<p>It is somewhere in between. U of Minnesota/Guthrie’s program administrators make no secret of the fact that they consider liberal arts an important part of training actors. I am pretty sure it states that on the program website, in fact. So you do have to be accepted academically before you can be considered for the actor training program. (It doesn’t have to be in that order. During my D’s audition last year, Ken Washington asked her if she had already applied and been accepted and she was able to say yes.) I do know a kid who impressed the auditors at his audition but did not get in because his grades were really poor, so he did not get in.</p>
<p>I don’t think you need Harvard-quality grades to get into Minnesota, but you should have a decent GPA, good rigorous courses and decent SATs. Go to College Board and look up the average. That should help.</p>