The Art Students League of New York's Certificate Program is a two or four-year course of intensive study within the League’s renowned atelier system that is designed to cultivate artistic growth and tailored to meet the artist’s professional and personal goals.
In this program, students concentrate in one of the following fine arts disciplines: Painting, Printmaking, Sculpture, Drawing, Mixed Media, and Comics and Narrative Arts. Core requirements consist primarily of classwork in the student's chosen discipline, but also include secondary classwork in a different discipline. All classes offered at the League are open to Certificate Program students.
The Certificate Program is semester-based, with students allowed to begin in September or January. Students who complete the program earn a Certificate of Fine Art from the Art Students League of New York—an internationally recognized accreditation that represents the student's mastery of fine art technique in their chosen discipline.
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Click the button below to be redirected to our application on Submittable, which has more details about the application process.
To join our new Comics and Narrative Arts Certificate Program, you must apply by August 15. Our first cohort of artists is assembling—we encourage you to apply today!
The League offers a two-year and a four-year version of the Certificate Program. Regardless of the duration of their selected program, students must enroll in a minimum of 22 hours of class time per week.
International Students and Veterans who use VA Educational Benefits are only permitted to concentrate in the Four-Year Painting, Printmaking, or Sculpture Certificate Program. Concentrations in Mixed Media, Drawing, and the Two-Year Certificate Program are not approved by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) or the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP). More information about the Certificate Program for International Students and Veterans is available below.
Tuition fees for the Certificate Program are based on your primary and secondary core requirements and vary based on your class selection. Students are responsible for registering for their own classes and paying their own tuition fees at the start of each semester.
A Certificate Fee of $300 is charged for each semester of enrollment, and international students pay an additional International Student Fee of $300 per semester. Tuition does not include non-refundable school fees that the student is responsible for, such as monthly locker rental, class material fees, studio fees, and art supplies. Both tuition and fees are subject to change.
To apply for the Certificate Program, please include the following materials:
A Statement of Intent describes your reason for pursuing a Certificate of Completion with the Art Students League of New York. You are encouraged to include information about yourself, your objectives, and your interests that may not be immediately apparent from a review of your portfolio.
A portfolio of 6–10 images, submitted online (jpeg file format preferred), is the most important aspect of your application. We advise applicants to submit work that is appropriate to their chosen program.
A non-refundable application fee of $50 will be charged for each application submitted.
If you are an international student, good working knowledge of English is required to apply.
US citizens, permanent residents, and individuals in a non-immigrant category who are able to pursue a full course of study may apply to the 2-year or 4-year Certificate Program. Domestic students are eligible to apply for concentrations in Drawing, Comics and Narrative Arts, Painting, Printmaking, Mixed Media and Sculpture.
If you’re interested in attending the League as a certificate student, please make an appointment for either an in-person or remote (Zoom or phone call) meeting here.
The Art Students League of New York is approved by New York State Division of Veterans’ Affairs to accept students who wish to use their Veterans Education Benefits. To be eligible to use your VA Education Benefits, students must be accepted to the full-time Certificate Program and submit their official acceptance letter and League Student ID number to the VA.
To make an appointment for either in-person or remote (telephone or Zoom) meetings, please click here.
VA students are subject to the specific refund policies of the Department of Veterans Affairs regulation [38 CFR 21.4255].
The Art Students League of New York is authorized under Federal law to enroll nonimmigrant alien students.
International Students are permitted to concentrate only in Four-Year Painting, Printmaking, or Sculpture Certificate Programs. Concentrations in Mixed Media, Drawing, and the Two-Year Certificate Program are not approved by SEVP.
Form I-20: Certificate of Eligibility for F-1 Student Status
International students who wish to attend the Art Students League of New York must apply and be admitted to the Four-Year Certificate Program. The Form I-20 will be issued upon acceptance and satisfactory proof of financial capability by completing the I-20 Application Form.
Language Proficiency
If you are an international student, a good working knowledge of English is required. This will be determined through an interview and written correspondence. TOEFL scores are not required.
International Student Advising
The League’s Office of International Student Services provides the opportunity for prospective students to meet with the Principal Designated School Official. To make an appointment for either in-person or remote (telephone or Zoom) meetings, please click here.
The Academic Calendar is subject to change at any time by official action of The League. Please check back for additional dates and details for future semesters.
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The Art Students League Certificate Program accepts applications from interested students on an ongoing basis without a set deadline. However, students who wish to join the Certificate Program and begin classes at the start of a particular session should take note of the below timing:
Applications should be submitted by mid-August to join the Fall Session.
Applications should be submitted by mid-December to join the Spring Session.
Generally, students in the Certificate Program may choose to concentrate in one of five disciplines: Drawing, Painting, Printmaking, Sculpture, or Mixed Media. As of fall 2023, we now offer a Certificate of Fine Art in Comics and Narrative Arts. This new iteration of the program has some unique requirements for completion but can be applied to via Submittable, in the same application as the other disciplines in the program.
Additionally, your education benefits may require you to choose your discipline from a more limited list. For example, VA education benefits can only be used to fund the study of Painting, Printmaking, or Sculpture. For more information about how your unique circumstances, or how students select which discipline to concentrate in, please email Tom Tacik at tom@artstudentsleague.org.
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