Application and Audition for the MFA Program

Please see the information below in order to prepare for the Autumn 2025 application! Please email dance@osu.edu if you have additional questions.

In order to give us time to prepare for your audition we ask that you complete the Ohio State Graduate Admission/Dance Audition application by October 1, 2024. 

The application, transcript(s), Autobiographical Statement, CV/Resume, and Portfolio must be completed and received by October 1 before a review of any materials can take place. Letters of Recommendation may be submitted after the audition invitation and no later than November 1. 

 

Audition Information

In-person audition events will be in November (dates to be announced later), by invitation only. Applicants will be notified by October 15, 2024, if they are invited to audition. We are currently planning for an in-person audition process on November 18 and 19, 2024; there will be online accommodations for international applicants on November 18, 19, and 22 between 8:30-12:30pm EST. While a sample schedule is available, the schedule will be finalized with the invitation to attend. 

Each prospective MFA student will be scheduled for a twenty-minute individual interview with a member of the faculty during the audition process. Applicants will open the interview with a brief presentation that highlights their interests in graduate work at Ohio State and outlines possible areas of emphasis.

Procedure for Entrance

An audition and interview is required for all MFA applicants. We look forward to seeing all auditionees at our audition events! Acceptance into the Department of Dance MFA program requires admission to the university graduate school as well as admission to the department. Applicants must complete application procedures for both the Graduate Admissions Office and the Department of Dance. There is only one application to complete, which is reviewed by the Department of Dance faculty, and all MFA applicants are expected to attend the November audition unless other arrangements are made with the Academic Program Coordinator. Applicants are notified of the admission decision in January.

 

Admission Requirements

Complete the single, combined Graduate School Admission and Dance Audition Application online.

All materials are to be submitted electronically. Please do not send additional hard copies of supporting materials. You will be asked to upload the following documents. Please note that you are encouraged to submit the application (and any supporting materials) well before the deadline and then return to upload supporting documents at any time prior to the deadline so that your recommenders receive information to submit their recommendations online.

For technical assistance, contact the Graduate Admissions Office; for further questions, contact the Dance Academic Program Coordinator. Please allow Graduate Admissions and Dance several business days to process your documents and update the checklist in your Applicant Center; your patience is appreciated.

The application, transcript(s), Autobiographical Statement, CV/Resume, and Portfolio must be completed and received by October 1 before a review of any materials can take place. Letters of Recommendation may be submitted after the audition invitation and no later than November 1. 

 

  1. Scanned copy of an official transcript for all universities/institutions attended for review purposes. If admitted, you will need to request an official transcript be sent directly from the institution(s) to the Graduate Admissions Office.
  2. Autobiographical Statement: Compose a brief but engaging narrative, relating your making and movement practice interests to pursuing a degree in our program. Please keep the length to 2–4 pages double-spaced (12-point font). We are interested in getting to know something about you as a dance professional through this writing. If Dance nominates you for a Fellowship, this statement will also be included in the application packet, which is forwarded to the University Fellowship Committee, and as such should provide a compelling account to a committee of readers from diverse disciplines.
    Your statement should:

    • articulate what has impacted or influenced your artistic voice

    • clarify your current involvement and interests in the field of dance

    • highlight significant details of your previous professional experience

    • situate you and your professional work within the dance field at the present time (With what artists is your work in conversation, whether or not you have worked with them? Where do you look for inspiration? Etc.)

    • explain what you hope to accomplish in your studies and how the MFA program at Ohio State will help you accomplish your professional and career goals

  3. Curriculum Vitae: This document should accurately reflect your completed educational background and all of your professional and related experiences to date. Please be thorough and comprehensive, as your C.V. is critical in our determination of appropriate potential fellowship nomination.
  4. Portfolio
    Part I - Work: In a Word or PDF document, list active links to 2 or 3 work samples that best represent your work at this time and demonstrate your expertise and interests. These can include your choreography, screendance, documentation of your performance, samples of your lighting plots, dance notation, dance media projects, etc. (Password-protected links with the password provided, unlisted links, or publicly accessible links are all fine.) Each link must be accompanied by a clearly written legend identifying the contents, including title, order of materials, date, and explicit identification of your contribution. If you appear in the work sample with other people, please guide reviewers by identifying yourself. Film clips must be unedited (continuous footage and not reels, though you may point reviewers to a particular timecode). There is no time limit to any of the videos submitted.
    Part II - Narrative: Please write 2–3 pages (double-spaced, 12-point font) discussing your creative practice by addressing the following two questions:
    • What is the focus of your work? (stage, screen, site, intermedia, community, production design, performance, a particular practice, social or environmental justice, etc)
    • How are your artistic sensibilities expressed or exhibited through your process and your approach to making?
  5. At least three letters of recommendation must be submitted. Letters should speak your artistic and academic strengths. We ask that at least two letters should be from someone at an academic institution (past or present) who can speak to these strengths, even if your previous academic work was not in Dance. Recommendations should be chosen carefully as they are reviewed for both admission and potential funding. Instructions for online submission of reference letters will be emailed to your recommenders after you submit the online application and application fee. You may manage REMINDERS and/or send instructions to new recommenders from your Applicant Center.  You may select more than three recommenders if you wish, and those recommenders may email their letter on letterhead as a file attachment to dance@osu.edu.

We recommend that you submit the application first, and return later to upload the documents listed above as they are ready, with all materials submitted by the deadline. 

Please note IF you request an application fee waiver, you must have proof of eligibility ready for review (which may or may not be approved). Otherwise your submitted application will be delayed; please allow up to 10 business days for processing. If the waiver not approved, you will need to change your request in your Applicant Center and plan to resubmit with payment.

NOTE: GRE scores ARE NOT REQUIRED unless your cumulative undergraduate GPA is calculated as below 3.0 on a 4.0 scale by the Graduate Admissions Office. If your cumulative undergraduate grade point average is below 3.0, you must take the GRE. If you attended an institution that used the Pass/Non-Pass system, you must also take a GRE. If you have GRE scores, they are optional and you may submit them to the Graduate Admissions Office (institution code 1592). If you have not completed the GRE, it is not required unless your cumulative undergraduate GPA is below 3.0 on a 4.0 scale (or equivalent). 

 

University Fellowship

Consideration for University Fellowship is based on excellence in previous academic work and artistic work, and is evidenced by official transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate academic institutions, a statement of purpose, and three letters of reference. Please note: While the University Fellowship requires a minimum 3.6 cumulative point-hour ratio (on the 4.0 scale) in all previous undergraduate coursework, it is at the discretion of the Dance Graduate Studies Committee who they will nominate based on application materials and audition results. It is essential that all application materials be received by both the Graduate School and the Department of Dance by the deadline date in order to be considered for a University Fellowship.

International Applicants

In addition, International applicants must have completed the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or equivalent within the last two years. Please send all scores to the Graduate Admissions Office (institution code 1592) or see their website for more information.