I know 2 people who have graduated from NYU Tisch in 3 years because they came in with a lot of AP credits. They graduated a few years ago, but at least at that time it was possible.
@Dusing2 graduating a semester early from Tisch is very doable and common because some people feel hitting the streets before all of the other graduates from all over the country come to town is an advantage. Not sure if it is but I’ve heard that (along with saving money) is the thinking. I believe graduating in 3 years might also be doable but Tisch won’t give more than 32 credits for APs and the scores must be 4’s or 5’s. Info about that is here in case anyone cares: https://students.tisch.nyu.edu/object/adv_credits.html. There is also a January term at NYU where other gen ed requirements can be completed though you pay extra tuition (but not extra for housing) for those credits.
A limiting factor in early graduation might be the ability to schedule in the theatre studies classes you need around your studio classes. You need a minimum of 28 theatre studies credits. Assuming 4 credits/class and you take one every semester for 3 years and one of the semester you take two of them, the math works but I’m not sure how easy that is to do schedule-wise.
My daughter for example is a rising senior. She didn’t attend a high school that did APs but took a couple of the tests anyway and did well enough for them to count against some requirements at NYU. She is done with her graduation requirements except she still needs one more theatre studies class. But the minute you talk about 1 class (4 credits) on top of studio (8 credits) you are once again a full time student and pay full time tuition so you might as well load up on the education to get your money’s worth (full time is up to 18 credits). She has mean parents who for sure will make her do that 
You are allowed to switch to a part-time student status at NYU during your final semester before graduating. In the spring, that is what our daughter will do and she will only take studio classes. We will then only be paying part time tuition and it will save us a lot of money. In theory, she could also just graduate a semester early like mentioned above but there are great classes about the business of the business and other career launching things that we wouldn’t want her to miss by graduating early. In for a penny, in for a pound.
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OK, so now I’m wondering about MT/Acting programs in general. At many schools, the final semester is devoted to “senior showcase” - in whatever form that takes. I have heard anecdotally that this can mean there are no academic classes being taken that semester - unless there is “catching up” to do. I have also heard that some students “opt out” of the senior showcase for various reasons - already have a post-graduation job lined up, can’t afford travel costs, etc. So how feasible is it for a student in ANY program to graduate early, especially if they come in with AP credit?
@Dusing2, Tisch may be unique because after the first two years of primary training, you can switch studios for advanced training so there is not necessarily the same sequencing after that. There are also a couple of studios that only have advanced training and are not primary studios. One doesn’t even have to stay in the same studio the entire year but can switch (assuming the space is there) from one semester to the next.
@mom4bwayboy that’s actually an interesting question that is possibly worthy of its own thread. It’s really hard to know the answer to it without fully understanding the scheduling and policies of various schools. For example (this is just an example, I don’t really know the answers here), dusing2 is assuming above (as would I) that U Michigan expects you to be in their program for 4 years. But I just looked up their graduation requirements, and on the basis of credit hours, it looks like you could finish early. U Mich doesn’t require any more in major hours than Tisch does and you can finish early at Tisch. But what does that actually mean in any particular program schedule-wise in terms of fitting things in, course sequences, pre-requisites? No idea.
We know there are programs that allow students to spend a semester abroad. Chances are that unless that program is an abroad semester at another theatre program (like Tisch has with RADA for instance), you’d be talking about an academic semester doing something that may be related to theatre but not part of the practical training curriculum and not counting towards those hours. So I’d think if a school allows you to do that, it suggests there could be some wiggle room in when one completes their program. Just a guess.
When my D met with her NYU academic advisor at the end of the year- they laid out a couple of different paths. One is to graduate in 3 years. She came with a stack of ap credits - and credits from NYU summer program for HS students. She would need to do one J term or summer term to get all hours in. Just taking a “normal” schedule she will have all her credits in And graduate in 3 1/2 years. Or she can add extra classes (a minor? Study abroad?) and stay the full 4 years. There has been a LOT of conversation at our house this summer as to which is the best way to go- still up in the air. Depends on the next phase of her journey. But it can be done- esp if you come with credits. That is why I recommend staying with ap classes etc (if available) in the senior year. It makes things crazy- but can be worth it.
@mom4bwayboy I think it would depend on the program and on the student’s individual goals. Many of you on CC know that I transferred into my current institution, Viterbo, from a non-performance arts administration-esque program with the equivalent of about 40 credits (essentially the bulk of my gen eds and some business courses, plus some APs from high school). If I had chosen to only pursue MT, I could have graduated in “on time”, that is, in 2017, 4 years after I started college, but only 3 years after entering my MT program (and in fact, there is another MT transfer who entered in the same year as I did with 37 credits, and she has chosen to pursue graduating in 2017). I chose to pick up a double major in Arts Administration, so instead, I will graduate in 2018, making my total undergraduate career five years long (but hey, when I’m getting a BFA in two disciplines, I can’t complain!).
There are quite a few transfers I’ve known who can get out in 3 years at Viterbo, or people who choose to take a semester “off” to study abroad (many of our students spend a semester at LAMDA) or take an internship, while still graduating on time. This is possible Viterbo really encourages underclassmen to take classes like Business of Theatre–which is typically a senior-level class at most programs–early, so that we can become grounded in the realities of the business as soon as possible. All seniors are required to take a final audition techniques class their final year (but we take a multilevel sequence of those throughout the program) as well as the senior capstone (Viterbo doesn’t showcase, so all seniors create a 30-minute solo performance project known as the Senior Shows). But provided those requirements are completed (and those who graduate early often do their Senior Show in the fall semester rather than in the spring, when they are traditionally done), there’s no reason why a student, especially a transfer, couldn’t elect to graduate early. But this is not the norm at many schools.
I wanted to update all of you kind people and thank you again for your encouragement.
Act 3 opens with a heavenly angel chorus. Brilliant sunlight shines down on my daughter walking across a lovely college campus on her way to class. Everyone she passes greets her by name with a smile. A little bird lands on her shoulder and they start to sing a duet together…
…With one semester out of the way, the return to college has gone very well! She loves her professors, her voice teacher, the program and the school itself. I think she appreciates it all so much more as a transfer, than she would have if she had started here as a freshman. Please feel free to send me a private message if you have additional questions, and I wish all of you well!
Thank you for the update. I love a happy ending complete with singing and a pleasant bird!