Hi all, My d is applying to BFA Acting programs and a couple conservatories. She’s been acting for 10 years, has had this as her career goal for quite some time. But her academics and test scores are not strong. Her GPA is 3.0+, and her ACT score is below average. She’s applying to quite a few schools that may be an academic match, but feel many on her list will be an academic reach. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated. TIA
Point Park perhaps. Pace?
BFA programs tend to weigh the audition over the academics. Some don’t even require standardized tests be submitted (some examples of that from my kid’s list: Juilliard, SUNY Purchase, DePaul, Montclair State.) We removed schools like USC or NYU that seemed tougher to get in, tougher to be at, tougher to get money without very strong academics. But don’t be scared off automatically by a school’s general academic requirements because it varies by school whether they apply for the BFA applicants.
What are some schools you’re worried about being out of reach? If there are some where it’s clear the general admission is going to be a problem, you could maybe swap them out if you haven’t applied yet. You could also always email the admissions department or the the theater department at these schools and ask directly. I’ve had some questions for schools and found they’re fast to respond and helpful.
Some other advice is to explain if there are extenuating circumstances that contributed to less stellar academics or make the rest of the application stand out as much as you can: resume, activities, recommendations, essay, etc
SUNY Fredonia. My son (S17) isn’t an acting major, but he began as a BFA theater tech major; he is now a general theater major with a psych minor. He had no issues with academic acceptance with a 3.4 and a 27 ACT. In fact, he was admitted into the Honors Program.
Yes these comments are on point. D is doing the same (acting and MT) and I’ve been surprised by the quick acceptances and offers for honors programs, scholarships etc. She’s an above average student but not outstanding. Borderline whether she’ll get accepted to NYU academically so you get the idea.
In addition to the schools mentioned, you might look at Baldwin Wallace, Texas State, Roosevelt, SCAD (really good acting program with a professional talent agency on campus headed up by a former CBS casting director - was there this weekend - very impressive), Emerson, Boston Conservatory (actually state on website they don’t require LORs, test scores, just a transcript). It’s generally known that even Carnegie Mellon (traditionally a very tough academic admit) is pretty lax on academics for the BFA program. Auditions rule the day - as they will in their careers.
Bets of luck and break legs!
Most bfa that I have seen look at audition /performance /portfolio work first. They get it that your putting a lot of hours into your art and that takes away from your schooling.
But Muhlenberg, Knox, Illinois Wesleyan, Illinois State University, Pace, Emerson, Marymount, as a few.
Might be easier for you to list your choices /region /ability to pay and go from there.
Hartt is another that’s academically an easy admit.
But as others have said, really most of the BFA programs are easy admits for academics. They’re all about the audition. Even tippy-top programs like Carnegie Mellon and UNCSA are all about the audition and not the GPA or SAT.
There’s really only a handful of BFA programs that are tough to get into academically.
It would be easier to list the BFA schools where grades and scores actually count for admissions to any real extent: Michigan, NYU, BU, USC (I think?) and UCLA… Michigan’s academic bar is low compared with the rest of the school but it has to be met.
Everyone should take a look at West Virginia University. Their BFA Musical Theatre and BFA Acting programs are really top notch. Great faculty, supportive environment and the program’s reputation is on the rise. My daughter currently goes there and loves it. The GPA and SAT requirements are reasonable and the focus is more on the audition.
Eckerd College has a new BFA theater and BFA musical theater program. 2 yrs at Eckerd and 2 years at Circle in the Square theater school. If you attend Eckerd first, they are very generous with merit and financial aid. You would then audition for Circle in the Square and complete 2 years at the conservatory.