I am looking into UArts BFA acting major, however it is so difficult for me to find information about the program!
It seems like a lot of people get accepted and its not that hard to get into, which worries me.
I would really appreciate it if someone could give me some more information about the school and I would really like to know what critiques people have for the school and what issues they may have found in the program.
I really love the school and have been on visits and tours and I loved it, but I am not so sure if it’s as good as they say it is.
Every time I try and search for more information I only ever hear about the MT program 
@myloves is a CC UArts parent. Hopefully she can chime in!
I hope @myloves will chime in. I don’t know a lot about it, but I think the acceptance rate for drama may be around that 10-15% mark (not positive though). Yes, that is a higher percentage than other drama schools but it is still highly selective. (the acceptance rate for the overall school is higher, but I think drama and MT are more selective). There are kids who don’t get in or get waitlisted. It is in a great city, seems to make good connections, etc. I think it seems like a wonderful program. Good luck to you.
Sorry, @theatrestudent76 , I was unavailable. (In the tropics… Wish I were still there! 
)
Congratulations on your acceptance to UArts! The acceptance rate for acting is similar to MT at UArts: 8-10%. (MT is more like 8; acting is more like 10, but it depends on the year, and those are such close numbers, anyway!)
My D, who is in the MT program, loves UArts and is thrilled with the training she’s receiving in all aspects. She has been acting in mostly regional/professional theatres since she was 5 and had trained with great professionals before college, and she firmly believes her acting skills (along with the other MT areas, but you’re looking at acting) are greatly growing. She feels challenged, stretched, and supported. Plus, among other things, she loves the flexibility of the program, the personal attention and care, and the opportunities available.
I can PM you with more details if you’d like!
I got accepted too! I agree its a great school and great city, I’m just afraid of being so far away from NYC
Congratulations, @murr_burrs! NYC isn’t that far from Philly; my D, who just finished her sophomore year at UArts, has gone there at least a couple times both years so far. Some students go more, but many find they don’t need/want to leave because UArts is literally right in the middle of the arts district (and actually own a couple of the professional theatres), so the students are busy with the theatres, etc., in Philly (besides what is at UArts, which is a lot). My D even knows at least a couple UArts grads (maybe there are more, but D doesn’t know them) who work professionally in both cities, but with Philly as their base because they love Philly and/or the cost of living is cheaper. Plus, UArts brings in many other successful professionals to the college to work with the students, and most (if not all) are from NYC/active in the NYC scene.
I get wanting to be in NYC, but there are so many super successful programs and grads of programs that are far, far away from it.
Hi… My d. was accepted to UArts and I’d love to talk to someone who knows about it. I’m seeing your post from 2017 and wondering if your d. is still there and how her experience has been. Any way we can connect? Thanks!
You need to tag her by name so she’ll get the notification. Like this: @myloves
I have a question too: how negotiable is the scholarship? My D got accepted with an $18,000 scholarship, which sounded great until I went on the UArts website and found that the COA is $60,000. So minus the $18,000, we’d have to pay $42,000 a year, which is way out of our range, even with student loans. My D wants to go to the Accepted Students Day, but I don’t want her to fall in love with the school if we can’t afford it. Is it worth asking them for more money, or is that a non-starter?
It never hurts to ask, especially if you’ve got better offers from elsewhere.
@mindee62, I’d love to talk to you about UArts and even connect you with my D if you’d like! She’s a junior now and still extremely happy there! Feel free to PM me. (I tried to PM you but couldn’t for some reason.) Also, here’s a thread recently started about UArts:
http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/2063400-uarts-bfa-mt-the-good-the-bad-the-ugly.html#latest
@actorparent1, we successfully negotiated for more aid even after D received her initial generous scholarship, so, yes, it can be done! The financial aid office is helpful and kind (as are all of the offices there, in our experience); call them and ask to speak to the head of financial aid or the assistant head. We told them that UArts was the top choice for D and told them what one other of her top program choices was going to cost. They matched that cheaper program, then actually beat it! It’s worth a try! PM me if you’d like more help, would like to chat, or would like to get connected to my D; we are both enthusiastic about the school and like helping prospective students and parents!
Since this is the acting forum, I’ll add that my D and I both think the acting training is excellent. They have a toolbox approach, so each semester/year focuses on a different approach. Moreover, students can specialize or dabble in other areas; it’s a pretty flexible program. For example, my D is a MT major, but she is concentrating also on playwriting and film acting, and she takes more dance than required. Also, acting and MT students are in studios together; D sometimes doesn’t even know if a student is MT, acting, or DPP (directing, producing, performing).
UArts also brings in a lot of outside professional directors and other professionals to direct shows or for master classes in acting studio. This is great not only for the additional training and perspectives, but for connections.
Hi! Sorry I didn’t see your response until now… Definitely interested in finding out more about UArts… One initial question I have is actually about their website… Just curious why it’s so hard to find out about faculty bios. Any ideas?
It doesn’t appear that they have bios listed, but there is a directory with their faculty listed and I was able to pull up information by googling them.
@mindee62, I’m not sure why it’s so hard to find faculty bios. That’s weird, and I actually didn’t know that they weren’t on the website; the year my D auditioned, they were easily found on there. The faculty hasn’t changed much at all, either, so it’s just a website change.
I do have to say that one thing about UArts that frustrates me and my D and that falls into the same marketing line is that they don’t market their alumni well, and they have had and do have a lot of working alumni! Even right now, D knows of several alumni who are currently on Broadway, National Tours, and in TV shows/movies, yet UArts doesn’t talk much about it or even anything about it. She even had the experience this year of seeing an alum in a great role in a big National tour show in Philly and talking to him for a 1/2 hour after, then 2 days later, seeing another alum in the lead role in a Broadway show (obviously in NYC) and exchanging contact info with him after the show. (He was on vocal rest.) It’s like they are so focused on training and education that they don’t think that sharing that is important. Maybe they should hire me as their marketing person, lol! (Totally kidding!)
@myloves, thanks so much for sharing that alumni info! That was something D was asking about: are their alumni working? I will share this info with her.