CAS transfer students (21 or more credits) and Nursing, Steinhardt, Tisch and Tandon transfer students (21 or more credits) who have satisfied their second semester writing requirement (check with your advisor, first), may apply to be waived from the remaining requirement, "Writing The Essay." A waiver does not involve the exchange or approval of transfer credit: waiver provides exemption from this course. All applicants must provide a substantive writing portfolio as part of the application.
You can access the online waiver application with this Transfer Exemption Form or by pasting this URL in your browser: https://nyu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5mCx8Ymsw6XzgUZ
When the university is open, you may also download the transfer application form, and drop off the package in hard copy at the EWP reception desk, 411 Lafayette Street, 4th Floor.
Fulfilling the New York University/Writing Proficiency Exam Requirement
NYU requires the Expository Writing Program (EWP) to certify that students are proficient in writing. Depending on your school, most undergraduates and transfer students at New York University must fulfill the Writing Proficiency requirement.
For first year students in the colleges of Arts and Science, Nursing, Social Work, Steinhardt, and Stern, the requirement is fulfilled by completing either Writing the Essay (EXPOS-UA 1), or International Writing Workshop I (EXPOS-UA 4), with a grade of C or better. Students with C- or lower are required to take the Writing Proficiency exam. Students in Tandon and Tisch do not have the Writing Proficiency requirement as a graduation requirement.
For students who transfer into NYU from another university:
1) Transfer students who are required to complete one semester of writing must take either Writing the Essay (EXPOS-UA 1), or International Writing Workshop I (EXPOS-UA 4). Completing either course with a C or better fulfills the Writing Proficiency Exam requirement. Students with C- or lower are required to take the Writing Proficiency exam.
2) Transfer students who are exempted or granted credit by the admissions office for the writing requirement must take the Writing Proficiency Exam.
There is no waiver or exemption from the Writing Proficiency requirement for the following schools: Arts and Science, Nursing, Social Work, Steinhardt, and Stern.
Transfer students must fulfill the Writing Proficiency requirement in their first term at NYU. Most programs will offer the Writing Proficiency Exam to new transfer students during Welcome Week. For information about exam dates and locations, please see communications from your academic advisor.
Students receive one hour to compose a brief written response (3 paragraphs) to a prompt provided at the start of the exam period. Responses should exhibit a student’s grasp of English usage and be coherent. They should also demonstrate an ability to use grammatical conventions and sentence structures in ways that would be appropriate in an academic or professional environment.
Students who fail the Writing Proficiency Exam are required to take a four-credit course, Writing Tutorial (EXPOS-UA 13), or an equivalent, recommended by the Writing Proficiency Exam team, or in consultation with an academic advisor.
If you have further questions or concerns, you may contact the EWP Writing Proficiency Team at ewp-proficiency-exam@nyu.edu.