Just wondering if anybody knows the acceptance rates for the auditioned acting programs (not musical theatre) at any of these schools: NYU Tisch, Fordham, The New School, Pace, Boston University, Emerson, SUNY Purchase, Cal Arts? Thanks!
Don’t know the exact numbers, but they’re all pretty selective – I would say SUNY Purchase is the toughest on purely artistic terms, followed by Cal Arts and NYU, NYU and Fordham are difficult academically in addition to their artistic hurdles.
They’re pretty hard! I don’t know if you’ll be able to find actual percentages, but many of them have 500-1,000+ people audition. Then again, all art is subjective so it is very probable to get accepted into a more selective school and rejected from a less selective school.
NYU if you have strong academic they field a large class. Emerson is tough. But all schools are worth trying. You just never know. Some schools that seem easy might elude you.
I went to a performing & visual arts college fair with my son (acting) about 2 weeks ago, and I did ask a number of colleges and university # applicants and # accepted, so that I could calculate a rate. My son and I are in the list building stage since he is a junior and we are just trying to understand what’s out there and determine what might be a good fit. I came away with the feeling that # accepted was an accurate figure, and that the number applying had a bit of a “marketing spin” for some schools. The variation between 2 schools was unexpected - reputation for strong program (so I would expect more applicants) and reputation for good program (I expected the same or less as strong program school, but it was 4X larger than the strong program?) I decided just to focus of the # of accepted to create my list, and wait until list smaller before we set up time to discuss acceptance rate with someone in admissions later. If they had a low number of applicants and a higher admission rate, would they actually tell us truthfully? I’m beginning to think no. Perhaps I could change my CC Profile Name to Cynical.
Many audition based programs accept 4-8%. Some a bit more. Others less. That seems to be an average based on numbers we heard, other posts here on CC and my own D’s experience
There are always those that get into the “hardest” admit school on their list, yet rejected from a much “easier” school. Don’t put too much emphasis on this except to cast a wide net with a range of schools.
@DoinResearch, I did hear from someone who works in a BFA program that there is definitely “spin” involved in the reported accepted rates. The person said some programs tweak the rates to make their program seem more competitive than they actually are. I don’t know if that’s true, of course, but I wouldn’t be surprised.
That said, the real point is that all the programs have a low acceptance rate, as @bfahopeful points out; the differences are a range between, say, 1% to 10% (as examples, not actual rates). Still, I’d assume it is statistically harder to get into the generally regarded top programs (eg CMU, Juilliard, UNCSA etc).
But regardless, what I’d concentrate on is a range of programs and types to maximize your chances, assuming that all auditioned programs are reaches. I wouldn’t worry too much about the actual rates. I’d just do my best in the auditions and let the programs take it from there. Also always be sure to include some non-auditioned schools with strong theatre programs that you’d be happy to go to.
I am reading this while sitting in my car after a tour of SUNY Purchase. We were told today that they had 800 applicants and accepted 20 so that’s 3%. Had a great tour of the theater dept today and the BFA student who spoke with us was SO impressive. My D really liked it so we decided to stay for the show tonight…which is why I’m sitting in my car!
Ah, the sitting in the car phase of theater mom-hood! I spent SO much time in the car.
My son liked Purchase when he visited it. We were told that there is about a 20% acceptance rate for the theater design tech program, which is what he is interested in. I didn’t ask about the performing arts programs. I assume that the acceptance rate is higher because there are fewer applicants. I was told they take about 30 out of 150 applicants’ it seemed low in terms of numbers of applicants…
Don’t get too scared by the acceptance rates. Many are quite low, particularly for musical theatre but also in some cases for straight acting. However, wait lists are often an option and I was surprised at how many wait listed people we knew of that got into places like Tisch. We also saw many cases where people didn’t get into Emerson but got into Tisch, etc.
And I know 3 people in the last 5 years who got into Emerson, but not Tisch- it’s impossible to predict how acceptances will shake out between schools.
Straight acting acceptance rates are also low. Tisch has a large program with many studios so their rates of acceptance may appear “better” (though may not be once you look at each studio).
Most drama schools are not like this. Most drama programs we found had around a 5-8% acceptance rate with the top tier being lower (sometimes under 1%). Many take between 8-25 kids for their ensemble. When you have 600-1000 (or more) applicants that isnt a lot.
However I do agree not to worry about the numbers. Just go and do your best.