Students currently attending Syracuse University who are interested in applying for an intra-University transfer (IUT) into the College of Visual and Performing Arts must meet the following requirements:

  • Admission is based upon the cumulative GPA and the portfolio, audition, or transfer intent questionnaire.
    1. Students interested in music education must also adhere to the School of Education requirements.
  • Adhering to the following deadlines:
    1. Entering a fall semester: May 1 for all materials
    2. Entering a spring semester: December 1 for all materials
    3. Please note: Spring applicants are not accepted for the following schools: the School of Design and the Setnor School of Music. The Department of Drama requests all interested students follows the timeline for incoming students (contact our Admissions office for more information). The Department of Film and Media Arts does not accept spring applicants for film but is willing to review applications for computer art and animation and art photography.
  • Students with a cumulative GPA below 3.0 will be considered provided a supplemental essay is completed. The essay is a 250–300-word response which explains previous challenges in prior major, what your plans for success are, and why you feel VPA is a better fit for you.
  • Fill out an Application for Undergraduate Intra-University Transfer (IUT) form, available for download on the Office of the Registrar website and return it to the VPA Office of Academic and Career Advising through email: vpaosa@syr.edu. We request that you leave the right-hand side of the form blank.

Please be mindful that we cannot guarantee that your graduation timeline will stay the same when changing into VPA. Most our degrees have a strict timeline and sequence that must be followed. In some cases, enrolling in winter and/or summer courses will not change this. This is non-negotiable as our degrees cannot be completed in less than their standard sequence.

IUT Information Sessions

More information to follow. For questions or concerns, please reach out to our office: vpaosa@syr.edu.


Additional Requirements

School of Art, School of Design, and Department of Film and Media Arts

A portfolio is required for all programs except studio arts (B.S.) and design studies (B.S.). View portfolio requirements.

Entering fall deadline: May 1
Entering spring deadline: December 1

Department of Drama

Additional requirements for specific programs are as follows:

  • Acting: prescreen, audition
  • Musical theater: audition
  • Stage management: portfolio
  • Theater design and technology: portfolio
  • B.S. in drama (theater management): essay and interview

View audition, portfolio, and interview requirements.

Setnor School of Music

An audition is required for all programs. View audition requirements.

Department of Communication and Rhetorical Studies

Please fill out the CRS questionnaire form. When you are done, please click the blue Submit button on the lower left-hand side. This will then have a copy of your questionnaire sent to the email address you selected and our office.

When filling out the questionnaire, view this as an opportunity to tell us about yourself, your goals, interests etc. Why CRS? What has inspired you? What has drawn you to the program? Use your judgement for how much to write, be careful of repeating yourself. Be clear and concise. Let your personality come through. As a rule of thumb, it is recommended you write 3-5 sentences for each of the five questions.

Students cannot have 60 or more credits completed at the time of application.

For questions about the IUT process and requirements, or how current VPA students can change their major, contact:

Office of Academic and Career Advising, Hannah Nast, 200 Crouse College, 315.443.2517