If a dancer isn't accepted

[Magdalena]

If someone gets accepted to a college, but then they don't get accepted to the dance program, can they still go to that college? Or does that depend on the college?

 

I don't actually want to do that, I'm just exploring options, in case I can't get accepted into any college dance program.

[Victoria Leigh]

I believe that if you are accepted to the college, you may attend the college. You could probably also take dance classes, but just not be able to major in dance if you were not accepted to the dance program.

[Momof3darlings]

If you are academically accepted to a college, you can still attend that college in vast majority of cases. There might be issues if there are admittance requirements for a specific department/major that must be met when your major changes, but that will be major specific and college specific.

[balletstar18]

Just remember that some schools require acceptance to an arts department... i.e. University of the Arts has no regular academic programs, so if you do not get into a specific arts department (i.e. dance, theater, music, etc.) you cannot attend. Similar programs would be NCSA (now UNCSA), SUNY Purchase (I think?), etc. If it is just a regular university with a dance program (i.e. Indiana) you can certainly attend and just major in something different. The availability of ballet classes to non-majors (and the level/quality/quantity of those classes) varies from school to school, so if quality ballet is a concern for you, be sure to ask before you attend a school where you have not been accepted to the dance program.

[kwdancer13]

For example, at Butler if a dancer is not accepted to the dance program but is to the University, they may attend as a JCFA exploratory major or switch majors all together. Many also take the non-major classes and re-audition.

[Serendipity]

I was accepted to my college as a theatre arts major, switched to education and did an arts minor, focusing in dance. I was allowed to attend all dance classes as long as I took them in the required sequence. For example, even though I was experienced, I had to take the beginner ballet class, as if I hadn't had any training. Fortunately, our ballet teacher was excellent, and differentiated. I re-took the ballet class having taken all the available dance classes and just did it in pointe shoes, with the teacher again differentiating. She put the course in as "independent study."