I am going to be auditioning for BFA acting programs this upcoming fall, but I want to create a balanced list. What schools do you recommend I consider for schools that are easier to get into but still have quality programs
If they are audition programs, then there are really no “easier” schools – you may want to apply to a few non-audition programs and a few colleges that have strong theatre programs but no BFA.
If you are asking about academically easier to get into, look at programs like CalArts, but it is a super hard school to get into. They accept about 30 kids per year into the acting program. They do not really care about your academics, the audition is very important, however. Marymount Manhattan, Pace, New School all have great programs and offer good merit aid, but again it all comes down to your audition. If you go to Unifieds try to do as many walk ins as possible. Others will chime in with ideas of good places to look at.
Hofstra is a program where you enter as a BA in theatre (which you simply declare, no audition), and then at the end of freshman year, you have the option to audition for the BFA. So that’s a little easier, because at that point you’re only competing against other Hofstra students, not a national pool.
Adelphi has an acceptance rate of 25 percent, which isn’t “easy,” but more than a lot of BFA programs. Plus, they don’t go to Unifieds, so they don’t get the huge national pool of applicants that a lot of programs do.
Brooklyn College has a quality BFA program that isn’t as competitive to get into. They only have two days of auditions and don’t go to Unifieds, so again, they don’t get the huge national pool of applicants.
AMDA seems pretty easy to get into as well.
Also - Columbia College Chicago. Below is from the website.
“Columbia College Chicago offers two undergraduate degrees in Acting: the Bachelor of Arts (BA) and the Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA). All students enter Columbia as BA students. The BFA requires more classes in Theatre than the BA does; the BA offers more elective classes and more flexibility to explore a minor or a double-major than the BFA does. Eligible students can audition for the BFA program during their first or second year of enrollment. BA and BFA students have equal opportunities to audition for all productions at Columbia.”
Thank you so much!
UMBC in Maryland also offers a BFA in Acting that you audition for after your first year. Another benefit to this type of program (like Hofstra) is that some kids aren’t great yet at the one-time audition, but can show their strengths over time, and auditioning after the first year allows them to get their feet wet and show the professors what they can do.
UMBC has a smart program that offered my daughter the ability to work on two brand-new plays and help to develop the characters through the rehearsal process, which was very cool. They also have a unique way of looking at things which is great for the out-of-the-box creative types.
I think roosevelt ccpa is still easier to get into than the marquee schools, the training is very good and you’re in Chicago which is maybe the best city in America for straight theater right now. It’s not a safety, but if you’re any good, I think you could consider it a fit. It’s kind of a big program though, and I think some kids get lost. Also not cheap.
Another: Marymount Manhattan’s acting program has an acceptance rate of about 30 percent. Again, not “easy,” and they DO get a national pool of applicants, but it’s certainly better odds than the 2 percent at Juilliard or CMU!
I think the acceptance rate at Jilliard and CMU is really less than 1%.
@astute12 (or anyone else with experience at Unifieds) What is the advantage of doing walk-ins at Unifieds vs. applying to the schools and having an audition appointment? Is it just that you do not have to have the application already done (therefore perhaps a money savings)? TIA
@2artskidz - he vast majority of schools will still have you pay the application fee (sometimes then an there), so no savings. If a school is a program you are truly interested in - I would STRONGLY recommend applying and having an appt - it is the only way to guarantee an audition. Walk ins are great for “unknown gems”, (meaning you might not have heard if them before unifieds), or programs on your “maybe” list. There have been many people here who have fallen in love with and chosen a walk in school - but I bet all of them went to unifieds with scheduled auditions for other schools
Definitely have auditions scheduled at the schools that you want to apply to for sure – and do it sooner than later, the slots fill up fast. Many lesser known programs will have open spots for walk ins and they are a good way to burn off nerves and for finding financial aid. And yes, it saves you doing an application until after you get a feel for the school via the audition, and often times they will make you an offer of acceptance right in the room, which can boost confidence.
Take a check book or cash to the walk ins – they still will charge you an audition fee, regardless if you apply.
My daughter was able to do walk in auditions last February for Purchase,Drake,Montclair and Ball State… that being said we signed up early Monday morning for slots that were available… they filled up very quickly…
S17 applied to Adelphi for theater tech and we went for an audition/interview day. I was shocked to find kids from Texas, Maryland, Connecticut and other non-NY places applying. The students who were helping out at the auditions included one from Pennsylvania. There were a lot of other LI kids but there were certainly many more OOS applicants than I would have expected. I don’t know what the percent of kids from OOS who enroll is.
Wow, interesting, @techmom99! I never would have guessed that!
I thought so, too. I noticed the same thing when we went for an accepted students scholarship dinner at LIU-Post. While many of the attendees were local, the current students who were seated with us to provide information and those who were working as servers included a girl from Canada, who said she had turned down Tisch and Hartt, a boy from the Midwest somewhere and a bunch of others. S17 would have been a commuter, so we chose SUNY instead, ditto for Adelpi - we could manage the tuition but only if he lived at home and I lived at home during college and wanted him to have the chance to go away.