The New School is a private nonprofit institution offering graduate degrees based in New York, New York. It enrolls 6,563 students (a large student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Every figure on this page is reported by the federal government, not supplied by the college, so it can be compared like for like against anywhere else you are looking.
AccreditorMiddle States Commission on Higher Education
Academic CalendarSemester
How It Measures Up
These four scores answer one question: compared with similar colleges, is this one worth the money? Each runs 0 to 100 and is judged only against its peer group (4-Year Selective), so a community college is never marked down for not being Harvard. Everything is computed from federal data. Nobody can pay to move a score, and a pillar with missing data is left unscored rather than guessed.
Good
56/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Selective
Outcomes73
Value1
Affordability4
Selectivity70
Admissions & Acceptance Rate
The New School admits 63.5% of applicants, which makes it moderately selective, and realistic if you meet the academic profile.
Acceptance Rate
63.5%
Moderate
SAT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
ACT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
Test PolicyTest OptionalApplicants choose whether to submit SAT or ACT scores.
5-Year Admission Trend
Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether The New School is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.
Becoming less selective ↑
5.2 pts
since 2019
Cost & Financial Aid
Ignore the sticker price. What matters is the net price, which is what a typical family pays here after grants and scholarships come off. At $58,741 a year on average, it sits above what private nonprofit colleges charge nationally. That is a serious number, so the earnings further down matter more here than usual. Figures are College Scorecard 2023-24.
Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.
Tuition & Fees
$58,694
Room & Board (on-campus)
$25,337
Room & Board (off-campus)
$26,365
Books & Supplies
$1,446
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$2,952
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$4,957
Total Cost of Attendance
$88,284
Application fee: $50 (one-time, due at submission)
Net Price by Family Income
Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.
Under $30,000
$50,140
$30,001 – $48,000
$52,812
$48,001 – $75,000
$56,494
$75,001 – $110,000
$59,894
Over $110,000
$64,738
Debt at Graduation
Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.
$4,75010%percentile
$7,50025%percentile
$22,266Medianpercentile
$27,00075%percentile
$33,93290%percentile
Median Debt by Student Type
Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.
GroupDebtvs Median
Pell recipients $18,500
↓ $3,766
No Pell $12,988
↓ $9,278
Dependent students $15,000
↓ $7,266
Independent students $19,000
↓ $3,266
Female students $15,000
↓ $7,266
Male students $16,250
↓ $6,016
Worth knowing:
Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $8,750, less than completers ($22,266), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.
Graduation Rate & Retention
65% of students who start here finish within six years, and 83% come back after first year. Roughly half finish on that timeline, so budget for the possibility of a longer run. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Completion and earnings carry the most weight in this college's score, and how the UCD Score weighs each measure sets out exactly how they are combined.
6-Year Graduation Rate
65%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
83%
Returning for their second year
After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes
Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $52,901 a year, close to the national median. Typical for most colleges, so what you study will matter more than where. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$52,901
Earning > $25K
68%
10 yrs after entry
Earnings Growth After Graduation
Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.
Earnings by Demographic
Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.
By Gender
Female graduates
$52,900
Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Male graduates
$60,100
Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.
By Family Income at Entry
Family income (lowest third)
$52,800
Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.
Family income (middle third)
$62,300
Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.
Family income (highest third)
$51,500
Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.
The gender gap:
Male graduates earn $7,200, about 12% more than female graduates ten years out. The gap reflects industry mix, role choice, and structural pay differences that exist across most US colleges.
Loan Repayment Progression
Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.
Climbing: graduates increasingly paying down debt ↑
14.4 pts
across 6 years
What this signals:
Strong. 81% of graduates are actively reducing their debt seven years out.
Who Studies Here
Who you would actually be sitting next to: 6,563 students, a large student community.
Total Enrolled
6,563
Part-Time
6%
First-Generation
19%
Race & Ethnicity Breakdown
Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.
GroupShareStudents
International 34.3%2,252
White 30.0%1,970
Asian 12.8%843
Hispanic 11.3%740
Other 5.0%328
Black 4.6%302
Student Life & Campus Culture
Where students live, learn, and connect at The New School. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.
The New School offers
an extensive catalog of programs:
65 distinct programs across
17 majors.
Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings.
Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.
There are 9 students for every instructor here: small classes, and staff who are likely to know your name.
Student : Faculty
9:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Endowment
$590M
Solid financial position
Avg Faculty Salary
$118,192
9-month equivalent across all ranks
Faculty by Rank
410 instructional faculty across 6 ranks.
The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.
Rank
Faculty Count
Share
Avg Salary
Full Professors
101
25%
$163,119
Associate Professors
139
34%
$120,124
Assistant Professors
167
41%
$94,976
Instructors
1
0%
$47,000
Lecturers
1
0%
$68,454
No Rank
1
0%
$70,645
Pros & Cons of The New School
No college is right for everyone. Here is where The New School is likely to suit you and where it may not, based on the same figures shown above.
Very high published cost of attendance (full-pay families pay much more than the net-price average)
Predominantly serves middle- and upper-income families
Frequently Asked Questions about The New School
The questions families ask most about The New School, answered straight from the federal data rather than from the college's own marketing.
Is The New School hard to get into?
Admissions at The New School are moderately competitive. The acceptance rate is 63.5%, so most applicants who meet the academic minimums are admitted.
What is the acceptance rate at The New School?
63.5% of applicants are admitted. Most applicants who meet the basic requirements are admitted. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
How much does The New School cost?
Budget around $58,741 a year. That is the net price, what families typically pay once grants and scholarships come off, not the sticker price. Your own figure depends on household income, so treat this as a midpoint rather than a quote. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is The New School worth it?
On the numbers, yes: moderate return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $52,901 a year against a net price of $58,741, about 0.9 dollars of earnings for every dollar of annual cost. That ratio ignores whether you finish and what you study, which matter just as much. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is The New School known for?
Mostly Design, Computer Software & Media, Music. Those are the fields where it awards the most degrees, which is a better guide to where the teaching strength sits than any reputation ranking. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What do The New School graduates earn?
About $52,901 a year, measured ten years after students first enrolled. Half earn more and half earn less, and what you study moves that figure far more than where you study. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is The New School accredited?
Yes. The New School is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.
How many students attend The New School?
6,563 students. Big enough for a wide course catalogue without feeling anonymous. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What is the graduation rate at The New School?
65% finish within six years. That leaves a meaningful share who do not finish on that timeline, so budget for the possibility of a longer run. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Is The New School a public or private college?
It is Private Nonprofit. Private nonprofit, so the sticker price is higher but institutional aid is often larger too.
Where is The New School located?
The New School is located in New York, New York.
What programs does The New School offer?
65 different programs, most commonly Design, Computer Software & Media, Music. If the subject you want is not among them, check the full list before applying rather than assuming it is offered.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at The New School?
9 students per instructor. Low enough that staff are likely to know who you are. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
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