General

Course Levels

The Academy is divided into three age groups by traditional school grade level. Students should select the appropriate course by referring to the grade levels below as a guide. Some courses may combine levels.

• Senior Level students in grades 10, 11, or 12 should register for senior level courses.
• Junior Level students in grades 7, 8, or 9 should register for junior level courses.
• Elementary Level students in grades 4, 5, or 6 should register for the elementary level course.

Program Schedule and Holidays

Fall classes run from September 30 - December 16 on Saturday mornings from 10am to 12:50pm. Please note: There will be no class on November 25.

Supplies

Required art supplies will vary in each class. Supply lists will be distributed on the first day of class. Below please find a list of local art supplies stores that carry required materials:
Utrecht, 111 Fourth Avenue, between 11th and 12th Streets
Pearl Paint, 308 Canal Street
The Art Store, 1-5 Bond Street between Lafayette and Broadway
New York Central Art Supply, 62 Third Avenue

Portfolio Development

College Admissions

It is recommended that twelfth graders who are seeking guidance in building a portfolio for college admission enroll in portfolio development. Tenth or eleventh graders should consider drawing, advance drawing, or painting. These courses provide a broad range of challenging assignments, critiques, and advice. Through rigorous projects in drawing and painting, students explore what constitutes portfolio quality work and how to demonstrate unique creative problem solving skills that render above average work. The Office of Admission will offer portfolio reviews and information sessions during the program. In addition, the Admissions Office offers information sessions/tours throughout the year on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at 10am and 2pm. You can contact the Office of Admissions directly to learn more about these and other events at 212.229.8989.

High School Admissions

It is recommended that junior level students seeking guidance in building a portfolio for selective high school admission enroll in drawing or painting. A high school portfolio information session will be offered for junior level students during the summer program in which the requirements for selective high schools of art and design will be outlined.

Attendance Policy

The success of Parsons Pre-College Academy is dependent on the attendance and motivation of the student body. These are short course and each student's sense of achievement will be enhanced by attendance and active participation in the program.

It is essential that students attend class. If students are going to be absent, please contact the office at academy@newschool.edu, 212.229.8925, or inform the faculty.

Classes begin promptly at 10am daily. Students are always expected to be on time for class. Student participation in class is essential. Arriving late is disruptive to the entire class.

After consultation with parents and the program director, students who miss class more than two times or fail to participate in class may be asked to leave the program.

Withdrawal and Refund Policies

Refund requests and course withdrawals must be made in writing. In order to obtain a refund of tuition and fees paid or to remove charges still due, a student must officially withdraw by written notice to The New School Registrar's Office located at 79 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10003. Refunds are prorated based on the chart below and are computed from the day the written notice is received in the Registrar's Office:

One week prior to the first class: Tuition minus 10%
After the first class: Tuition minus 20%
After the second class: Tuition minus 30%
After the third class: No refund. Withdrawals or requests for a refund may not be made by phone. Failure to attend class and/or communicate notification to the faculty member alone do not constitute official withdrawal. Failure to make or complete payment does not constitute official withdrawal.

Refund processing takes approximately four to six weeks and is returned in the original from of payment.

Free and Special Events

Open House

Join us for an information session about fall pre-college programs at Parsons on Saturday, September 16 at 11:00 am in Swayduck Auditorium, Main Lobby, 65 Fifth Avenue.

Please be aware that registration begins in August and some classes might fill up before the open house. You can always contact the Office of Pre-Enrollment Programs with questions regarding the program at 212.229.8925.

Exhibition of Student Work

Join us for an open-studio exhibition of Parsons Pre-College Academy student work on Saturday, December 16 from noon to 12:50pm at 2 West 13th Street.

Prospective students, parents, teachers, and friends are invited to attend this exhibition.

Upcoming Free and Special Events

Throughout the year, Parsons Pre-College Academy offers a series of free and special events that highlight innovative design ideas. These events are open to elementary, junior, and senior level students interested in learning more about design. Events are publicized by email. If you would like to be added to the email list, kindly send your contact information to academy@newschool.edu

Scholarships

Parsons maintains multiple long- and short- term scholarships programs for New York City public school students including:

Van Lier Scholars Program: The Van Lier Scholars Program is a three-year program for low-income New York City public school sophomores. Through this program, scholars are exposed to the rigors of studying design on the college level and career choices in the field of design; scholars develop the skills necessary to gain access to higher education in art and design. During their time at Parsons, scholars attend classes in the Summer Intensive Studies and Parsons Pre-College Academy. Additional programming and support complements their academic work.

Lawrence Scholars Program: Parsons is pleased to be a recipient of funding from the Jacob and Gwendolyn Lawrence Foundation to establish the Lawrence Scholars Program, a rigorous, year-round, sequential program that expands and enriches the studio art skills as well as the academic, professional, and social support network of a talented pool of low-income high school sophomores from the Harlem. Jacob Lawrence’s artistic development serves as an inspiring model for this program. As a young person, Lawrence absorbed the visual texture of his Harlem neighborhood through services at Abyssinian Baptist Church, classes at Utopia Children’s House and the resulting mentor-student relationship formed with Charles Alston. Encouraged to utilize the resources of New York City, Lawrence traveled to the Museum of Modern Art to see the African Negro Art exhibition and the Schomburg collection at the New York Public Library. The impact of these places and resources are evident in the themes of Lawrence’s work; the Lawrence Scholars will benefit from similar experiences and resources and the tangible influence of Lawrence’s legacy.

Portfolio Preparation Scholars Program: Through this one-year program, high school juniors with an established interest in attending a college of art and design, but lacking the requisite drawing skills to gain access are assisted in meeting their goals. Rigorous coursework in drawing and painting leads to the development of exceptional portfolios.

Through scholarships and free events, we strive to make the physical and human resources of Parsons accessible to a diverse student body. All scholarship information is distributed through a network of school and non-profit organization contacts. If your child is interested in a scholarship, please ask his/her school or non-profit for the name of their contact person. If the school does not have an established contact, please ask the school to contact the Office of Pre-Enrollment Programs at academy@newschool.edu or 212.229.8925.