New York Film Academy is a film and visual arts school founded in 1992 with campuses in several cities and online.
New York Film Academy, commonly known as NYFA, was founded in 1992 by Jerry Sherlock, executive producer of The Hunt for Red October (1990). It was established as an alternative to traditional university-based film schools, to provide accessibility to education in the art of filmmaking. Its mission is to propagate visual literacy and visual storytelling through hands-on intensive learning.
NYFA opened in New York City's Tribeca Film Center in 1992 and moved to the Tammany Hall Building in Union Square in 1994. In 2014, it relocated to Battery Park, overlooking Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. The National Association of Schools of Art and Design accredited NYFA and its programs, including the Master of Fine Arts in Filmmaking, in 2006. NYFA received WASC Accreditation in 2019.
NYFA offers Bachelor of Fine Arts, Master of Fine Arts, Master of Science, Master of Arts, and Associate of Fine Arts degree programs. Its programs follow a learn-by-doing philosophy applied to all areas of study. Students spend a majority of their time creating projects, learning how to navigate the creative process from start to finish. NYFA has five Institutional Learning Outcomes that it expects all students to achieve.
NYFA has campuses in New York City, Los Angeles, Florence (Italy), Beijing (China), NYFA Kazakhstan, and Online. Its campuses are modern spaces with state-of-the-art, purpose-built classrooms, editing rooms, and shooting spaces, with theatres at the New York City and Los Angeles campuses. Facilities listed include a community kitchen, a student residence in Brooklyn Heights, NYC, and a dormitory-type student housing facility in Florence.
NYFA offers rolling admissions for undergraduate and graduate programs. Routes include the International Pathways Program, a standard online application via the Applicant Portal for degree programs, a veteran, active-duty service member, or military dependent application, and an international student application for F-1 visa holders.