BFA FAQs
How many auditions are held in a year?
There are three auditions each year held in November, February and March. See
for further details.
What airport should we fly into?
Willard Airport (CMI) is the closest airport to campus about 10 minutes from campus. For more information on your trip see
Is the Open House a required part of the BFA audition?
It is not required, but we strongly recommend the Open House day for all auditioning students. Open House provides an opportunity to take entry-level majors' classes, view upper-level classes, speak with the BFA Program Director, meet the current students and have your name sent to the Krannert Center for Performing Arts Box Office so that you can receive a free ticket to the Departmental Performance. It is the best way to get an honest feel for our program.
Are there any scholarships available to students?
Our departmental scholarships are talent-based, rather than need-based, and there is no “average” amount; they vary considerably. Students who are awarded a scholarship are guaranteed to receive that award throughout their time in the program, provided they keep their GPA up and fulfill the other scholarship requirements. Attending the November or February audition automatically enters a student into consideration for this Talented Student Tuition Award. As their name indicates, these scholarships are tuition-specific, meaning that rather than cash in hand the scholarship represents an amount that will be deducted from the student's tuition bill.
How many studio spaces does the Department have?
The Department has five studio spaces: One in the Dance Administration Building (DAB), two in the Nevada Dance Complex and two in the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts (KCPA).
How many faculty are there?
There are twelve full time faculty, and three part-time faculty, including a physical therapist.
As a student, will I have the opportunity to perform?
Yes, there are many performances during each year. There are 2 performances in the large 674-seat theater in Krannert, 2 in Krannert’s smaller black box theater, and a senior concert produced by the senior class in our large studio, which is converted into a theater. In addition to these traditional spaces, there are several site-specifics performances during the year throughout the community, as well as dance events sponsored by the Student Dance Movement.
As a student, will I have the opportunity to choreograph?
Yes, there are a variety of opportunities to choreograph including the annual Studiodance II concert produced by Krannert Center for the Performing Arts which is comprised solely of student choreographed work. Students audition their pieces and a selection committee selects the work for the concert. Additionally, there are many venues on campus to produce your own work. End of semester showings highlight work from student composition courses. The Senior culminating project entails choreographing and producing both a group piece and a solo.
How many undergraduate students audition each year, and how many are accepted?
Approximately 60 - 75 students audition each year. Our goal is to bring in a class of approximately 20 students for each freshman class.
When will I receive notification as to whether or not I have been accepted?
You will receive notification from the Office of Admissions. If you completed the application process prior to the priority deadline, and you audition in November, you will be notified by December 15. If your application is completed after the priority deadline, or you audition in February or March, you will be notified by March 15. Note that you will not be notified about your academic eligibility until your dance audition is complete, and vice versa.
If I am transferring into the Department, how long will it take me to complete my course of study?
As a transfer student, your program of study for the BFA degree could be as much as 4 years, depending on your rate of technical and creative development, and your number of transferable courses. This will be determined more specifically once you have been in the program for a period of time and have undergone the Sophomore Review* process.
What style of dance should I use to prepare for my audition?
The audition will consist of modern dance, ballet, and improvisation. Although you do not need to excel in all these areas, you should be familiar with them. We will be looking for both natural potential as well as good prior training.
How long should my solo be?
Your solo can be in any style of dance (excluding tap), and should be no longer than 3 minutes long. We are looking for creative potential, not technical tricks (please leave the fouette turns at home).
Do I need to bring anything with me to the audition?
You should bring the music for your solo in either CD or MP3 format. It will also be a long morning, so we recommend that you bring a healthy snack to eat while you are waiting to perform your solo.
I have a lot of experience in dance, but I don’t want to be a dance major. Can I still take dance courses?
We have a series of classes that are offered each semester specifically for non-dance majors. In addition to those classes, we allow non-majors into the major level technique classes as long as you are at the appropriate level and the class is not full to capacity with majors. You should contact the instructor prior to the first day of class making this request.
I have a family member coming to the audition with me. Which parts of the process can they watch?
For the November and February audition we leave this decision up to the auditionee. There is an observation balcony where friends and family can watch the class portion of the audition, and the solos are performed on stage, where family and friends can watch from the audience. For the March audition we are in a closed studio (no observation area) so viewing is not possible.
Do you offer pointe classes?
We do not offer pointe classes as part of our curriculum. If students want to continue to work on pointe, they often take an additional section of ballet (either major’s level, or the advanced non-major class) and take the additional section in pointe shoes.
Can you study abroad?
Yes, we have students that go abroad, usually during their Junior year. Most of our students go to the Laban Center in London, since it is very comparable to our program. This means that for the year abroad the student does not take general education courses, so you should plan for this early, and take additional general education courses during your first 2 years.
Other students go abroad over the breaks, choosing to go to a program geared toward academics, and find local dance while they are there. This works very well with a foreign language minor, where they spend several weeks in a foreign speaking country while fulfilling their minor requirements.
Can I have a minor or do a double-major?
We do not offer a Dance Minor. It is possible to do a dual major, although it is difficult and requires summer school and/or an extra year of school. It is up to each department to decide if they support students doing a dual major (which dance does) so you need to check with your additional major to learn about their policy.
* Sophomore Review is a pivotal moment assessing technical, creative and academic achievements thus far to ensure students are progressing a rate along Departmental standards.
