Hello! I am currently in an undergraduate college that doesn’t have a very strong drama program. I want to attend Juilliard more than anything, but don’t want to transfer as I would want the full four years of training and experience. I also know I need more time with acting before applying to Juilliard. I saw that some actors and actresses who attended Juilliard already had attended a different college before going to Juilliard as an undergraduate; this includes Jessica Chastain (went to Sacramento City College and American Academy of Dramatic Arts before Juilliard) and Robin Williams (studied at Claremont Men’s College and College of Marin for three years before Julliard). I was wondering how they got into the undergraduate program for the full four years after some other college education. Could I do the same instead of attempting to transfer or go to Juilliard for graduate school?
Are graduate drama students mixed in with undergraduate drama students for the same classes and programs and degree?
Also are transfer students to complete all four years, essentially restarting college even after attending a previous college?
If you go to the Julliard website admissions page there is a place where you can send your questions directly to an admissions officer.
Some classes will get credit at Juilliard for transfers, particularly non-music ones. Often grad students are separate from undergrad but serve as a resource. I would check with admissions, as suggested above 
Thank you! Because these are more informal questions about how some people were able to attend like that, I was wondering if anyone knew from personal experience or from being familiar with Juilliard, rather than asking admissions officers.
Many universities offer no financial aid to second bachelor degree students.
Plz do not focus solely on Juilliard. They have no golden tickets to success. There are plenty of great theater/music programs. My D just worked with a grad of Juilliard. She’s slugging it out with everyone else…and doesn’t live on easy street. Its fine to try. They have a great program and great name. Still there are other reputable programs…and no matter what, you end up in the same audition line…
Thank you, but I was wondering how it would count as a second bachelor’s degree if those people already graduated from places with a focus in theater. From my understanding, I thought to get a second bachelor’s degree, it had to be in a different subject. So how did they achieve this?
I admire Juilliard for its rigorous training and resources that I believe sets it apart from other universities or colleges, especially for undergraduate. So even if I end up in the same audition line, I would be better trained and prepared having gone to Juilliard, if that was possible, than I am now.
@bridgenail is right: I think this is a lot like focusing too much on Harvard or Ivies. Focus on the best fit for you. If transferring is still possible, you can do a conservatory type program for a BFA, or a liberal arts BA, including extracurricular performance.
If you are finishing a bachelor’s and want to do theater, consider grad work rather than a second bachelor’s. I am a little confused about your post and whether it is a second bachelor’s you are contemplating. Of course there are other ways to study acting, besides academia. Do you have performances to use for applying to grad school?
Bennington, BU, Carnegie Mellon, Drew, Emerson, DePaul, Chapman, SUNY Purchase, Brandeis, Cal Arts, NYU, Ithaca, U. of NC School of the Arts, and many other state universities (UCLA, MA, MN, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio State) all have great theater/acting programs.
This is the music major forum. You might get better answers on the theater/drama forum here
@EmmaRoseSmith – since it sounds like you are asking about Julliard Drama, you may want to post this in the Theatre/Drama majors forum, if you have not already. There is a Julliard Drama graduate who posts there, I believe.
I have former students who have gone to Julliard Drama for grad school after completing an undergraduate degree in Theatre. My understanding is that undergraduates and graduate students are integrated in training, and that all are there for 4 years whether they transferred from an undergraduate program, attend the graduate program, or start as a new undergraduate who has never attended college. That being said, check over on the Theatre/Drama forum and with Julliard admissions to confirm. O may be mistaken.
I’m not quite sure why this is under the music major forum, I classified it under Juilliard and then it was moved here, this is my first post, so I’m not really sure how to change it.
I was specifically wondering what route the people I mentioned in my original post took by going to Juilliard and doing their degree that way and if there were any benefits for that path to Juilliard. I would still like to understand the practicality behind what some other actors and actresses may have done instead of transferring or going for their mfa at Juilliard.
That’s very interesting that everyone is combined for the four years despite where they may come from within the college spectrum. If a person went for their mfa would they then be treated the same as a bfa student?
If everyone is combined in how they are trained at Juilliard, then it must not matter much if it’s a bfa or mfa, right? I think it would come down to if it would be easier to be admitted as a bfa or mfa student and the financials behind both of those.
Moved to Drama Major forum.
All Juilliard acting students (first time BFA, transfer BFA, MFA) train for four years, no exceptions.
If you already have a bachelor’s degree when you apply then you will have to apply for the MFA program, that’s their policy. So essentially, you can’t choose which one you apply for, it depends on your previous academic experience. If you haven’t completed your bachelor’s degree you can transfer, but you have to stay at Juilliard for the full four years anyway.
MFA and BFA students train together in studio classes. The only classes they take separately are the BFAs liberal arts courses and the MFAs seminars.
Hope this helps!
Specifically about Chastain’s situation (just googled it lol) she didn’t graduate from Sacramento City College, just attended for a year or two. AADA doesn’t offer bachelor’s degrees, so if she graduated she received an Associate’s Degree (two-year degree) so she was eligible to get a BFA, her first bachelor’s degree.
@Rshush is correct.