So this is the email I received January 2nd.
"I wanted to let you know that we are allowing students to start the MFA program this spring. Essentially, you would take your fall first semester courses this spring 2021 and your spring second semester courses in summer 2021. You would then be all caught up with your required first year classes by the end of the summer and would continue into your second year in fall 2021. The semester enrollment dates are listed below.
We have a few spots remaining for this special group. Please let me know if you are interested and we can fast track your application. Otherwise, the early consideration deadline remains January 15, 2021 if you prefer the September 2021 start date. "
I'm not sure if everyone got this email, but I found it a little suspect that they would want me to start early. I can't imagine why that could be unless they need tuition money. I went ahead and had my interview with them last week. Everyone there seems really nice. I was a bit disappointed they didn't ask about anything having to do with the meaning of my work especially considering my work is quite controversial and grotesque at times.
As far as the quality of their students goes, to my knowledge everyone they posted was a second year student. So they are that good after a highly intensive atelier like year of education. That doesn't necessarily mean the incoming students are any good at all which is my main concern. It could easily be a situation in which they are not very selective but train up everyone to be good or weed out the ones that aren't in the first year.
Still, there is a lot I like about the school. I love love love the figurative focus and find it a good fit because I'm a very realistic painter. Taken all together, if they give me a major scholarship (the largest is 20,000 according to my interviewer) I would consider it an option. Final decisions should be out February 15th fyi.