I just want the basic acceptance rate for theater/acting majors at these schools, since I can only find the general acceptance rates. Here’s the list, some have specified majors if there’s multiple ones. It’s okay if you don’t have them all, but as many as possible. The ones higher up on the list are a bit more important for me to know, if that matters. Here it is:
- Pace University - Acting for Film, Television, Voice-Overs, and Commercials
- UConn - Acting Major
- SUNY Purchase
- University of Hartford - Actor Training
- Rutgers (New Brunswick) - Theatre BFA
- Syracuse University
- Drew University
- Muhlenberg College
- Ithaca College
- Hofstra University
- Montclair State University, Acting BFA
At Muhlenberg, and I believe at Drew, the general acceptance rates would be the same as the theater acceptance rates - b/c those schools do not require an audition. (Though Muhlenberg offers one for scholarships etc). For the others, you need to try to find the number that audition each year, which may or may not be available. Some schools say, some don’t. Then you divide by the number the program accepts (which varies from year to year with some schools). Many auditioned BFA have acceptance rates in the single digits
SUNY Purchase gave out an info sheet at the audition that said they accept 3-4 percent. It said they seek to enroll 20 students, and may accept up to 40 to get that number. (So, doing the math, it sounds like they audition 1000, start out accepting 30, and if they don’t get their yield, then they go to the waitlist and may end up accepting up to 10 more, depending on how many students choose to enroll).
Ask each school. I tried at a fair to ask the # of acceptances, and the # of applications, so that I could get the rate, and realized pretty quickly that I was chasing my tail, because the rates are all pretty low. If one school is 3%, and another is 10%…I still had to get real that 10% was still tough. We focused on the # admitted (well, until BFA was changed to BA)
At one of the accepted students sessions, Syracuse gave us numbers for MT, but not Acting. I think they said 1200 applied, accepted around 45 to yield 25. I know the acting acceptance and yield is the same - but may have less applicants (though they redirect some MT students- so maybe the same overall applicants, not sure).
The OP asks a very valid question which boils down to: which of my schools are going to be easiest / possible for me to get into? It’s a question every prospective would love to know the answer to. But those of us have been through the process with our own kids know you can’t even guess which schools will let you in. But in the spirit of cooperation and with my tongue firmly in cheek I suggest we start ranking drama school admissions difficulty on the scale of “pretty hard” To OMG". Here’s my initial take on OP’s list… correct as you see fit.
- Pace University - Acting for Film, Television, Voice-Overs, and Commercials - very hard
- UConn - Acting Major - pretty hard
- SUNY Purchase - very hard
- University of Hartford - Actor Training - hard
- Rutgers (New Brunswick) - Theatre BFA - OMG
- Syracuse University - very hard
- Drew University - pretty hard
- Muhlenberg College - pretty hard
- Ithaca College - very hard
- Hofstra University - pretty hard
- Montclair State University, Acting BFA - hard
Hofstra isn’t hard at all; there’s no audition when you apply. You enter as a BA Theater major, which you simply declare. Then, at the end of freshman year, you have the option of auditioning for the BFA Acting, which begins sophomore year. I often recommend it as a “safety” for that reason.
Likewise, Drew is a non-auditioned BA, so again, not hard at all. It’s another “safety.”
At the SUNY Purchase audition, they handed out a FAQ sheet of info that said their acceptance rate is 3%-4%. If that’s true, I’d put it in the “OMG” category!
Okay, so adjusting the scale … from “not hard” through “OMG”…
- Pace University - Acting for Film, Television, Voice-Overs, and Commercials - very hard
- UConn - Acting Major - pretty hard
- SUNY Purchase - OMG
- University of Hartford - Actor Training - hard
- Rutgers (New Brunswick) - Theatre BFA - OMG
- Syracuse University - very hard
- Drew University - not hard
- Muhlenberg College - pretty hard
- Ithaca College - very hard
- Hofstra University - not hard
- Montclair State University, Acting BFA - hard
Except, in regard to Hofstra, if your heart is set on a BFA, you do have to eventually audition to be admitted to their BFA program, so that to do the Hofstra BFA is ‘pretty hard.’ I mean, you could do a BA at Purchase and not have to audition either, but that’s not what a kid who wants an auditioned BFA would be aiming for, right?
That being said, I love @CaMom13 's ratings system! 
I think it is fair to say that any audition BFA program that ends up on any of the many so-called “top schools for theatre majors” lists is likely to be one that is “hard” to get into. I will leave it to others to sort through where on the hard to OMG scale various schools should be placed. I can tell you this, though, that any of us who had children receive an acceptance from any of the audition-BFA schools on the list above likely said OMG at the time!
The other thing I would say is that many of the same kids apply to many of the same schools, and you only need one. And unlike a more academically-oriented admissions process, they are somewhat more like independent rolls of the dice. By this I mean that if a student is admitted at Harvard, Princeton, and Yale, I would imagine that they are likely to get admitted to Brown and Dartmouth, too. However, getting accepted or rejected at any particular tip top BFA program is more of an independent event, in my opinion. Otherwise, there would be no way to explain the fact that many students get into some schools and rejected by others in a way that appears more random than anything. Student A gets into School A, and not School B. Student B gets into School B, and not School A.
So, my advice to anyone entering this process is to cast a wide net. Work to find many schools that are a potential fit - by many I mean like 15 schools. And do your best on each application and each audition. Good luck searching for your own OMG moment!
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For the class of 2025, I did a little math after my callback for Pace Acting for Film/TV/VO/Commercial and concluded with a rough estimate of .22% acceptance of the initial pool and 6% after callbacks…
Good luck everyone!!