New York University Graduate School of Arts and Science (PhD)
1 required essay, 1 optional for the 2026-27 cycle.
Essays
Statement of purpose · no more than two double-spaced pages · required
In a concisely written statement, please describe your past and present work as it relates to your intended field of study, your educational objectives, and your career goals. In addition, please include your intellectual and professional reasons for choosing your field of study and why your studies/research can best be done at the Graduate School of Arts and Science at NYU.
Other essay · no more than two double-spaced pages · optional
Personal History Statement: The purpose of this optional essay is to get to know you as an individual and as a potential graduate student. Please describe how your personal background has motivated you to pursue a graduate degree. Please note that the Personal History Statement is not meant to be a general autobiography.
The first prompt is the All Other Programs default; NYU prints a separate prompt for many departments on the same page, and several are shorter than the default (English no more than 1,200 words, Anthropology no more than 1,500, East Asian Studies 1,200 for the PhD and 1,000 for the MA). Chemistry asks applicants not to submit a statement of academic purpose at all. NYU also warns that no updates or revisions are accepted after submission. No deadline dates on this page.
Checked against gsas.nyu.edu/admissions/arc/statements.html on September 11, 2026. Programs change their prompts between cycles; confirm on the program’s own page before you submit.
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Common questions
- How many essays does New York University Graduate School of Arts and Science (PhD) require for 2026-27?
- 1 required and 1 optional, 2 in total. Every prompt is listed on this page word for word, with the length each one states.
- How long should the NYU GSAS statement of purpose be?
- No more than two double-spaced pages. That is the length the program states on its own page, which this record was read from on September 11, 2026.