NYU Tisch Special Programs Drama: Production & Design Summer High School Program

Classes run Monday to Friday, with a morning studio from 10 a.m. to 12:30 or 1 p.m. and an afternoon studio from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m., which Tisch counts as 28 hours of conservatory-style coursework a week. In Tisch's sample week, mornings rotate through graphics, dramaturgy and storytelling, collaboration and creation, sound, and stage and production management, while afternoons cover scenery, costumes, lighting and sound. Friday afternoons are for field trips, and the New York Theater seminar meets late on Thursday afternoon.

Evenings aren't free. Tuesday and Thursday have open studio work time until 9 or 9:30 p.m., and Monday, Wednesday and Friday can bring an evening curricular event lasting as late as 10 p.m., which Tisch requires you to attend. Weekends also hold curricular events and project work, so expect a busy four weeks with limited downtime.

You leave with six NYU college credits, four for the Production and Design studio (THEA-UT 465) and two for the New York Theatre seminar (THEA-UT 860), each with a letter grade from A to F. Tisch says the six units count toward its own BFA in Drama, and if you later enroll at NYU they're applied to your degree automatically, with the grade counting in your GPA. Any other college decides for itself whether to accept them or let them replace a required class, so don't count on that.

The studio ends with an original theater piece you create and present using skills from every area, and the last day includes showings of work for family and friends. Staff also help you build a resume and portfolio. Grades are posted by September, but NYU doesn't send a transcript automatically, so you'll need to request one from the registrar.

You need to be at least 15 and a current high school sophomore or junior when you apply, with at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA on a 4.0 unweighted scale. Tisch gives preference to juniors, and freshmen and seniors can't apply. Homeschooled students can, with the parent in charge of their schooling emailing a record of coursework and grades in place of a school transcript.

Places are tight. Production and Design takes about 14 students, one of the smallest groups in Tisch's summer program, and the more than 800 applications Tisch receives are spread across all its tracks, so there's no published acceptance rate for this one. There's no audition or portfolio requirement, so Tisch judges you on your application, and it says the most competitive ones include every component. If you've done crew, lighting or design work, you can link photos or videos of it in your creative resume.

Tisch's listed charges for summer 2027 come to $15,963: $12,552 tuition for six credits, $1,876 for four weeks of required NYU housing, $852 for the required 10-meals-a-week plan, a $200 program fee for residential activities and a $483 drama ticket fee for the shows. You can upgrade the meal plan but can't go below 10 meals a week.

On top of that come the $75 application fee, travel to and from New York, bedding and towels, laundry (paid by card through an app) and spending money, which NYU tells families to budget for because the city is expensive. Domestic students need their own health insurance. International students pay a $115 international student fee, are enrolled in NYU health insurance unless they waive it (the 2026 rate was $392 for a month), and need an F-1 visa, whose government fees you should check separately.

Confirming a place takes a $1,500 deposit that counts toward the bill but is never refunded. If you drop no later than four days after classes start, you get the rest of your tuition and fees back, though NYU Housing may charge its own cancellation fees. Tisch has a limited number of need-based scholarships, which generally cover tuition, fees, housing and meals. Only students whose parent or guardian files US federal tax returns qualify, and the scholarship application is due 11 December 2026.

Every student lives in NYU housing in Manhattan, in a double room within a four-person suite, with a Program Assistant (an NYU college student) on each floor and professional staff running the hall. Curfew is 11 p.m. every night, students must be in their rooms for quiet hours from 1 a.m., and they hand in their NYU ID card at the front desk by curfew. Nobody leaves the hall before 7 a.m., and guests, family included, can't go past the lobby. Students can't stay away overnight or on weekends except in extenuating circumstances, and even then the request has to come from their emergency contact at least two business days ahead.

The catch for parents is that NYU has an open campus. Staff go with students on program events, but in free time students can leave on their own, so NYU asks families to agree on travel boundaries using its High School Programs Handbook. The Student Health Center handles urgent concerns but has no pediatricians, so students may be referred to outside clinics, and they must manage their own medication. Campus Safety officers are on duty around the clock, and any alcohol or drug use means immediate dismissal without a refund.

Everything goes through Tisch's SlideRoom application portal, which works best on a computer.

1. 1

   Create your SlideRoom account and enter two recommenders early, at least one of them from your high school, so they have one to two weeks to respond.

2. 2

   Upload three written responses of up to 250 words each, a creative resume and a PDF transcript covering every year of high school, plus an English test score if English isn't your first language and a passport if you aren't a US citizen.

3. 3

   Pay the $75 nonrefundable fee, or email Tisch to ask for a need-based waiver, and submit by 1 December 2026 at 11:59 p.m. ET.

4. 4

   Complete the NYU Supplemental Profile Form by the same 1 December deadline, because Tisch won't consider your application without it.

5. 5

   If you need aid, fill in the scholarship application that's emailed to you after the profile form, by 11 December 2026.

6. 6

   Watch for your decision on 28 January 2027, and if you're accepted, confirm with the $1,500 deposit by 19 February 2027 at 11:59 p.m. ET.