Parsons School of Design: Admission 2025, Fees,  Entrance Exam, Placements

Published by Shikha Kumari on Jun 16, 2025

Parsons/The New School is highly rated, especially for its Design and Technology program. The university has an acceptance rate of 52%. ACT and SAT scores are evaluated alongside academic rigour and extracurricular achievements. For candidates who wish to pursue design at a foreign university, this college offers one of the best options to study in New York. In this blog, we’re going to discuss its admission process, fees, entrance exams, as well as placement.

Parsons School of Design: Admission 2025

While it offers direct admission for BBA, it’s not available for international students. As a candidate, you should have 8 to 12 pieces in your portfolio, which you can submit through SlideRoom. In addition to that, just like a statement of purpose, write a personal essay of around 500 to 650 words where you talk about your background, goals, and the creative journey you wish to pursue. Make sure you have at least one letter of recommendation from a counsellor, teacher, or mentor. Also, the deadline for admission can be tracked and submitted through the admission portal itself.

Parsons School of Design Eligibility Criteria

For any undergraduate course, candidates should have completed high school (like NOMA or equivalent), along with a portfolio. In addition to that, international students are expected to have English proficiency scores of TOEFL iBT 92, IELTS 7.0, or Duolingo 115. The same applies to graduate programs, where you must have a Bachelor’s degree.

Parsons School of Design Fees

While the fees are not clearly disclosed in most places, many scholarships are provided by Parsons School of Design, which can lessen the impact of high fees, especially since it’s a college where you’ll be living in New York.

Requirements for International Students

Since you’ll be applying as an international student, you’ll need to know all the details about the eligibility criteria. As mentioned above, you must have basic English proficiency, along with 8 to 12 original works that you can submit via SlideRoom. In addition to that, you’ll also need proof of funds for the visa, and you’ll be applying for an F1 student visa after the application.

Parsons School of Design Majors

Candidates can expect undergraduate majors such as Communication Design, Fashion Design, Product Design, Interior Design, Illustration, and Fine Arts. Graduate majors include MFA, MS, or MArch programs in Interior Design (MFA), Lighting Design (MFA), Strategic Design and Management (MS), Transdisciplinary Design (MFA), Industrial Design (MFA), and Architecture (MArch).

Placements in 2025

Candidates should also consider the placement rate, since the return on investment should always be high for any college you’re applying to. While the fees for Parsons School are relatively higher than most colleges in India, the average starting salary is also much higher than the average Indian salary for design courses. Top employers include Nike, Apple, Google, Louis Vuitton, Vogue, IDEO, and more.

Parsons School of Design Ranking

Parsons is a top-tier design school with a global reputation, especially in creative industries. However, The New School’s overall academic reputation lags in general global rankings, which can be misleading if you’re only looking at numbers without context. For design, it’s an elite college. However, for traditional academia, it can be considered middle-tier globally.