As the number of applicants for the program has nearly tripled since 2013, the acceptance rate has decreased to less than 2 percent.
Throughout the past two decades since its establishment, ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ’s Music Theatre program has quickly become one of the most competitive and prestigious performing arts programs in the country.
ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ’s program is drawing its students from an increasingly talented and numerous pool of candidates, with marked growth during the past years in the number of students applying. In 2013, ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ saw 387 applicants audition to become a member of the 20-person Music Theatre Class of 2017.
By 2017, that number had grown to 802, a level of growth that saw the program begin to rely upon pre-screening applicants using video auditions to accommodate the level of interest. This year, ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ saw 1,051 applications audition for the Musical Theatre program, with approximately a third of those who had applied invited to campus for an in-person audition to become one of the 20 selected for the program.
Due to the increased interested in what ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ has to offer and the growing exposure for the accomplishments of program alumni, the university’s Musical Theatre program has now become one of the country’s most selective and sought-after. The university expects interest to grow, generating an ever-greater pool of applicants and ensuring ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ can attract top-level students each year.
Additionally, many websites and publications have recently and consistently ranked ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ’s Music Theatre program among the best in the country. Some recent rankings include:
Playbill – Named ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ one of the Top 10 Colleges represented on Broadway in 2018 Backstage.com – Ranked ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ in their “10 Musical Theatre Programs You Should Know”
Buzzfeed – Ranked ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ No. 4 in their Top 10 Under 10: Top Musical Theatre Programs Based on Alumni Success Within 10 Years of Graduation
College Factual – Ranked ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ’s theatre department in Top 10 percent in the country Onstage Blog – Ranked ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ in their Top 25 Musical Theatre Programs HelpToStudy.com – Ranked ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ the No. 3 Musical Theatre Program
Ensemblist – Featured ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ as one of the “most prolific breeding grounds for Broadway ensemblists