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Application Information

A.C.T. is no longer offering academic credit for this program.

SFS Program Costs

Application fee

 $50

Tuition

 $15,000

Books, Supplies

 $125

Housing*

 $8,490

Cultural Landscapes Course Fee

 $400

Library fee

  $25

                               Total Program Cost: $24,065

Students Who Are Serious about Their Training

San Francisco Semester is for students seeking like-minded actors-in-training who are committed and passionate about their artistry. Students are serious about the work and come prepared for challenges. A.C.T. seeks to attract to its faculty, staff, and student body qualified persons from diverse backgrounds in an effort to enrich our collective creative experience. Students of all abilities, racial identities, and gender identities are welcome and encouraged to apply for A.C.T.'s San Francisco Semester.

Students who have previously attended were:

  1. Recent high school graduates with a performance background seeking a gap year
  2. Actors not currently enrolled in undergrad, looking to commit to their artistic training
  3. Undergraduate students who are seeking a study-away semester at a professional theater institution, 
  4. Recent college graduates with an AA or Bachelor's degree in theater who want to continue their training
  5. Actors who seeking a sample of A.C.T.’s MFA program.
  6. International students who are seeking actor training in a metropolitan U.S. city (previous students have come from Japan, China, Argentina, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Argentina, and Sweden) -- we are no longer able to provide F1 Visas. International students will need to provide their own way of attending an institution abroad.

 

Guidelines for Applying to San Francisco Semester

Enrollment application submission must include:

  1. Completed application form
  2. Current résumé listing previous training and experience
  3. One full-face snapshot or 8" x 10" headshot
  4. Contact information for two references, including name, phone number, and email address—these individuals will automatically receive instructions on how to submit a letter of recommendation
  5. Transcripts from all colleges and universities you have attended; proof of high school graduation if you have not attended college
  6. A nonrefundable, non-waivable $50 application fee, payable by credit card or PayPal
  7. A personal essay (no longer than one typewritten page) describing why you are pursuing actor training

Please note: Your application must be submitted with all supporting materials

Enrollment is limited and selective. To guarantee your place in A.C.T.'s San Francisco Semester, please submit your enrollment application as early as possible. No entrance audition is necessary. Students are considered for acceptance in the program following an interview after their completed applications are received and reviewed.

““My mother always said, ‘Take it for a test drive before you buy it.’ If you’re interested in professional-level MFA acting training, the SFS is that test drive. Afterward I bought the car!””

Justin Genna, SFS Spring 2015, MFA Alum 2018

Phone/Zoom Interviews and Acceptance

Interviews with the Director of the Conservatory are held within two-weeks of all materials of an application being received. Interviewees are notified within two weeks after the interview if they are been accepted, wait-listed, or rejected from the program. Potential students on the wait-list are notified, at the latest, two weeks prior to class starting if they have taken off the waitlist.

Requirements

Applicants to the San Francisco Semester must:

  • Be at least 18 years of age by the chosen class start date
  • Have a secondary (US high school equivalent) education degree
  • Have proof of current health insurance.

SFS Spring 2025 Application Deadlines

Early bird (save $2500 on tuition) admission deadline:
October 14, 2024 

For most serious consideration, apply by:
November 18, 2024

Financial-aid deadline:
December 2, 2024

Final deadline:
December 20, 2024 

Registration and Orientation:
January 24, 2025 

Classes Begin:
January 27, 2025

Classes End:
May 16, 2025

SFS Fall 2025 Application Deadlines

Early bird (save $2500 on tuition) admission deadline:
April 4, 2025

For most serious consideration, apply by:
May 16, 2025

Financial Aid Deadline:
June 20, 2025

Final Deadline:
July 18, 2025

Registration and Orientation:
August 22, 2025

Classes Begin:
August 25, 2025

Classes End:
December 12, 2025

 

*A.C.T. does not find housing for students and has no housing available. Apartments, rooms, and residence clubs are located within walking distance of the A.C.T. studios in downtown San Francisco. This figure reflects food, transportation, personal, miscellaneous, medical and housing costs for students living in off-campus apartments for 15 weeks in the Bay Area



Questions?


Visit our SFS FAQ page or email conservatory@act-sf.org