Every NYU undergraduate has a writing requirement. Students in CAS, Steinhardt, Nursing, Silver, Tandon, and the majority of students at Stern fulfill their writing requirement by taking courses in the Expository Writing Program (EWP). External Transfer students not required to take an advanced writing course (the second of two required writing courses) may apply for a waiver from the core course, EXPOS-UA 1 or EXPOS-UA 5: Writing The Essay.
Who may apply for a waiver of the Writing Requirement:
- Transfer students in the College of Arts and Science with 21 or more transfer credits.
- Transfer students in the Rory Meyers College of Nursing, Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, Tandon School of Engineering, or Tisch School of the Arts with 21 or more transfer credits AND who have satisfied or been waived their second semester writing requirement (but check with your advisor, first).
A waiver does not involve the exchange or approval of transfer credit: it provides exemption from the Writing Requirement. All applicants must provide a substantive writing portfolio as part of the application.
You can access the online waiver application here.
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.