My s applied for the top 6 elite BFA acting programs and was rejected by all. The thing is that his parents are ourselves former actors/teachers/directors in the biz. He had immense preparation, unique pieces, has more experience than most any his age, had solid feedback and response. He was acompletely informaed and did considerable research about each program,. the faculty and their approach.He is caucasian, 17 and he would need a full ride or close to it as there are no funds for college.
Completely flabbergasted and can’t help but feel that the finanical piece played a role in this. I know the party line tends more towards need blind but I can’t imagine that the perdforming arts can have all the heavy need applicants they want. Even did not get an acceptance from NYU. a factory that pretty much accepts all.
Inviting comments, observations, similar experiences? What to do?
You may want to post this in the Theatre/Drama Majors forum. Though, I expect many there will object to you saying that NYU is " a factory that pretty much accepts all."
Good aavice all around. Thank you. M
Here’s my take…there are thousands of kids just like yours and there isn’t physically space for them all. Luck of the draw in my opinion. I have a friend in admissions at one of the top schools and they do not take into consideration what the families can pay when they admit into their BFA’s. Not sure that is the case in all the schools or the 6 your son applied to, but in that one case (and it’s nationally renowned) they admit based on the audition.
@judevine I think many people who embark on the BFA college journey don’t realize how competitive it has become. It is not easy to get accepted no matter how talented the applicant. Trying for 6 elite programs is not a balanced school list. You need a list of safeties, matches and reaches. Most girls applying for BFA’s apply to around 15-20 schools. Most boys applying go for around 10-15. Financial need doesn’t play into acceptances from what I have observed. It is all about the audition (and for some academics as well). Talent is only one part of the puzzle. The schools have an idea of the class they are trying to build, and if, in a certain year, you do not fit into that idea, no matter how talented you are, you will not be admitted.
While I do not have a student at NYU, I know many very talented people who have been admitted, and many talented people who were not- so I disagree with your statement that they are a factory that accepts all.
So, what to do now. Your options are for your son to take a gap year- train more and make a more balanced list of school to try for next year- maybe consider hiring a national coach. Or your son can apply to an LAC and go for a BA in theatre at one of the many fine schools that are out there. There are some great BA school options. BFA is not the end all be all for someone pursuing acting. Your son could also forgo college for the moment and try to make a go of it on his own. There are so many paths in this business, there is no one right way for everyone.
@judevine - I would be one of the people who disagrees with the idea that NYU is a “factory” let alone that it accepts all… (30% acceptance rate to university as a whole, 10% acceptance to Tisch BFA studios) My kid is in her junior year there, and it’s a pretty darn extraordinary place. Curious as to why you applied there if you think if it that way, but that is besides the point.
As to your situation - I would say applying to top programs alone might have been a part of the issue. A balanced list is a really valuable thing. BFA acceptances have become remarkably more difficult in the last 10 years or so. Did you have any safeties?
I greatly appreciate your perspective. Very helpful to have a dialogue with someone. You make excellent points and we have considered many of them. I regretted my comment about NYU right after I wrote it and haven’t any idea about edit option. That came from anger, confusion and hurting for him I have never joined a chat for ANTYHING before. but, understandablyy distraught. And wishing that we were better off financially so that he could simply go a decent school and have that transtional time socially, developmentally and academically.
Thank you for your response and the inforrmation. I greatly appreciate it. I’ve gotten some excellent perspective and advice here.
@judevine I sent you a PM
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/1973172-not-getting-in-an-mt-bfa-program-p1.html
There are some great suggestions on here 
Thanks for your reply. I wrote the NYU comment in irresponsible haste. Of course it is much more discriminating. In know a movement teacher who worked there for many years and she was just commenting that the majority of her students over the years as freshmen were quite inexperienced, albeit they may have demonstrated great native talent). By contrast, my son grew up in the theatre and has a pretty packed resume already. She mentioned it only becasue she saw my son as the only teen in a pro production and was assuring me he would have no problem getting in. Frankly,I was just reaching- for an explanation. So concerned for him. You are right that we did not have enough a spread and should have included more schools. We thought the “safety” schools were Rutgers and BU, but those turned out equally competitive.
Congratulations to your daughter and thank you for your perspective.
@judevine There are still some schools (albeit not “top tier”) schools that are having auditions for BFA programs. Also there are some schools with BA Theatre programs with rolling admissions. Take a look through the threads here and I believe you will find the ones that talk about those programs. Good luck, we all want our kids to find their “home”.
Also, let your son know that this is not a reflection of his talents. Help him pick up the pieces and move forward. Tons of talented kids don’t get into those top programs. Being in the business you know that this will not be the first or last time he doesn’t get the gig. Make a new plan and push onward 
@judevine- this process can drive ANYONE crazy. Honestly, I am glad we went into it a little bit naive a couple years ago- otherwise I probably wouldn’t have been brave enough to encourage my kid to go for it! And it is easy to hold resentment for a school you thought would be a fit that turns out to be anything but! (I have a similar story about a school where D had worked with 2 members of the faculty in other capacities and they assured her she was that school’s “type” - and then she got rejected almost immediately after the audition)
It is important to feel what you are feeling so you can move to he next phase. Are you thinking about a gap year? A BA program? Do you still want him at one of the schools on your original list? (BU, NYU, Rutgers and…) Or do you want to widen the choices?
@judevine, many members of this forum have kids who grew up in the business and have solid resumes with film / TV, Broadway and off-Broadway credits, professional representation, etc. However, looking back at their experience, it doesn’t seem to matter to most programs and doesn’t tip the decision scale in their favor based purely on that…
Also, Rutgers is ANYTHING but a safety program. It’s almost as if someone would consider Juilliard their safety.
@judevine I suspect that being in the business, you may have had a mindset of how the theatre college process used to be. It happens to the best of us with any colleges that we knew before, places we thought were an easy admit or a commuter school that are now accepting less than Ivies and a top BFA program. My D didn’t get in an MT program that only a few years ago had seemed like a solid regional choice, and her teachers were taken by surprise too. It’s just become really, really competitive. Sorry you’re having to go through this.
Thanks for your reply. I can see the whole landscape has changed considerably. The pesrpective helps so much. Sadly, he is falling into a profound sense of loss as all his other peers prep to go to college and he has no destination.
I think this is insightful on your part. Things have changed. I am trying not to b MYSELF up for having been so shortsighted and now he has no options. Thanks for your comments.
My son’s high school had a meeting about college and the first bit of information provided was “Parents, things have changed since you went to college”. Fortunately, you are on CC and can learn so much here. I’ve been a sponge, reading posts, and I’m so grateful for this community. The college process is overwhelming, and adding the audition layer makes it even more challenging. Add the financial aspects, standardized testing to maximize financial aid- its a huge undertaking. My point is this - we learn all the time. I’m sure there are other families out there in the same boat, but not posting to CC. Son and I have been in list building mode for a long time. As a parent, I underestimated the importance of standardized testing for financial aid ( I thought the aid would come in the form of talent aid, and learned that this was a much smaller bucket than merit aid, even for actors) Son’s grades are good, not stellar, and he is scrambling to shore up test scores. After a very long time of list building, we’re still refining, as our funds are very limited. I’ve learned here that the typical school list of safeties/fits/reaches needs to be refined to academic, talent, and financial safeties/fits/reaches. I know its easier said than done, but don’t beat yourselves up.
Try to stop beating yourself up. I echo the many good perspective on this thread. Check the rolling or late admit date schools for any that would give you some of the elements you want but not put you both into too much debt in case a MFA is in the future. But also think about whether “any old school” will ever do for his level of talent and dreams. A really creatively designed gap year where he could make some money quickly to save for college, work on writing and creating and performing original pieces in the community and bolster his non professional resume (e.g, volunteering, if he has not had a lot of time to do that because of theater) could really distinguish him in next year’s process. I don’t think money drives it, but needing a full ride probably does not help for some programs, but if he can show that he has earned money to put skin in the game and maturity then that is going to give any admissions office and entirely different perspective on the money front. You did not mention academics. Every program cares about that, some obviously more than others. (I suspect one of the programs my daughter did not get into was b/c of grades.) If he has work to do there then maybe study to take the SAT/ACT again, self study in some area that does not require taking classes and he can drop on professionally like writing, music or learning a foreign language (and maybe travel to that country for an extended period of time.)