Since 1919, The New School has been a center for discussion and instruction for focused and experienced learners. It began offering a bachelor’s degree program for returning veterans and other adults in the 1940s and continues this rich tradition today. Today The New School’s program for adult learners is housed at Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts, where students benefit from the resources of a university that includes a celebrated art and design school—Parsons School of Design—performing arts colleges, and The New School for Social Research. Here, a community connects prior experience to learning across disciplines and finds support to lead in collaboration, innovation, and cultural expression.
Whatever path you’ve taken to college, The New School values your prior experience and gives you the freedom to design a degree that matches your goals. We welcome you and invite you to work with us to tailor your studies, access the resources of a university in the heart of New York City, and receive support and guidance from a faculty advisor every step of the way. Your advisor works with you throughout your studies to map out a purposeful, manageable, and affordable plan for finishing your degree and pursuing your professional goals.
“ Because The New School accepted my time at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA) as half of your undergraduate program, I entered with a huge number of transferable credits.” — Ariel Seidman-Wright, BFA Musical Theatre Ariel Seidman-Wright earned her bachelor’s at The New School while working as a performer, educator, and choreographer. She is an AMDA faculty member in New York City, where she teaches a range of dance styles and professional development skills.
The pathway to a degree that fits into your busy schedule: • Transfer up to 70 percent of your degree requirements (up to 84 credits) from prior college coursework or other college-level learning. • Take advantage of our Credit for Prior Learning program and earn up to 30 credits for the college-level learning you’ve gained through your professional, military, creative, and life experience and knowledge of foreign languages. • Study part-time or full-time, in the daytime or evenings, with the option of completing your degree partially or entirely online. • Design your own course of study through our Individualized Studies major (formerly called Liberal Arts) by selecting from more than 25 subject areas, or choose one of our other five majors: Creative Writing, Management, Media Studies, Psychology, or Musical Theatre. • Collaborate with your core faculty advisor to achieve your academic and career goals, from the first day of classes through graduation and beyond. • Expand your work experience in a credit-based internship. • Start a master’s while completing your bachelor’s degree by enrolling in a BA/MA program and save both time and money (apply up to 18 credits to both degrees).
“ The life experience I brought to The New School improved my education— and I think it added to the classroom. The program made me a better student, a better researcher, and a better writer.” — Ted Kerr, BA Individualized Studies Ted Kerr, a writer, artist, and activist from Canada, was a student in the Riggio Honors Program: Writing & Democracy. His internship at Visual AIDS in New York City led to a full-time position there.
Majors You can choose to design your degree program through the Liberal Arts major (BA or BS) or choose another from the complete list shown below. Whatever degree path you choose, you can incorporate your unique experiences, skills, and goals into your studies. Creative Writing BA Individualized Studies¹ BA, BS (self-designed) Management, Leadership, and Entrepreneurship² BA, BS Media Studies² BA, BS Musical Theatre BFA (AMDA Integrated graduates only) Psychology BA
FInancial Aid Your prior experience can make your path to graduation faster and more affordable. Financial assistance—including an Adult Completion Tuition Scholarship for all new students—is available in a variety of forms for full-time, part-time, online, and international students in the Bachelor’s Program for Adults and Transfer Students. Take the next step at newschool.edu/bachelors-program.
100% of Adult Bachelor’s Program students received institutional financial aid³
1 2 3
This course of study, formerly called Liberal Arts, can be completed on campus or online.
This course of study can be completed on campus or online. 2024 data.
Successful Futures Graduates of the Adult Bachelor’s program come to The New School with backgrounds as artists and activists, writers and media makers, parents and military veterans, career starters and experienced professionals. In classes— both on campus in New York City and online—you form your own network to support your success in pursuing work or advanced study. To learn more about our community, visit newschool.edu/bachelors-program/community.
91%
of graduates employed or pursuing further education within 12 months of graduation³
“ I struck up a conversation with a Parsons student, and we talked for an hour about drawing, design, and innovation. Where else could a liberal arts student have the chance to easily collaborate with a design student? These connections don’t happen anywhere else.” — David Brown, BA Individualized Studies Lifelong New Yorker and avid learner David Brown served in the military and has worked in fields ranging from commercial real estate to textile sales.
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Class of 2019 data.
WE ARE THE NEW SCHOOL Since its founding in 1919, The New School has been a center of independent thought and action, a community applying integrative approaches to global problems and leading the systemic change needed to make the world more equitable, more sustainable, and better designed. Today our university is made up of colleges offering courses in art, design, media, and performing arts and in the liberal arts and social sciences.
Get in touch and take the next step Contact our team, learn about admission requirements, attend an admission event, or make an appointment. 212.229.5150 x2 or 800.292.3040 x2 finish@newschool.edu To apply, visit newschool.edu/bachelors-program/admission.
For important information including accreditation, student rights, campus safety statistics, and tuition and fees, visit newschool.edu/your-right-to-know. Published 2026 by The New School. The New School is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer. Photo credits: Douglas Adesko, Spencer Kohn, The New School, Jacob Arthur Pritchard, Michael Kirby Smith. This brochure is printed on 30 percent postconsumer recycled paper with UV inks that conserve energy and material and do not release VOCs into the atmosphere—reflecting the university’s embrace of environmental responsibility.