, including 10 undergraduate schools, including the College of Arts & Science, Gallatin School, Steinhardt School, Stern School of Business, Tandon School of Engineering, and Tisch School of the Arts. There are also global campuses in Abu Dhabi and Shanghai. Plus, “academic learning centers” in Accra, Berlin, Buenos Aires, Florence, London, Los Angeles, Madrid, Paris, Prague, Sydney, Tel Aviv, and Washington, D.C.

Whether you are trying to live your Blair Waldorf fantasy, be the next Ayo Edebiri at Tisch, or throw yourself into world-class research, NYU is a great choice. However, it isn’t easy to get into NYU. Last year, they had around a 12.4% acceptance rate, meaning if you hope to get into NYU, you need to be a great candidate. To help you out, we wanted to break down what that means and what you need to do to get into NYU.

What is NYU looking for?

NYU looks at a range of factors when assessing applications. They break down these factors as part of an annual document called the Common Data Set.

Pay extra attention to the factors marked “very important” and “important.” You need to go hard in these categories.

Rigor, GPA, and Class Rank

The first thing you need to do academically is make sure you are eligible. NYU has both required and recommended units. Ideally, you are completing both, but make sure you at least finish the necessary requirements.

However, you have to do more than just complete the recommended classes. You should challenge yourself by taking as many courses as you can at a high level. This could mean IB, AP, Honors, Dual Enrollment, etc., depending on what your high school offers. This is what they mean by “rigor.” They want to see you taking whatever “hard classes” are available while maintaining a great GPA. Most students submitted over a 3.8.

With GPA, a rule of thumb is that the higher the GPA, the better; however, at NYU, their score range isn’t as top-loaded as other elite schools. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be gunning for that 4.0, but it means you can take on a little more risk. Take the extra AP or the interesting but rigorous class that you might get an A minus instead of an A…. but like you will still need good grades.

Finally, they also look at class rank. They don’t publish these numbers, but if your high school ranks, you should be at least in the top 25% if you are serious about NYU. Even if your school doesn’t rank, NYU wants top students. You should have an academic transcript that is giving top of the class.

Test Scores

Okay, so NYU is currently test-optional. However, they highly recommend sending test scores. That being said, only around 37% of matriculated students sent scores last year. So, while they recommend them and classify them as important, they aren’t exactly essential. We still recommend trying to send test scores, especially if you can get your scores into their “middle 50% range” or over, aka:

These are high. But they should be what you are trying for. Honestly, because so many students don’t send test scores, good scores will really help you stand out.

Talent/Ability

There is no section of the Common App called “talent/ability.” Instead, this usually comes through in things like recommendations and extracurriculars.

When it comes to extracurriculars, you want to get involved with your passions as fully as you can. No one is going to be impressed with a one-hour-a-week commitment. Push yourself to see how far you can go. Repeat after us: commitment and leadership. You want to show them both in the roles and responsibilities you take on outside of class.

On top of that, some of what you do outside of school should connect to what you hope to study at NYU, ESPECIALLY if you are applying to a specialized school (but honestly, even if you are going down the liberal arts track, you should do this.)

For example, if you want to go to Tisch for Cinema, your resume could include screening a student film at a local festival, a summer documentary film class, organizing film screenings at your community center, an internship at a media company and/or being the film reviewer for your high school newspaper on top of your filmmaking hobby and practice. You want to show commitment and intellectual curiosity outside of class. That being said, not all of your passions need to connect. Maybe you love making pottery, playing volleyball, being the president of debate society, or running a beach clean-up. Follow whatever makes you excited to get involved and show off those talents. And if those interests include work experience and/or volunteering, we love to see it.

As a final hint, here’s what NYU said about activities in a blog, “ You Have All Your Activities, What’s Next? Presenting your activities on your application in the right way is super important. Using professional language and key terms instead of simply describing what you’re doing will help capture the attention of the reader. Connect your activities to long-term growth to show how you can take part in them at college. Provide supporting evidence like pictures or references. Or quantify the impact of your activities. For example, if you helped out at a soup kitchen, tell the admissions committee how many people you served. This helps showcase your dedication, effectiveness, and ability to make a tangible difference.”

Essays, Essays, Essays

First things first, you want to crush the Common App essay. This essay is a great opportunity to stand out, show off your creativity, and let the admissions committee know a little more about you. If you don’t know where to start with the Common App essay, we have a ton of blogs on it and think this one is a great primer. But if that’s all a little TLDR, great Common App essays do a few things:

Tell a good story.
Showcase a couple of positive personal qualities/characteristics.
Do the above in a creative and well-written way.

It seems deceptively simple, but it is a lot to do in 650 words. If you are nervous, reach out. We love to help students write NYU-level Common App essays.

On top of the Common App essay, NYU also has a supplement. We have a whole blog on it, but again, if that’s too long, NYU’s supplement is technically optional… but like no, it’s not. Write the supplement. They also let you choose between a bunch of questions, but all of them more or less boil down to telling a good story about getting involved in your community and or learning from that community. This can be any community you are a part of. It also has a pretty short word count, so it is essential to streamline and edit.

NYU is looking for motivated and inspiring students, and it is your job to ensure that your application delivers exactly that. You want your application to scream, “I am a top student, and I will thrive at NYU.” It can be a lot to ask for, but if you are feeling lost, we can help! Having an expert in your corner can make all the difference.

Need help applying? We have you covered. Reach out here.