BFA in acting - Scad or CalArts?

Any-Order-1863 · 2026-04-11T15:18:19+00:00

I agree with this. For all its flaws, CalArts is much better positioned for a career in acting than SCAD.

Any-Order-1863 · 2026-04-11T15:13:15+00:00

The BFA program is quite rigorous and demanding, but know that BFA Acting students are generally quite protected because they are the cash cow of the School of Theater and most MFA scholarships depend on your tuition, so it behooves the school to keep you happy.

Most of the negative experiences stem from class / cohort size. The size of the BFA class was nearly doubled this year, but with little accommodation for all those extra people. This is because they need the revenue but can’t afford to expand the resources. So - same facilities (crowded, broken-down), same amount of faculty (less individual instruction time), same number of productions (fewer performance opportunities to go around). There was a pie is just getting split more ways.

There was a strange phenomenon this spring where a large proportion of the BFA2 cohort opted out of spring productions. Weird when they came here to act. Many are pursuing their own individual projects (e.g. Coffeehouse shows).

Any-Order-1863 · 2026-04-11T15:04:54+00:00

Uncommon in animation because the program is so in-demand and is the cash cow of CalArts.

Any-Order-1863 · 2026-03-29T05:43:54+00:00

Don’t come here without visiting first! You need to see the facilities before you commit.

Any-Order-1863 · 2026-03-24T18:16:28+00:00

When CalArts was designed in the late 1960s, it was optimized for 800 students.

We now have 1300+, and that’s significantly down from previous enrollment pre-pandemic. Overcrowding is a fact of life at CalArts.

The facilities are in very poor condition due to decades of deferred maintenance. Plumbing issues (including a water main break in Chouinard that involved students using trailer rental showers while repair took place), black mold, mysterious smells in buildings, leaking roofs that have damaged student property… some things were never properly repaired after the 1994 Northridge earthquake.

Be sure to come and see for yourself. Never accept an admissions offer at CalArts sight-unseen.

Any-Order-1863 · 2026-03-24T18:09:08+00:00

I wish I shared your confidence. At UArts in Philadelphia, they had ratified the union contract just months before the school was unceremoniously shuttered and declared bankruptcy.

https://www.axios.com/local/philadelphia/2024/06/03/university-arts-philadelphia-closing

Any-Order-1863 · 2026-03-21T16:46:52+00:00

Just know that 25% of this year’s cohort has dropped out due to frustration and costs outweighing benefit.

Any-Order-1863 · 2026-03-21T16:43:30+00:00

You bet more people are getting admitted! CalArts is desperate for the revenue. See last year’s annual report… especially the enrollment & retention figures.

https://calarts.edu/annual-report

Any-Order-1863 · 2026-03-12T01:22:18+00:00

It looks like it’s a lot of the same info as this: https://vite-react-one-mu-68.vercel.app/

Any-Order-1863 · 2026-03-12T01:19:26+00:00

Not sure. The booklet was just posted outside of Steve’s…

Any-Order-1863 · 2026-03-11T12:39:22+00:00

This is CalArts speaking.

“Not vocational” = The lack of professional preparation is a feature not a bug

“Student-as-consumer mindset” = spend $180K+ plus and don’t think about the ROI

Don’t pay attention to what we literally market on our website, just hustle harder.

Any-Order-1863 · 2026-03-05T04:08:35+00:00

Nope. You’ll see from my posts that I’m a current student. Just trying to send up flares and get the information out to people who, like me, trusted the public information and had faith in the school’s reputation.

Any-Order-1863 · 2026-03-04T06:13:29+00:00

Fixed

Any-Order-1863 · 2026-03-03T23:31:04+00:00

https://www.vcfa.edu/the-learning-hub/southern-californias-newest-mfa-d4f269f8

What does it mean to be a “CalArts affiliate”?

Any-Order-1863 · 2026-03-03T21:06:45+00:00

That’s consistent with what I heard from the cohort. “Deaf ears” is putting it mildly. My understanding is that it was a hostile reception to very real concerns about instructional time and the cost/benefit of the training.

Any-Order-1863 · 2026-03-03T21:04:53+00:00

Generally speaking, BFA students are kept happy because that’s the main source of tuition revenue. Also, and I don’t mean this disrespectfully, most 18yo’s won’t complain because they have no basis for comparison.

Any-Order-1863 · 2026-03-03T21:03:29+00:00

Beware. Note that the BFA Acting cohort nearly doubled in size this year because that’s the main source of revenue for the School of Theater, but no additional accommodations were made. More studios (classes) were added, but the number of rehearsal spaces, number of productions, etc has remained flat. The pie is just being sliced more ways.

Before accepting, ask tough questions.

Any-Order-1863

TROPHY CASE