Columbia College Chicago BFA Audition?

Does anybody here have insight on how the BFA auditions work? I know that CCC’s BA is non-audition and BFA is audition, but there is absolutely no information about the audition process on their website that I can find! I even emailed someone on their admissions team, and all they told me was “portfolios are not required for any performing major.” Does anybody know who I need to contact to get information on this?

Writing as the parent of a very happy freshman BFA MT at CCC, I would recommend contacting one of the faculty coordinators of the musical theatre program directly. (Faculty contact info is is listed on the theatre department page). Some of the schools D applied to had people in admissions who were very knowledgable about the workings of the MT program, but CCC was not one of them.

Last year, CCC held auditions for prospective freshman for the BFA MT the weekend before Chicago Unifieds. I do know that the administrative person who set them up has moved on to another department, and I do not know if the MT program is are offering BFA auditions coordinated with Unifieds this year. D also told me there’s a rumor afoot that CCC may return to their previous system of auditioning students into the BFA MT during freshman year or as transfers. I understand that those auditions happen two or three times per year but do not know how the dates are publicized.

To give you an idea of numbers, D recalled being told CCC would accept a total of up to 22 students per BFA MT class. Her group is 12 freshman (8 boys, 4 girls), within a total of 60 current freshman MT majors; the older current BFA MT classes range from 12 to 18, and are more female heavy.

^^so there are 60 freshman BFA MT majors and they divided them into groups (your D’s group is 12?). Is that accurate?

No, sorry not to be more clear. The 60 MT freshman includes BA and BFA candidates.

I contacted CCC Admissions a month ago to ask this same question. Here is the reply I received: “All incoming students begin their studies in the BA track and after one to three semesters they may audition for the BFA track.” The admissions counselor invited me to call or email her directly if I had further questions.

It appears that they are not continuing last year’s pre-admission BFA auditions, unless this admissions counselor was mistaken, or unless they change the process in the next few months. If anyone receives information that is different from this, please post!

@elsacc, contact the theatre department directly. Sometimes the admissions department is out of sync with what’s really happening.