I already have Muhlenberg University, Rutgers, SUNY Purchase, Pace University, and Hofstra on my list, among others, is there any others I should know?
Drew! Very well respected acting program.
Most of the acting programs don’t care about academics - it’s all about the audition (although a high GPA can get you merit money). What specifically are you looking for?
Pace, Marymount Manhattan, Loyola Marymount. Do you want a conservatory in a university setting or is a straight conservatory ok? CalArts doesn’t care about grades, great program.
@LittleLioness Smart planning!! I would recommend looking at: Pace, Hofstra, Muhlenburg, Texas State, University of Arizona, University of Utah, Otterbein, Calarts, Marymount Manhattan
This is what we have found during the process. My S is a 3.37. He attends a very rigorous college prep school that only offers AP opportunity to the top 10%. This has hurt him in terms of GPA. His test scores are okay and well above average, but nothing outstanding…
We went into this thinking that he would be okay academically because of the school he attends and because he is very strong artistically. In my opinion, there are so, so many applicants to programs that the student’s GPA most certainly plays a role in the selection.
We have seen a clean break in his acceptances and rejections. He is not getting into any schools that have a higher GPA average. He is getting accepted to all of the schools in the range 3.5 average. Most of them with merit scholarships. It is quite obvious.
So, I would caution you to really look at the schools that fit your child’s academic profile. And, high test scores may be the key to the higher GPA schools. Best of luck!
And, I agree. S accepted to Calarts. Their criteria is ability/talent, thinking outside the box, and intellect that is reflected outside of a classroom environment,
Some expect a certain GPA and SAT score level for the academic admission department to OK a student but put equal weight on the audition and overall acting package that the student brings. Emerson made a point of saying that they will sometimes have a student who they want for the acting major but the academic department says no and depending on the student they may go to bat to get the academic admissions to change their mind… and likewise that the academic admissions may feel strongly about a student who was borderline on the acting side and go to bat for them to be considered.
I am honestly not sure of my daughter’s exact GPA as she’s disappointed in it due to a struggle with a new foreign language at the beginning of high school, and she doesn’t test well. She’s been honor roll always when not taking the new language, but is in National Art Honor Society, not NHS. She’s below the numbers for Emerson but got in. She’s been denied from two of her other top choices so far, one with higher GPA/SAT, one that she was in academically but had extremely few slots and she got nervous and darted her eyes despite being reminded not to (she’s never done that in an audition but never had one that mattered so much to her).
Her high school guidance counselor got nervous because her initial list were mostly ones with high academic averages and the ones that matched her had extremely low acting acceptance rates. We kept tweaking the list.
Create a good list with both academic and acting level ranges and keep an open mind.
You could add Webster University to your list and as stated above, University of Arizona- both BFA programs.
SUNY Fredonia. My S17 is in the BFA Theater Tech program with a 3.4 and a 27 ACT composite. He is also in the honors program there, which offers a one time $1500 stipend and the potential for other scholarships; my son had $4500 this year, but it will go down next year. It offers BFA Acting, MT and Dance in addition to Theater Tech and, if you are considering Purchase (as i saw on OP’s list), you should consider Fred as well.