<p>Theatre Communications Group and American Theatre Magazine just published an in-depth piece on artists and their student loan debt. <a href="http://www.tcg.org/publications/at/issue/featuredstory.cfm?story=7&indexID=45">http://www.tcg.org/publications/at/issue/featuredstory.cfm?story=7&indexID=45</a></p>
<p>The comments also bring up some important questions.</p>
<p>What an interesting article…We are very fortunate and will come out debt free, but I can see how things can be very tough once these kids graduate. </p>
<p>Student loans, any loans can be a travesty for those who are having difficulties repaying them. I have no idea what the solutions can be. It does not have to be for the theatre or the arts either. My close friend is in dire straits from cosigning loans that she and her DD cannot repay. Her circumstances changed drastically since she signed for those loans, She’s now divorced, her business has failed, her health is not so good. And the interest keeps on churning. </p>
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<p>Sadly, a lot of grads are in the same boat. No one should be taking on that kind of debt, with the possible exception of med students. </p>
<p>Agreed on all points. I just don’t want to envision a time when training in the arts at our nation’s finest college universities and conservatories (and I’ll lump in music, dance and studio art here too) is only available to the wealthy and privileged. I think there are many forces at work here and I’m happy that this prestigious publication is taking a hard look at it. I hope it’s just the beginning of a reimagining of the collegiate arts world – private and public. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to see more grants and scholarships available to students of the arts, perhaps as a way to foster communities of artists in parts of our country where the arts don’t currently thrive. (Performing Arts for America?) We need to engender a passion for the arts in a new way – and I think some the new emphasis on STEAM instead of just STEM is a start. Meanwhile, I did find the comments at the bottom of the article interesting as well. All fodder for thought for us and for our kids.</p>
<p>Just read it. Wow. . .</p>
<p>Removed by me, b/c of duplicate post with theatremomma below :)</p>
<p>Here’s another interesting article from the Huffington Post <a href=“Paying for a Performing Arts College Education | HuffPost College”>HuffPost - Breaking News, U.S. and World News | HuffPost;
<p>Great minds @theatremomma – we must be thinking about this topic at the same time. It’s important for all theatre kid families. :)</p>
<p>Well, Pace and Texas State mentioned in the same article…gotta love it! 
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<p>Yikes, "Wayne Petro, enrollment manager for the School Of Performing Arts at Pace University in New York City, says there were just under 3000 applications indicating a major in the School of Performing Arts, which was a 31 percent increase over last year. "</p>
<p>That’s a lot, but keep in mind those are not all Acting/MT majors.</p>
<p>Sadly, another factor taken into consideration by some schools when extending admission offers is ability to pay. Some kids who may be good enough, an artistic fit, may not get an offer due to financial hardship. Not all schools are “need blind.” </p>
<p>I am reading a book on financial aid written by the former heads of two college financial aid departments that insist that other than engineering students (& other such majors), students who will be repaying their own college loans should not take out more than $8000/yr. ($32Ktotal) in order to be able to live on their own after graduation while be able to make their loan payments in ten years. We all pray for those elusive artistic acceptances, but they also have to be affordable. According to the book, the most vulnerable to go into debt are those who are accepted into their “dream” schools or those who only get few acceptances. These students accept an offer to attend a school which requires large debt for emotional reasons that have nothing to do with fiscal responsibility, hoping for the best in the end without having a concrete plan for paying the loan back in addition to meeting post graduation living expenses, etc. The book is written in language HS juniors & seniors can understand and gives them links to calculators that predict debt monthly payments, etc. As i read it, I am highlighting passages I want my D to not miss. I know some people are blessed in that they can just write a check for their kid’s education, but that is not the reality for most. For us, it has to be a triple threat threat school: academic, artistic & financial fit! [-O< </p>
<p>What’s the title of the financial aid book @addicted2MT? It sounds like it holds lots of practical advice. </p>
<p>@kksmom5 - I got it from Amazon. It is called The Financial Aid Handbook: Getting the Education You Want for the Price You Can Afford [Paperback] by Carol Stack (Author), Ruth Vedvik (Author). 5.0 out of 5 stars </p>