The priority deadline to apply to the Dance program is January 5. If you are still interested in applying after this deadline, please contact John Jasperse, Director, at jjasperse@sarahlawrence.edu.
Before submitting your application you’ll need to have:
- Details of your education history, including schools and dates attended
- A copy of your transcripts
- A 1-2 page CV detailing your educational, professional and dance-related experiences
- The names and contact details of two people who can provide a letter of reference
- A personal statement
- Video samples of your creative work
- TOEFL results (for international applicants)
You can find detailed guidance on these application requirements below.
Application Requirements
Academic Qualifications
Transcripts
Official transcripts are not required in order to apply to Sarah Lawrence College. However, if an applicant is admitted and accepts the offer of admission, an official transcript from each undergraduate and graduate institution attended will be required prior to enrollment in the graduate program.
Unofficial transcripts for application purposes should be submitted to us via a scanned upload in the Academics section of the application. Official transcripts for enrollment purposes can be sent to us via your institution's electronic transcript delivery or mailed to us from each undergraduate and graduate institution. Our mailing address is as follows:
Graduate Admission
Sarah Lawrence College
1 Mead Way
Bronxville, NY, 10708
If your transcript is from a university where English is not the primary language of instruction, you must provide a translated copy of your transcript from a service such as WES or AACRAO. All grades must be converted to the US 4.0 GPA scale.
Please note: An "unofficial" transcript is a document that has been opened and examined by the student or printed from an institution's website before being submitted to Sarah Lawrence College. Any transcript that you upload to your application is considered "unofficial."
An "official" transcript is a document that has been prepared, authenticated, and sealed by the Registrar at your college or university. To be considered official, a transcript must be mailed, unopened, to our office or sent to us electronically directly from the institution.
Curriculum Vitae
Recommendations
Applicants will be asked to submit the names of two recommenders with their online application. Applicants should ask people who can give an informed opinion of intellectual ability for sustained academic effort.
If an applicant is unable to contact former teachers, we welcome letters from others, such as employers, who can make similar assessments. Preferably, one of those should be from a person in your field of interest.
Note: Please inform your recommenders that they will be receiving an e-mail from Sarah Lawrence College indicating that they have been asked to recommend you, and that the letter may be submitted electronically through a secure site.
Personal Statement
Video Work Samples
Video work samples of your creative work, as well as your work as a performer, are required with your application. Please provide samples that best represent your creative work in dance created within the last five years, as well as a sample of your work as a performer, either in your own work or the work of another artist.
Video documentation from performance or rehearsal is acceptable. If you are editing your work samples, continuous edits (i.e. moving between different points of view) are accepted, but edits to different points in time in a piece are not recommended. Please do not submit promotional reels. Each sample should be no longer than five minutes in length and no less than two minutes. If you are submitting a longer sample, please provide specific cue points for reviewers.
For each work in your work sample, you will be asked to identify:
- Title of the work
- Name of choreographer or originating artist (if not self)
- Name(s) of performers
- Location and date of performance
- Length of sample as well as length of full work
- In the case of an ensemble work in support of your work as a performer, identify yourself (i.e. I am the dancer 2nd from the left in the blue pants and red top, etc.).
TOEFL Results (for International Applicants)
Individuals whose native language is not English and who have not been educated in an English speaking environment for the past four years must submit official scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), or the Duolingo English Test with their application. Students for whom time or distance creates a hardship in supplying these results may request an extension. Please feel free to reach out to us (grad@sarahlawrence.edu) if you have questions or concerns about providing the English proficiency requirements.
Application Fee
A nonrefundable application fee of $60 must be submitted; upon completion of the application, online payment will become available.
Payments may also be made by check or money order to Sarah Lawrence College, and submitted via mail.
Please note: All materials submitted become property of Sarah Lawrence College and cannot be returned. This application and all the materials shall not be disclosed to any person not concerned with the professional development of the student.
Selection Process
After initial review of applications, a select number of candidates will be invited to campus for a visit and an interview with faculty. At that time, you will be asked to perform a live short solo of your own choreography, three to five minutes in length.
Please note that incomplete applications cannot be guaranteed to be reviewed for fall admission. Applicants should monitor the completion of their application in the application portal.
Tuition & Financial Aid
Visit the Graduate Financial Aid site for a basic outline of graduate tuition, costs, and financial aid.
For more information, please contact Graduate Admissions, or Beverly Roach-Esprit, Assistant Director of Financial Aid.