How competitive are BFA programs? My new-to-acting son wants to pursue it...

My son has attended Community College first as an arts major in drawing and painting. But he quickly switched and now has a passion for acting. He did not perform at all in HS and has only had one small role this past summer in a Shakespeare production. What are the odds of him getting into a program? He has taken voice and speech, Acting I, is enrolled in Acting II, Improv class, and is now working on his third stage combat course with certifications. I’d like to say he is talented but I haven’t seen him perform enough to know. Is it all reliant on the audition? Should he give it a shot? Auditions are this fall/winter.

He is not strong academically so it seems a BFA would offer him professional training in an area he is really passionate about without lots of courses that he would struggle in ( Science, Math, etc…) like a BA in theatre curriculum would require.

Are any BFA in theater programs less selective?

I also looked up the schools that are accredited by NAST (National Association of Schools of Theatre) . What are your thoughts on going to a school not accredited?

We have a lot to learn, fast!! He would like to attend Fall 2019.

Welcome!

Yes, BFAs are competitive, because programs cap the number of students that are accepted, and the % accepted is very low. The college admission process is difficult with all of its admission requirements, and when auditions are added to the mix, its very challenging. There’s the monologues to be chosen, headshots, resumes, and the scheduling.

There are liberal arts colleges with BA programs that aren’t heavy in science and math requirements. Also, for us, financial fit was a huge consideration. My son learned so much about himself while visiting schools. It took us a full year to get a good list of college that were a good fit academically, socially, and financially. And it took me a long time before I came to the realization that I wasn’t willing to take on parent loans.

I’m not saying it can’t be done for Fall 2019 acceptance, but it will be hard to get all the pieces in place. Read this forum, spend time reading some of the acceptance threads. The group of people here in the theater section are very helpful.

Thanks for your input. I approached this forum backward and should have read the threads first. After reading many of them, I don’t think a BFA will be an option for him!

NAST accreditation shouldn’t be a factor. Many of the best school consider it an unnecessary expense and don’t bother with it. The best way to determine fit is to visit the program, talk to the students currently enrolled, and sit in on some classes.

Also, a lot of experience isn’t really the deciding factor for BFA programs. The student has to meet the requirements for admission to the university and then has to navigate the BFA audition process. But the actual audition is way more important than the resume. So if he’s going to invest in the application and audition, try to get some good coaching, too! That makes all the difference. Good luck!

I agree. I’ve heard the audition can count like 80%. Also you should look up at some local/regional school options first which might have a lot less kids apply to their BFA MT program but still might be a great program/fit for your son. Most of the comments/threads here are talking about nationally recognized programs. There was a great thread here about next time you go to an off Broadway show look at the playbill and notice the school listed for the actors. They will all be different.
We have done our research and while my son will apply to a few of the nationally recognized programs with prescreen etc. he’s going to focus more on some great regional colleges because he too is very interested in a BFA program both where he can focus on his true passion and take less not MT classes which is, like your son, not his strength. He’ll then also apply to a few BA theatre with no audition (with MT concentration) that match up with his GPA.