No, I was suggesting colleges where there is NO MT major but where students can participate in good music&theater groups. I listed Davidson because AFAIK they have excellent facilities and strong offerings in theater, music, and dance. Same as most on that list.
My goal is to show OP some colleges that may not be on their radar but would be a fallback if the auditioned program plan failed; since OP has strong academics Davidson would be within range and they don’t have an oversupply of MO applicants.
Again, to repeat, the list Davidson is part of is for a separate “what if I don’t get into an auditioned program?” list based on academics+access to good facilities/teachers/opportunities. Having just the programs OP listed, with 2-5 (10???)% acceptance rates, is to me like shotgunning the Ivies - a strategy that is too risky.
Davidson is a hard admit in general. Not a safety for anyone. About an 17% admittance rate. GPA is okay for Davidson, but the SAT is very low for Davidson. Average SAT score submitted to Davidson is 1430.
U of Wisconsin Stevens Point
I just saw Book of Mormon and the lead had recently graduated from there. He was outstanding.
No, indeed. Not a safety. (I did write OP should apply TO).
It’s one reachable academic reach that offers all 3 performance subjects without audition (and with a boost for geographic diversiy).
The plan B list should imho include academic reaches/matches/safeties all with good facilities, instructors, support, etc. - was just trying to include a meet need college with strong academics, performing arts offerings, not likely on Op’s radar. OP can cross out Davidson, no problem 
I imagine @DylanD24 doesn’t want to think of the “what ifs” but… what’s their plan if they’re shut out from all MT programs?
In my opinion, attending the strongest, best-resourced college that offered the best financial aid package (NO LOANS) is a good way out.
@DylanD24: if you run the NPC on Muhlenberg, St Olaf, and Denison, are those within budget for your parents?
A safety must be affordable.
Another approach could be CUNYs - especially if you could qualify for Macaulay (not worth it without Macaulay+Housing). Or for better community and support, Fordham Lincoln (Theater as a minor is open to all and can be added to any major).
I really agree with what @MYOS1634 is saying here. What do you want out of your college education, beyond being a musical theatre major? I think that’s a really important thing for future MT majors to consider when building their list.
I have my BFA in MT and I think having a safety school that you would LOVE to attend no matter your degree is absolutely paramount. I know from experience - I applied to BFA programs twice, once in 2013 (the only school I was admitted to was Ohio Northern) and once with a substantially different list in 2014 (the only school I was admitted to was Viterbo, which is where I eventually attended). Every year there are so many talented kids who are shut out of these audition-based programs.
I think there’s a trend among would-be BFA MT students to cast a really wide net in order to avoid getting shut out, and that means applying to many schools that “no one has ever heard of,” because of course many WONDERFUL BFA programs are housed in some pretty unexpected colleges! But I think that there’s also an attitude among would-be BFA MT students that ‘I can be happy anywhere, as long as it’s at a school that has a strong BFA program,’ and I think it’s important to challenge that.
Like I said, I went to Viterbo University because I was a Canadian student looking for a MT degree program at a time when MT degree programs did not exist in Canada, and I was also looking for a program that would allow me to double major or minor in arts administration (I ended up with a double major). I thought as long as I had that, I would be satisfied with my education. But I would really caution a student against attending a university solely on the strength of their MT program. You have to like the school enough to want to be there for 4 years, no matter what happens. The reality is that there is often more attrition within BFA MT programs than it looks like from the outside. I was class of 2018 BFA MT at Viterbo University - we entered with 8 BFA MT majors, and 4 of us graduated. The rest of our class decided that pursuing MT professionally was no longer something they wanted to do - and unfortunately for most of those people, when they made that decision, Viterbo no longer had enough to offer them outside of the MT major to make them want to stay at the school.
Like I said, personally, I thought if I had a robust MT program and good arts administration opportunities, I could make any school work. But over the course of my time at Viterbo, I did feel regret that I did not attend a school that was more academically rigorous outside of the MT department, that I did not attend a school with a bigger queer population (I was one of two out lesbians for much of my time at Viterbo, 2014-2018), etc. I got through my college experience, but I definitely could have been happier. You should pick a school that’s going to make you happy even if your relationship to MT changes!
So what is important to you OUTSIDE of MT? I’m seeing a lot of mid-sized and large schools in urban or urban-adjacent areas on your list. Is being in an urban environment important to you? Is Greek life or college sports a priority for you? Is academic rigor a priority for you? Would you be happy to attend any of the colleges on your current list as a BA Theatre major?
Well, I thought that was the question – “Do I need to add more safeties?”
UNC-G would be a safety, academically and financially. Might not get into the MT program, but should be able to get into theatre and music separately. I don’t think the BA in Theatre requires and audition and you could also take music classes in the School of Music (or even minor) and dance classes in the School of Dance. The minor in Dance is open, no audition required.
OOS cost of attendance is $32,587 before any financial aid, incl tuition, housing, meal plan.
UNCG would be a true safety. It doesn’t have the cachet of the top programs, but it does produce actors working on Broadway and in Hollywood.
I agree with all of your post except I worry about Fordham as a recommendation for this particular student. Fordham doesn’t have a MT major or minor and doesn’t stage musicals (perhaps as part of student-run clubs, but not officially.) The theater major is by audition only and is competitive, and opportunities for theatre minors interested in acting can be limited.
I very much agree with the idea of Muhlenberg and St. Olaf --quality non-audition BA programs with great music, dance and theater opportunities. Also great communities and academics in general.
A safety to consider might be Luther in Iowa: Theater BA program with a MT minor, and excellent vocal music program. This student would likely get generous merit aid. There is no audition requirement to get into the major, although an optional audition can win you extra merit.
UNC Greensboro takes 8 students a year in their MT program. Their BFA in Drama-Acting is also small, auditioned, and highly competitive.
Looking at the curriculum for the BA in Acting vs. a BFA in Musical Theater or Acting, a HUGE difference in approach. Would you be OK with that? The person I know in this boat chose to take a gap year instead of a BA option when they didn’t get into UNCGMT (don’t know what they are going to do this audition/application cycle). However, a BA might give a more well-rounded education that could pivot in other directions should the need arise (everyone I know in entertainment has had times when they had another job to pay the bills).
Non-auditioned program at schools where you are academically competitive would be the best shot at having safeties, but really dig deep into their results to see how they are doing in terms of outcomes. How many of their graduates are able to make a living in their field?
SUNY Purchase’s BFA is in Acting, and it’s a small cohort and definitely not a safety. It is also not explicitly an MT program. However, Purchase also does offer a more generalized non-audition BA in Theater and Performance that might be considered a safety.
These schools require an audition and are not explicitly safeties, but they have more of a regional draw and therefore tend to make a lot more offers than folks accept, making getting a yes a little easier: Dean College (BFA in MT); Arcadia University (BFA in Acting with an MT Concentration); Fairleigh Dickinson (BA in Theater with an MT Concentration); Rowan University (BA in Theater with a MT Concentration); DeSales University (BA in Theater, but has a very strong MT focus). One non-audition option is Drew University, which offers a BA in Theater - typically thought of as a more acting-focused school, but they have a strong dance program and added an MT Certificate last year. Kevin Murphy, who wrote the lyrics and co-wrote the book for Heathers, graduated from here.
Montclair state university?
Montclair is a good program, but not a safety. My D attended a consortium audition last year with around 200-300 students and they called back one MT student and one acting student.
That might be what he’s in. I really don’t know, but he is enjoying the program and had an internship this summer with a theater in upstate NY.
For some other schools that have a smaller pool of applicants maybe consider University of Buffalo, Fredonia, SUNY Cortland and SUNY Binghamton. All these are BFA’S. Sage College in Troy ,NY and North Central in Illinois are two good non BFA’S.
Webster is by no means a “safety” program. Nor would I consider Cal State Fullerton one either. The schools you have chosen are all very selective and I would say that you do not have any schools listed that I would consider a safety.
You should be adding schools with larger class sizes and/or a BA option.
Agree that no audition-based programs are to be considered safety schools. A non-audition BA that is also an academic likely would be what is needed for this category.
I respectfully disagree that adding schools with larger cohorts make the odds of admissions any better. Acceptance rate denotes selectivity, not size of program. A larger program can still have a very low acceptance rate or even be one of the most competitive programs.
None of those are safeties. Webster takes less than 20 MTs and has literally hundreds of people audition. Many very talented people do not get into Webster. It is extremely competitive. CSU Fullerton is also quite competitive . A safety is a non-audition program. Any program that requires an audition is NOT a safety.
Highly competitive and definitely NOT a safety.