<p>About CMU financial aid: For us, the offer to “look at FA awards from ‘peer’ universities” was, in fact, a matching program. Moreover, “peer school” was a flexible concept. We submitted financial aid offers from schools that were competitive in theater but not in the same universe academically, and CMU treated them as peer schools.</p>
<p>About CMU grad school: Although the school does offer MFA degrees in design and management, undergrads work on fully realized productions and also get off-campus professional opportunities.</p>
<p>HOWEVER, about the problems posed by emtrippedagain’s father’s income: I’m sorry I didn’t take that into account or I never would have recommended CMU in the first place. Although totally unfair IMO, it’s really non-negotiable.</p>
<p>About UCLA: The theater department at UCLA has curtailed its program at the same time that the system has dramatically escalated tuition and fees with no end in sight. There is no management specialization and the design program is “pre-professional.”</p>