<p>How hard is it to get into Theatre MFA programs? What is the difference in difficulty between universities with strong theatre reputation like Northwestern, and decent state universities like Virginia Tech and UConn? I'm most interested in Directing MFA's or just generic Theatre Arts MFA's. Also how competitive is it to get into theatre PhD programs? Thank you.</p>
<p>It varies from school-to-school and the major you are interested in. You need to google each school and do a bit of research on your own. </p>
<p>[Drama</a> applications continue 3-year high | Yale Daily News](<a href=“http://yaledailynews.com/blog/2012/02/15/drama-applications-continue-3-year-high/]Drama”>Drama applications continue 3-year high - Yale Daily News)
At Yale Drama School, for example, in 2012 they accepted 16 acting students and 3 directing students from a pool of 1369 applicants, so it is highly-competitive. I imagine it would be less so at NW, VT and UConn.</p>
<p>^^Wow. Thanks for the link. </p>
<p>In 2010 there were 80 applicants for every one slot in the program. </p>
<p>It makes one wonder if a young Meryl Streep were to apply today would she even be noticed in the deluge of talented applicants?</p>
<p>Of course that’s averaged across all departments…</p>
<p>If you’re an actor that translates into the high hundreds for those 16 slots (8 men, 8 women). If you’re a stage manager it’s more like 15-20 applicants for three slots. Other departments fall somewhere in between…</p>
<p>Unless you can say what field you work in or are pursuing it’s hard to say. The prerequisites and qualifying skills vary widely between departments, even within Yale Drama. I won’t say which, but some departments have a lower bar than others. I’m sure it is this way with all schools, regardless of the reputation.</p>
<p>Yes I think Meryl would stand out</p>
<p>are there only 3 spots for the Yale theatre management program as well?</p>
<p>No, I think it’s more like 4-6.</p>