I went through the audition process this year, and like many of my peers my dream school was the University of Michigan for Musical Theatre. While I eventually did not get into this years group, I did have the privilege to receive an in-person audition invitation. I have committed to a program, however, was wondering about the transfer rates for Umich’s MT program. I am a female afro-latina and the connections and support (community) this program provides is, to me, incomparable. How many do they take a year, and what do they look for when selecting applications? Additionally, how many transfers apply each year? Any information would be helpful, thank you all so much!
I’m fairly certain that UMich MT does not accept transfer students, because their curriculum is set for the full four years. I would check with the UMich MT department to confirm that they even allow re-auditioning as a student coming with college credit from somewhere else. Some schools do not allow it. UMich cohort size is usually about 22-24 students. They are (arguably) considered the top MT school in the country, with over 1,000 students applying to the program each year. It is truly what one would call a “unicorn” school.
Most programs do have students that have taken one or more years at other programs but they are not transfers, they start at the beginning of the program and are there for 4 years. My S is at another highly regarded, low acceptance rate program and there are older people in his class who did several years in other programs. But… if you got into a MT program, congratulations! Enjoy where you are and remember that highly successful people come from many programs and highly regarded programs have graduates that do not succeed.
Yes, Umich MT does allow applications from transfer students. I’m sure it’s just as tough to get in that way as it is for first year students. One difference is that as a first year you can apply to both UM MT and UM Acting but as a transfer you can only apply to one or the other.