<p>It IS a great list, and many thanks to EmsDad for doing the research and putting this together! I do have a question: I know for sure that some of the numbers listed are comprehensive fees, i.e., tuition PLUS room/board. Are all of them, or are some of them strictly tuition? Just wanted to clarify that, especially since public universities often just list the tuition while private schools may charge a single fee. Again, many thanks.</p>
<p>@Times3</p>
<p>Iâm pretty sure the list is tuition plus room/board and books and whatnot.</p>
<p>Here is what the numbers include according to â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â :</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I got the data from â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â and they get their numbers come from the College Navigator - National Center for Educational Statistics:</p>
<p>[College</a> Navigator - National Center for Education Statistics](<a href=âhttp://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/]Collegeâ>College Navigator - National Center for Education Statistics)</p>
<p>@JC, yep, you are rightâI was misled by the word âtuitionâ as well as by the fact that some of the state schools have incredibly low costs (compared to the public universities in my state, for example). The range is amazingly wide. Thanks again for posting this!</p>
<p>Interesting list, but PLEASE remember a list like this is similar to those outrageous prices posted on hotel room doors, in that the asking price often bears NO resemblance to the prices YOU will actually pay.</p>
<p>The most expensive schools on this list may be the cheapest for you when all scholarships and financial aid are on the table so Do NOT rule out schools based on list price unless you are willing to potentially sell yourself short.</p>
<p>That said, the asking price at Northwestern is roughly whatâs listed for Carnegie Mellon.</p>
<p>Very interesting list EmsDad- thank you for putting it together! Fortunately, we are almost done- our D will be a senior in PSUâs MT program next year. We went thru the whole process twice. She started at a BFA Coservatory program and found quickly that the atmosphere just wasnât for her. She ended up coming home and doing all of her GE requirements at our cc while she figured out what she wanted to do. When she reauditioned, she was lucky to be accepted into PSUâs BFA program as a sophomore. It will have taken her 5 years total to graduate, but she absolutely loves the program at PSU. The only thing I would again emphasize from our experience is to keep in mind that the costs listed above may not reflect the actual cost of the program after scholarships. If we had limited ourselves to programs within our price range, she would not have applied to several of the schools on her list to which she was accepted. She almost didnât apply to PSU because of the OOS cost, but really liked the program so decided last minute to do a walk-in. They ended up by far being the lowest cost program for us- even lower than any of our in-state public schools including Cal State Fullerton or UCLA, even after factoring in travel costs. </p>
<p>This is such a daunting process; coming up with a list that includes financial, academic, and talent safeties and reaches while at the same time only including campuses at which your student will be happy. Just be sure not to discount any school solely because of cost, as you really have to wait until final acceptance to see what the actual cost will be.</p>
<p>Good luck to those just starting the process. We are starting the whole thing over with our 4th and final child in a non-MT major, but with a varsity sport, and I have to say I will be ecstatic once he is thru the recruiting process and enrolled somewhere, anywhereâŠ</p>
<p>Most colleges will give you an idea of what aid you can expect based on your stats, both financial and academic. Of course, artistic merit can only be judged after an audition, but you can find out what they typically hand out or what the maximum number will be if you ask. You will probably have to check with more than one source, i.e., the admissions office, the department, etc. A list like this does give you a starting point to see what you are up against.</p>
<p>We have told our daughter we wonât limit where she applies based on $$, but that $$ would have to be factored into any final decision. I have alwasy regretted somewhat my parent limiting my choice to the local state school, and I donât want my daughter to have the same regrets. That said, she gets the expense side, and it certainly gave her more impetus to study for standardized tests, keep her GPA up, etc. As I tell her a lot, getting a 32 on the ACT opens up some schools for consideration that may not have been on the list for financial reasons; that and her GPA make some good scholarship money available.</p>
<p>The other thing about costs is, for want of a better term, the ROI. For example, would a lower priced school give a child the same competitive advantage as another? I donât know how you answer that. If the goal is a Broadway career then I suppose you have to look at the track record of kids from a certain school reaching that goal, extent of contacts that can be made in the industry, etc. Any other thoughts out there?</p>
<p>@jeffandann, there is a post, somewhere (Iâm sure Emsdad can find it) that lists the number of people each program has on Broadway. Of course, the data are skewed, b/c it is all taken from bios in playbills, and that limits your universe to people who mention their schools in bios. That being said, if I recall, NYU (Tisch) had the most people on Broadway using this method. BUT, there are some great Broadway stars who went to AMDA, or who didnât go to school at all, as well as stars who went to the âtopâ MT schools. I think the best thing to do is find a school that your child loves, and feels is right for them. Even if there were a sure fire way to figure out which school produces the most Broadway stars (if there is such a school), it might not be the right program for your child. I think âsuccessâ depends on talent and contacts and hard work and luck (being in the right place at the right time). If that last statement is true, your best bet is to choose a program where your particular child will learn and grow and be happy.</p>
<p>You can find the data on Broadway MT performers here (post #146):</p>
<p><a href=âhttp://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/1116787-colleges-did-current-broadway-performers-attend-10.html[/url]â>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/1116787-colleges-did-current-broadway-performers-attend-10.html</a></p>
<p>Some data analysis for the 466 bios with academic info:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>50% come from the top 15</p></li>
<li><p>40% come from 100 different schools - if you graph it, you will notice the exponential curve and the long tail.</p></li>
<li><p>The inflection point of the graph is around 60% or the top 22</p></li>
<li><p>Some of the top schools are dance and/or acting schools (Yale, Julliard, Ailey, etc.)</p></li>
</ol>
<p>The top 22 schools are:</p>
<p>NYU 40
Michigan 25
Boco 23
CCM 19
CMU 18
Florida State 16
AMDA 13
Northwestern 13
OCU 13
Julliard 11
Penn State 10
Syracuse 10
U Arts 9
Ailey 8
Elon 8
UC Irvine 8
Yale 8
Point Park 7
Hartt 6
Northern Colorado 6
Oklahoma 6
USC 6</p>
<p>When considering the relative value of MT degrees from various schools, IMHO one should also (obviously) look far beyond Broadway performers. </p>
<p>The best programs are also creating Tony-winning Writers, Directors, Designers, Producers, top Casting Agents and, at least in the case of Northwestern, MANY successful folks working in film and television⊠not to mention plenty who make very successful careers in regional theatre and education and/or (by choice and not for lack of performance opportunities) continue on to Med school, Law school etc.</p>
<p>For my money, the true value of a great degree lasts a lifetime and not just for the first few auditions.</p>
<p>I agree with the above comments, and have been pointed out in the past that the MT degree will give our kids vauable skills to use in many different vocations. That said, there are those here who see Broadway as the true goal and in that vein it would seem to make sense to attend a school that has had a track record, and with contacts to help alumni.</p>
<p>Wow, prices. My D was waitlisted at Pace last year and got an amazing scholarship from the academic side, although she is math phobic and no Merit Finalist. Donât let the price tags scare you. Some schools can be very generous, especially if your SAT is much better than the average applicantâs SAT.</p>
1 Like
<p>There is a lot of information on this site about the amount of talent awards from the better-known schools. Some of the threads are pretty detailed and it helped us rule out applications to BoCo, CMU and Hartt - even the maximum award would not have allowed my son to attend these programs.</p>
<p>And when the scholarship letters went out in March for Point Park it was also pretty clear what the maximum award was (many parents on CC shared this) - though there is always a little wiggle room.</p>
<p>What is not known is what the lesser-tier schools may be able to do for students - these programs see fewer applications yet they still need to cast productions.</p>
<p>Even though my son got accepted at 3 of the top programs (on EmsdadÂs list) he chose the University of Memphis because they went out their way to make sure he would receive both in-state tuition and a talent award. Thus, it was the only school where he could get a BFA and graduate debt-free.</p>
<p>We knew little about this program when he applied. The main drivers were that he could gain acceptance to the university with pretty average academics (3.0 and 21 ACT) as well as U Memphis being a real campus in a diverse metropolitan area. There was some mention of an MT endowment to support the new program on the department website - but no specific scholarship amounts are listed.</p>
<p>But being a new program there are not a lot of older students and so they were clearly looking for applicants with performance experience who can step into roles immediately - and one of the requirements of the scholarship is that he be in two shows per semester. </p>
<p>So it is true what others have said that there is often no way to know what is truly available until after auditions. Can some students coming behind us expect the same package? I donÂt know. Are there other lesser-known programs in the same situation? Probably, yes. All the more reason for middle-income families to be strategic and not limit your college search to the biggest, most-established programs.</p>
<h1>54 ^^ great post SantafeDad</h1>
<p>Just wanted to point out that the OOS cost at Texas State does not apply to any MT/Acting students. ALL students accepted to the theatre program at TSU are automatically awarded the in-state COA rate, regardless of which state they come from or their academic statistics.</p>
<p>It would sure be nice for students and parents in Texas (whose tax dollars support TSU) if other states would do the same thing for OOS students in THEIR MT programs. Especially for those Texas residents who couldnât get into TSU, which the huge number of OOS students now competing to get in, is no doubt a factor! Itâs a real boon for OOS kids but it canât be denied that Texas kids are getting the short end of the stick on this deal. However I donât blame any of the OOS kids for this in the least - youâd be crazy not to try for TSU if you like the school.</p>
<p>âTopâ schools versus less expensive. I think most of us believe that talent always rises to the top and I agree 100%. I also believe there are a few major components that give you leg up by attending a âtopâ school and they are in no particular order:</p>
<p>Better Teachers
Better student body talent pool to learn from and with
Better access to managers, agents and casting people</p>
<p>I would compare the experience of attending a Harvard, Yale or Princeton and your goal is to become a CEO. Does it guarantee you will make it, of course not. Does it increase your chances if you are brilliant and also attend these schools, I would think so.</p>
<p>^ But if someone was chosen for a particular BFA program because they needed a specific type, that doesnât mean they are more talented. Thatâs why I think that the most important thing to look at when choosing a college is the fit for what you want- program, social life, campus, sports, cost, etc.</p>
<p>I would think that we would all want to go to the best school where we are accepted. For most people there will be compromises because of budget or not getting into top choices but I do think the overall reputation matters quite a bit in the real world. Why wouldnât it?</p>