All students must apply to Burton Center for Arts and Technology by January 15, 2026 using the online application located on the BCAT website. Student applicants to BCAT can choose up to three programs by ranking their order of preference in the online application. Parents/guardians and their child(ren) should discuss each ranking prior to a student submitting an application.

All students applying to BCAT for the 2026-27 school year will be interviewed by a member of the BCAT selection committee by mid-February 2025. The order of program preference will be confirmed during each student interview. Student order preference is the greatest factor the selection committee considers when deciding on applicants. If a student changes program preference during the interview, it will be the responsibility of the student to inform the parent of that decision. Once all interviews are complete, BCAT school counseling will send out e-mails to all families to confirm program order preference.

Each BCAT program has different interview questions associated with it, and each Center at BCAT has additional application criteria that will be e-mailed to each student applicant.

The BCAT selection process involves a thorough review of each applicant to determine placement for the number of seats that are open. This selection process includes a review of grades, attendance, and interview answers. When the BCAT selection committee meets to review applicants and decide on program acceptance, students that meet the criteria to be accepted into two or more programs will be selected for the #1 preferred program to which the student applied. On extremely rare occasions, a student can be accepted into more than one program. BCAT school counseling will speak with any student and family who may fall into this category.

To promote fairness for all applicants, there are several aspects of the selection process that are not revealed. This includes individual feedback on interviews and where an applicant is on the waitlist. Each year, a number of students ultimately come off of the waitlists and are offered a spot in their first, second, or third choice.  The counseling staff at BCAT work all spring and summer to fill spots that become vacated. 

We highly encourage all applicants, who do not come off the waitlist, to apply again the following year.