I am glad this is now a separate thread- and I can make another comment without fears of “hijacking”. I wonder if the frequent misunderstanding (and/or misinformation) about NYU comes from the fact that it IS so different from any other BFA program. Not just in size, in focus etc. it really is unique. And I will freely admit I have found it confusing as a PART of the system, I can only imagine how confusing it would be to those outside the system!
Found a pretty good description of the “university structure” on NYU-Tisch website: http://drama.tisch.nyu.edu/object/dr_ar_universitystructure.html. I do know that the 400 yield number was for the 8 studios within the Department of Drama, so one’s “chances” would depend on whether an accepted student is considered for all 8 studios or whether they just want the MT studio (NSB).
Now, I will ask this question, which I understand to be speculative, so I fully expect some condescending responses from certain folks who think they are experts on everything NYU…but I remain curious…
How common are artistic scholarships at NYU? D has heard they are fairly common (in varying amounts), but here on CC, they appear to be more rare. And if they ARE in fact rare, how in the world does someone justify $250,000+ for a four-year degree?
Chris, the admissions director, said in a podcast recently that they see a little over 2000 auditioners, they accept between 500-600, and then about 400 who decide to attend. It’s from the podcast “Hurryupandwait” if you want to take a listen!
Did the podcast say that 1000 of those applicants are auditioning for MT only? I’m very curious about this because this would very much help those straight actors 
Just something to be aware of …John Simpkins, Master Teacher of Music Theatre at NYU-Steinhardt has been named to replace Cary Libkin at Penn State, starting this Fall. Libkin will remain at PSU for one semester to help with the transition. I am sure the remaining faculty at Steinhardt is terrific. Just good to know if you are still considering either Steinhardt or Penn State. I think both programs are still wonderful choices.
@Bogeyw: Keep in mind that many students who audition for the MT studio are willing to be considered (if not accepted for MT) for the other acting studios, and so when counting how many audition for MT, one typically includes all those who do a MT audition and prefer the MT studio, but this includes kids beyond those who will ONL Y accept the MT studio. Anyone who does a singing/acting/dance audition is vying for the MT studio as a first choice placement.
@bisouu: I’d be interested to hear if the podcast mentions this too. As I posted earlier, an administrator from Tisch in the past posted on CC that 1000 of those auditioning for Tisch drama, were trying for a MT placement/studio. Yes, things could have changed since then! But the total number auditioning, as based on the recent quote from Chris Anderson, admissions director for the Dept. of Drama at Tisch, hasn’t changed since then. So, it is possible that the number wanting MT hasn’t fluctuated much since then either. I did not pull that number out of thin air. It was posted by a rep from Tisch in the past here. It was also told to us on audition day.
If it’s true then that would mean that the acting studios have a 54% acceptance rate…not bad…
I don’t know how common these scholarships are. I’ve known applicants who have gotten them in varying amounts as well. My own kid got a four year scholarship that was quite significant. To my knowledge, it wasn’t called an artistic scholarship. It was simply a scholarship. I believe both financial need and merit were mixed into the award.
In terms of “justifying” the expense…in our case, the total cost was far less than the total you gave, given the scholarship. However, we also took out loans on top of the scholarship, plus used other money. I never feel a need to justify the expense. It is a very personal decision. What is right in one situation is not in another. For us, we value education and see this as a gift we pass onto our children as our parents did for us. Once they graduate, they are on their own financially. But this isn’t the “right” way but just one person’s choice. I don’t see a college education as job training but rather the cost is “justified” in terms of an education and all that goes with that. The scholarship my D got from NYU was higher than from all the other BFAs that offered her scholarships. But we would have let her pick the best fit college no matter. It so happened it was her first choice school anyway. But it may not work out financially for someone else or even be the right fit educationally. But I never feel a need to justify the expense. We all value or afford what we choose and can do.
This isn’t quite correct. The fact is that many who specify MT as their first choice, are placed in an ACTING studio. THUS, even if only 1000 applicants to Tisch Drama specify Acting as a first choice, many of the other 1000 who are vying for MT, are accepted at Tisch for ACTING.
Pretty close though…if 1000 apply to MT and the other 1000 apply for acting and even if there is some overlap the odds of getting a slot somewhere at NYU are better than most other BFA programs.
@soozievt- I would disagree with the notion that ALL students whose audition includes MT have MT as their 1st choice. That was not the case for my child. she was pretty evenly torn between drama and MT as an entire process- and her school list reflected that. NYU was one of the schools were she considered both options, but that wasn’t the case at all schools.
@bogeyw - I have no idea how common/rare artistic scholarships are, it’s not something most parents sit around and chat about when we visit. Personally, I justify the tuition I pay with the knowledge that my kid is studying in a world famous dept of an internationally respected university, and much more importantly, with the fact that she is happy there.
Btw- my husband is watching march madness. Spike lee was just on tv at whatever game is happening wearing an NYU sweatshirt. When asked about it (and I know he has strong connections to the film school) he said “NYU is the best film and acting school in the country”. Just one man’s opinion, but it put a smile on my face
bisouu, the odds of getting in for Acting are better than for MT at NYU and generally across the board at most schools (knocking out the tippy to ACTING programs). But for MT at Tisch, if 1000 apply for MT and there are 60 slots available and I don’t know how many they accept to yield 60 (in my D’s year, they accepted 80 to yield 64), the acceptance rate for MT is still in the single digits.
That is of course, just an acceptance rate to compare. But in other areas, it may be harder, as ONE example, to get into Tisch than X MT program because the academic bar is higher and counts 50% of the admission decision. So, acceptance rate, even if both are in single digits, can’t be the only point of comparison when it comes to selectivity.
I guess we can only go by what the above poster stated as that is the most current info…2000 applicants, 500-600 admitted…that is not single digits in my calculations… that’s 30% not sure what I am missing …I know apples to apples, oranges to oranges…cross overs with MT and straight acting…still seems a good bet in my book. 30% of applicants get an opportunity to accept an offer from NYU. Those odds are ones I think anyone would be willing to take when the other options are less certain.
…guess we will have to agree to disagree…
Here is a question that often confuses me on this subject, does % of admission translate or impact in any way to quality of training? Or is it something BFA people get wrapped up in, because we figure if our kid beat the admissions odds, they will also beat the successful artist odds…
I think that’s a huge factor @toowonderful (and more for parents than the students) <3
It has often seemed so to me- one of those things I have thought for a long time, but never wanted to say…
@toowonderul, i would say it also translates to ‘bragging rights’ , which I think also affectss parents more then students
@toowonderful My daughter and I took a different approach (for us a more realistic one) and stayed away from schools that had such tiny admission rates knowing full well the chances of getting in were almost impossible…the one she did get into had a 24% rate (if I remember right) and I thought that was a ridiculous longshot… My daughter has never measured her talent or worth by extraneous factors (now her mother is a different story and I needed that one BFA acceptance for my own validation not hers) . She’s been in the business long enough to know that none of this means anything to her passion or career path.
@Bogeyw I will attempt to answer your question, although the answer in terms of Tisch is not 100% clear. I am basing my response on the experience I’ve had with my own two D’s at NYU Steinhardt and with info from people I have known over the years who have applied to Tisch in both Drama and Film. Remember, too, that financial aid and merit aid policies can change year to year at any college, so I would try to confirm by speaking to Tisch admissions, NYU admissions and financial aid directly.
NYU starts the financial aid process by determining whether a student has need or not. If your EFC/Css profile shows that your expected family contribution is above the cost of the school, then you are determined to not have need and you are not considered for any of the scholarships and grants that have a need component. In general, this disqualifies you for almost all of the aid that NYU offers for both talent and academics. If you are at the tippy top of the heap academically, you may qualify for a few scholarships that do not have a need component like the MLK Jr. Scholarships which are open to all students at NYU.
http://www.nyu.edu/admissions/undergraduate-admissions/financial-aid/scholarships.html
There are also some scholarships that are listed for specific schools to the right on the page above. If you notice, Steinhardt is listed and if you go to that link it lists artistic scholarships for art and music. My older D was awarded a $11K merit scholarship per year when she applied for MT in Steinhart in 2008 that was one of those awards. We did not have any need and it was a purely merit scholarship for students who would not have qualified for any other need-based award. That award is given out by the VP department in the regular decision round. It is not the same award that a student with need gets as part of their financial aid package. These scholarships are listed on the common data set for NYU as scholarships for students without need.
You will notice that Tisch is not listed as a school that has a similar award–or any school specific merit awards. That is where this whole thing becomes murky. Over the years, people have gotten different responses from Tisch as to whether these merit awards without need exist. I know that they did exist in the past. I know that there are some CC parents whose students have received them in the past. I would pose the question to Tisch admissions, NYU general admissions and financial aid if I were applying without need, to try to get an answer.
So far, I’ve been only talking about merit aid without need. But there is a lot of merit aid that is awarded to students with need. Basically if NYU really wants you–based on talent, academics, whatever–they will include grants and scholarships in their financial aid package that will reduce the bottom line cost. These grants and scholarships can be given various names (for talent, academics, leadership) and are for different amounts, but essentially they are merit aid and will be awarded not just based on your need, but based on the fact that NYU wants you to enroll and is sweetening the pot.
So some students will be left with rather large gaps even though they are accepted, and others with their need almost met. I know through my D’s that the students who actually enroll in the music and art departments in Steinhardt and drama and film at Tisch seem to fall into two categories: students who have probably been awarded the highest financial aid awards and have relatively little gap and those who have received some merit aid without need. There are probably some who are taking on enormous debt, too, but most of my older D’s friends in MT seem to have had work study and some additional debt over subsidized loans, but not crazy amounts.
bisouu…I agree with you that the acceptance rate to Tisch Drama is NOT In the single digits! I was merely saying that the acceptance rate for MT at Tisch is in the single digits.
Personally speaking, I don’t care how competitive a school is that my kid attends. I was only wanting them to be able to attend a school that fit them well that they wanted to attend and they were fortunate to have that option. They did not choose based on acceptance rates at all.