International Students

Applying to AMDA is a multi-step process. Below you will find the general list of requirements. Be sure to follow ALL steps that are applicable to your program to ensure the submission of a successful application. Please note that the requirements may vary by program. Exact Admission Requirements can be found by selecting your program on the Programs page.

1. Submit Your Application +−

   To apply, you must be at least 16 years old and/or in the final two years of high school/secondary education*.

   Apply Now

   AMDA also accepts applications from CommonApp and Royall VIP. If you have already applied through one of our partners, you do not need to apply again through our website.

   * If you are not yet 16, we would encourage you to consider attending the AMDA High School Summer Conservatory.

2. SCHEDULE Your AMDA Audition +−

   Admission and scholarship consideration to AMDA require an audition. AMDA offers a robust calendar of auditions including regional auditions, campus auditions, live-online auditions and video submissions. Scheduling your audition will prompt a phone call with one of our enrollment specialist (or another term for call center) to help you prepare for a successful audition.

   IMPORTANT: To better prepare for your AMDA audition, we strongly encourage ALL applicants to review the Audition Instructions and Tips page prior to scheduling an audition or submitting a video submission.

   Schedule Audition

   *Auditions are NOT required for the BA Theatre Arts (General) program.

3. Phone interview with Admissions +−

   This interview is an opportunity for us to get to know you, and for you to tell us about your educational background, and your interest in pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Arts at AMDA. We will be calling you, but if you would like to schedule an appointment for this interview, please email admissionsteam@amda.edu with the best day, time, and phone number to reach you.

4. SUBMIT YOUR PERSONAL ESSAY(s) +−

   AMDA would like to get to know you better. Please submit your essay(s) in response to the prompts below.

   Required for ALL programs: Describe a challenging experience in your life and what you learned from it. (500-word minimum)
   Additional Requirement for BA Programs: Share an essay that you have already written for a school assignment or a creative piece that you have written on your own. We would like to see your best work, so please share a piece that you are particularly proud of. (500-word minimum)

   Submit Your Essay

5. Submit Letter(S) of Recommendation +−

   Please request and submit letters of recommendation from teachers, school leaders, guidance counselors, coaches, or anyone familiar with your background and potential. Your recommendation letter must be written in English and signed and dated. To help with this process, please feel free to use AMDA's recommendation form by clicking the link below. Recommendation letters/forms may be submitted via email to docs@amda.edu or by mailing to the address on the form.

   Required for ALL Programs: Submit a minimum of 1 letter of recommendation.
   Additional Requirement for BA Programs: Submit a 2nd letter of recommendation.

   Recommendation Form

6. Submit Your Academic Records (Transcripts) +−

   The minimum grade point average (GPA) required for AMDA's 2-year and 4-year programs is 2.0 out of 4.0 or its equivalent on other grading systems. The following requirements are effective as of November 30, 2018.

   1. Official transcripts and academic records or certified copies of your academic records MUST be mailed to AMDA at the address below in an unopened, sealed envelope, even if you have emailed us your unofficial transcripts.
   2. Unofficial transcripts are ONLY accepted to facilitate making an expedited decision on your application. Unofficial transcripts can be emailed to docs@amda.edu.
   3. International applicants who have already graduated from high school and/or who have taken any post-secondary college-level course work must send their Academic Records (transcripts and diplomas from all educational institutions attended) with proof of graduation.
   4. International applicants who have not yet graduated from high school must submit an in-progress academic record (transcript) up to and including the most recent term or year that they have completed, along with an official letter from their high school stating the applicant's intended graduation date, and including a notarized translation if the records are not in English.
   5. If your transcripts and academic records are not in English, you must submit an official, notarized, word-for-word, literal translation for all academic records (transcripts and diplomas). Translations can be done in your home country by a bona fide translator.
   6. Final, official academic records must be received by AMDA in a sealed envelope before the start of classes-along with any translations-as noted above. Documents can be received by registered mail or by courier, to ensure there is a tracking number, sent electronically via Parchment by the school, or hand-delivered at AMDA's class registration. Official certified copies of all academic records can be submitted in lieu of original records.

   
   

   AMDA mailing and email address:
   AMDA – Records Department
   211 West 61st Street
   New York, NY 10023
   docs@amda.edu

   • If your academic transcripts follow a different grading system from the U.S. grading system, please read the following additional instructions +−

     1. Contact an approved international credential evaluation agency and request a complete evaluation for all your academic records (transcripts and diplomas) from every educational institution that you listed in your application. AMDA accepts official evaluations done by any of the following NACES-approved credential evaluation agencies: myiee.org, spantran.com, gceus.com, ierf.com, wes.org or ece.org. Students are responsible for all fees associated with NACES-approved evaluation services.
        • If you choose Spantran to do your evaluation, please use the Spantran Application For AMDA
        • If you choose IEE to do your evaluation, please use the IEE Application for AMDA
     2. You will also need to follow any specific translation instructions the agency may require on their website.
     3. Completed evaluations MUST include proof of graduation, graduation date and a calculated U.S. GPA equivalent.
     4. Once the evaluation is completed, it must be sent in an unopened, sealed envelope to the address indicated above or emailed directly by the evaluation agency to docs@amda.edu.

   • If your academic transcripts follow the U.S. grading system, please read the following additional instructions +−

     Transcripts from every educational institution that you listed in your application must be forwarded to AMDA. You can do this in either of these 2 ways:

     1. Contact your guidance counselor or your school's transcript office and have them send your transcript(s) to AMDA using the transcript request form.
     2. Request your transcripts free of charge via Parchment Service if your school is a participating member.

7. Submit Proof of English Proficiency +−

   English is the language of instruction for all AMDA programs. The better your command of English, the more likely you are to succeed. Therefore, all international students from non-English speaking countries are required to provide proof of an acceptable level of English proficiency. This can be done in one of several ways:

   1. You may provide proof of English language proficiency by passing any one of the following 11 AMDA -approved English language proficiency examinations +−

      Testing must have been completed no more than two years prior to the date of your application to AMDA. Test results must be received by AMDA directly from the testing service. Below is a list of the approved examinations and minimum scores for "Direct Admission" into AMDA's 2-year AOS or Certificate programs and 4-year degree granting programs.

      Test Name	Minimum Score
      Duolingo English Test	95
      Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) AMDA NY School Code: C064 AMDA LA School Code: 8571	70 iBT
      International English Language Testing System (IELTS)	6
      Cambridge English Language Assessment	B2
      Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic)	50
      SAT: Evidence-Based Reading and Writing	550
      ACT: English	20

   2. By successfully completing an ESL pathway program at one of our five partnering institutions or at another accredited ESL pathway program* +−

      • • American English College
        • Education First (EF)
        • ELS Educational Services
        • Kings Education
        • The University Center

      *Please note: All independent ESL pathway programs must be accredited by the Commission on English Language Accreditation (CEA) or by the American Council of Continuing Education and Training (ACCET). This does not apply to ESL programs affiliated with regionally or nationally accredited institutions of higher education.

      • If you choose to enroll into an ESL pathway programs, you should apply to both the ESL school for "Direct Admission" and to AMDA for "Conditional Admission". Conditional Admission is also known as "Conditional Acceptance". Your initial I-20 for the F-1 visa will be issued by the ESL school.
      • To obtain Conditional Acceptance at AMDA, you must complete all other components of the admissions process, except for the proof of English language proficiency. Your personal essay and audition may be submitted whenever you believe you are adequately fluent in English to prepare them competently. This will most likely be in the final months of your English language training at the ESL school.
      • To obtain Direct Acceptance at AMDA, you must submit a certificate of completion or official transcript from the ESL pathway center confirming that you have successfully completed your English language training for academic purposes. This will also allow you to obtain a new AMDA I-20 and successfully transfer your SEVIS record to AMDA for F-1 visa and U.S. immigration purposes. Once you complete this part of the process, you will be able to begin taking classes at AMDA as a full-time international student.
      • AMDA's 2-year AOS or Certificate programs require the successful completion of an "Intermediate Advanced" level of ESL training for academic purposes. AMDA's 4-year degree granting programs require the successful completion of a "High Advanced" level of ESL training for academic purposes.

   3. You may also offer proof of English language proficiency by providing any one of the following +−

      • A high school diploma from a four-year U.S. high school with a letter from the institution verifying that you graduated without ESL support. Please note, GED Diplomas are not accepted.
      • Completion of a transferable non-ESL English composition course- with a grade of "C" or better-from a regionally or nationally accredited U.S institution of higher education (a 2-year college or a 4-year college or university).
      • An official transcript from an international/non-U.S. high school, college or university which you attended for a minimum of three years. The institution must be accredited by its home country's Ministry of Education (MoE) or Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE). The transcript must also be accompanied by a letter from the institution verifying that the language of instruction was English.
      • An associate, bachelor's, master's or doctoral degree from the U.S. or overseas campus of an accredited U.S. institution of higher education.
      • A high school diploma or post secondary degree from one of the following countries:
        • Anguilla
        • Antigua & Barbuda
        • Ascension
        • Australia
        • Bahamas
        • Barbados
        • Belize
        • Bermuda
        • Bhutan
        • Botswana
        • British Virgin Islands
        • Canada (Except Quebec)
        • Cayman Islands
        • Dominica
        • England (UK)
        • Eritrea
        • Fiji
        • Gambia
        • Ghana
        • Gibraltar
        • Grenada
        • Guyana
        • Ireland (Northern) (UK)
        • Ireland (Republic of)
        • Jamaica
        • Kenya
        • Kiribati
        • Lesotho
        • Liberia
        • Malawi
        • Marshall Islands
        • Mauritius
        • Montserrat
        • Namibia
        • Nauru
        • New Zealand
        • Nigeria
        • Papua New Guinea
        • Puerto Rico (US Commonwealth)
        • Rwanda
        • Saint Helena
        • Saint Kitts & Nevis
        • Saint Lucia
        • Saint Maarten
        • Saint Vincent & The Grenadines
        • Scotland (UK)
        • Sierra Leone
        • Singapore
        • Solomon Islands
        • Swaziland
        • Tanzania
        • Tonga
        • Trinidad & Tobago
        • Turks and Caicos Islands
        • Tuvalu
        • Uganda
        • US Virgin Islands
        • Wales (UK)
        • Zimbabwe

8. SUPPLEMENTAL REQUIREMENTS FOR BA PROGRAMS +−

   
   

   Submit Two Minute Personal Video (Recommended)

   We would be delighted to hear more about you! This should be a two minute video to tell us more about yourself. We have listed four topic suggestions as examples below. Feel free to use one or more of these, or select a topic of your choice. We highly recommend taking this opportunity to tell us more about yourself!

   1. What has been one of the best experiences in your life and what made it so special and valuable?
   2. Please describe your interest in theatre.
   3. In addition to theatre, please tell us about one of your other passions.
   4. Please tell us about a meaningful experience you have had participating in your community (school, neighborhood, local organization, etc.)

   Submit Video

   Provide SAT/ACT Scores (Optional)

   Although not required for admission to AMDA, we welcome your SAT/ACT scores if you would like to share them with us. Scores may be mailed to:

   AMDA Records
   211 West 61st Street
   New York, NY 10023