<p>I think that very few BFA programs demand stellar grades (BA programs will usually have the same admissions criteria as the college or university, and will vary accordingly). NYU, BU, Carnegie-Mellon, and some others remain academically selective, but still probably admit applicants who auditioned well, but whose GPAs and/or SATs are lower than other applicants to the university. Some programs, such as DePaul, specify a certain minimum they expect students to have (2.5 GPA at DePaul, other art schools have said 2.0). When we visited Mason Gross at Rutgers, the graduate student representative said “we don’t care about your grades.” I would suggest that you rule no school out quite yet, but cast a wide academic and financial net. Most conservatory programs care more about talent - they are likelier to accept the student with lower grades who auditioned well than a less talented applicant with a higher GPA. The competition is so intense, though, that the applicant’s academic record can be a determining factor. It will also play a role in allocating scholarship funds. Are your board scores competitive. Colleges like “juicing” their statistics, so they will be forgiving toward a lower GPA if it’s accompanied by high test scores. My son’s grades are not very good, but we hope that the 780 in Critical Reading will help him out.</p>