The full list of Academic policies can be found in the Student Handbook.

GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

MASTER OF FINE ARTS

MFA students must complete the below listed requisites prior to the date of commencement. Any student who fails to fulfill the requirements by the deadline will not graduate and will not walk in the commencement ceremony. Once all graduation requirements are fulfilled, the students will receive their diploma and officially graduate. Detailed information about Graduation Requirements can be found in the Student Handbook.

• • • Successful completion of all courses required for the declared concentration and, if applicable, track
      • MFA Drawing Curriculum
      • MFA Painting Curriculum
      • MFA Sculpture Curriculum
    • A course evaluation form for each class in which you were enrolled
    • MFA Thesis Research Paper and Thesis II Statement must be submitted by posted deadlines (see syllabus for details and deadlines)
      • Send a copy of your Thesis Paper to your Thesis Advisor (please consult with your Advisor on preferred format – hard copy, word doc, pdf, etc.), and
      • Upload a word doc or pdf of your paper and statement using the following upload link: Thesis Upload Form
      • Please see the Thesis II Statement Guide for details and resources.
    • Fall and spring MFA Thesis Critique Signature Sheet with a minimum of eight critiques per semester – each sheet must be submitted using the upload form
    • Online Exit Survey Form
    • Financial Aid Exit Counseling (required for all students receiving federal financial aid email fa@nyaa.edu to make an appointment)
    • Tuition and all other academic fees must be paid in full
    • Professional CV or resume – must be submitted using the upload form
    • Attendance at one Professional Practice Workshop

CERTIFICATE OF FINE ARTS

CFA students must complete the below listed requisites prior to the date of commencement. Any student who fails to fullfill the requirements by the deadline will not graduate and will not walk in the commencement ceremony. Once all graduation requirements are fulfilled, the students will receive their diploma and officially graduate. Detailed information about Graduation Requirements can be found in the Student Handbook.

Please use the CFA Graduation Requirements Form to submit and track.

• • • Successful completion of all courses required for the program
      • CFA Curriculum
    • A course evaluation form for each class in which you were enrolled
    • Summer Critique Signature Sheet with a minimum of four critiques
    • Artist Statement
      • Please see the CFA Artist Statement Guide for details and resources.
    • Online Exit Survey Form
    • Financial Aid Exit Counseling (required for all students receiving federal financial aid)
    • Tuition and all other academic fees must be paid in full
    • Professional CV or resume (must be emailed to the Registrar registrar@nyaa.edu)

AUDITING CLASSES

Current Academy students may audit courses in their program of study. Auditing is only permitted in classes not fully enrolled at the start of the semester on the first day of classes.

Students must attend classes regularly according to the Academy’s attendance policy and the faculty’s requirements. Students are required to participate in all in-class activities and assignments. Participation in out-of-class assignments should be discussed with the faculty. Audit courses will receive a grade of “AUD,” which confers no credit and does not affect GPA. All attempts to receive credit or a grade for an audited course will be denied.

Requests to audit classes must be approved by the Provost, Faculty Chair and Registrar.

LEAVE OF ABSENCE & WITHDRAWAL

The Academy’s policies and procedures regarding a leave of absence or withdrawal are outlined in the Student Handbook. Applications for either a leave of absence or withdrawal must be submitted to the Registrar for processing. Please download the appropriate form below for details and instructions.

Leave of Absence
A leave of absence may be granted for a period up to one year. Requests for non-medical leave (for personal or professional matters) must be submitted to the Registrar before the end of the semester preceding that of the intended leave and approved by the Faculty Committee. A formal notice of return must be received by the Registrar before the end of the semester immediately preceding the requested return to the Academy. Students on a personal leave of absence are not eligible for financial aid, including loans, and are not permitted use of Academy facilities and resources.

Students that take a leave of absence from the Academy may no longer be eligible for the full amount of Title IV funds that they have received or were scheduled to receive. Please refer to the Academy’s Federal Return of Title IV Funds Policy (R2T4) and the Withdrawal, Refund and R2T4 Policies & Procedures Section in this Handbook. Students who must interrupt study because of illness may be granted a medical leave of absence with the approval of the Faculty Committee at the written recommendation of a physician. This recommendation must be submitted to the Registrar with the request.

Students on a medical leave are not eligible for financial aid, including loans, and are not permitted use of Academy facilities and resources. Before returning, a student on medical leave must secure and submit to the Registrar written permission to return from a physician who can vouch to the student’s ability to resume studies in the Academy setting. To find the Leave of Absence Request Form follow these steps on the New York Academy of Art’s website: nyaa.edu/forms/

Leave of Absence Request Form

Withdrawal
The Academy uses the term withdraw to formally indicate that a student has dropped one or more courses within a given semester. Withdrawing from the Academy entirely is different than dropping classes. A withdrawal is completed in consultation with the Provost and the Faculty Committee. In order for a student to officially withdraw from the Academy after consultation with the Provost and the Faculty Committee, a student must submit the Academy’s Withdrawal Request Form to the Registrar. The Registrar records the exit date and reason on their academic record in the Academy’s registration software. The Registrar keeps a copy of their Withdrawal Request Form in their academic file. For students receiving financial aid, the Director of Financial Aid must review and sign either the Leave of Absence Request Form or Withdrawal Request Form. In the event that the student has loans, Director of Financial Aid reports them as a “W” in the National Student Loan System which is updated regularly.

A statement will be added to the student’s transcript indicating that they have withdrawn from the Academy. Depending on the date of withdrawal, the student may be entitled to some pro-rated refund of tuition. Students that withdraw from the Academy may no longer be eligible for the full amount of Title IV funds that they have received or were scheduled to receive. Please refer to the Academy’s Federal Return of Title IV Funds Policy (R2T4) and the Withdrawal, Refund and R2T4 Policies & Procedures Section in this Handbook. Procedures related to this policy are found below (Appendix A).
To find the Withdrawal Request Form follow these steps on the New York Academy of Art’s website: nyaa.edu/forms/

Title 34 CFR 668.22 of the Higher Education Act requires that institutions determine the amount of federal financial aid (Title IV programs) that a student earned at the time of his or her withdrawal. The Title IV programs that are covered by this law include Federal Pell Grants, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (FSEOGs), Federal Direct Stafford Loans, Federal Direct PLUS Loans and Federal Perkins Loans. When a student withdraws during the payment period or period of enrollment, the amount of Title IV program assistance that the student earned to that point (withdrawal date) is determined by a specific federal formula. If the student received less assistance than the amount that was earned, the student may be able to receive those additional funds as a post-withdrawal disbursement. If the student received more assistance than the amount that was earned, the excess funds must be returned by the school and/or the student.

Withdrawal Request Form

TRANSFER OF CREDIT

The presentation of a satisfactory transcript from a collegiate institution accredited by an agency or association recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education is not on its own sufficient for the transfer of credits into the Academy’s programs. This is due to the unique, designated sequence in which the Academy’s curriculum is structured to carry out its mission of presenting a rigorous, specific and traditional skill set in the first year of study. The Academy rarely accepts the transfer of credits from other institutions. In the rare instances when the Academy has accepted the transfer of credits from other institutions, the faculty and administration have maintained strict policies to assure that the overall educational experience of the transferring student is at least equal in quality to that of the student completing all of his or her work at the Academy. These policies include a rigorous examination of the incoming portfolio to determine the student’s potential to achieve amongst peers who entered the program through the normal admission cycle and successfully completed technical skill-based coursework, as well as developing a thorough knowledge of the program from which the transferring student wishes to leave. Transfer credit is granted for courses taken at another institution only when the coursework involved and the level of the transfer applicant’s achievement meet the published standards of the Academy, pass the rigorous examination of the Admissions Committee by a majority vote and permit the student to complete the remaining Academy curriculum successfully.

Students accepted into the Academy’s programs may request transfer credit for relevant courses completed at regionally accredited institutions. Transfer of credit is subject to the approval of the Admissions Committee. The following limitations apply:

• • A maximum of six (6) graduate-level credits may be transferred for elective credit.
  • Transfer credits cannot be used to fulfill required core curriculum.
  • The course(s) for which transfer of credit is requested must have been completed within four years prior to enrollment at the Academy.
  • Credits for courses in which the student earned a grade below B, or took a non-letter grade such as a pass/fail are not transferable.
  • Courses used to satisfy entrance requirements, as well as courses used as part of a previously completed bachelor’s program, may not be transferred.
  • Grades in courses transferred from other institutions will not be calculated into the student’s grade point average (GPA).

  Application Procedures

  • • Download and complete the Transfer of Credit Application
    • Submit the completed form along with an official copy of your college or university transcript and a syllabus for each course listed on your application to the Registrar registrar@nyaa.edu