How competitive are artist residencies?

Acceptance rates vary widely. The most prestigious fully funded programs are extremely competitive — MacDowell publishes acceptance rates around 5%, Rijksakademie is similarly tight, Skowhegan accepts roughly 7% of applicants. DAAD Berlin and the Akademie Schloss Solitude run in the same range. These programs receive hundreds to thousands of applications per cycle for a few dozen spots. Mid-tier residencies — well-regarded but less internationally famous — have acceptance rates between 10% and 25%. Many regional and university-affiliated residencies fall here. The competition is real but the math is much friendlier; an artist with a strong portfolio and a tailored application can reasonably expect to land one of these within a few application cycles. Smaller residencies, self-funded programs, and emerging-artist-focused residencies often have acceptance rates of 30% or higher. Some artist-run residencies accept the majority of qualified applicants because the cohort is small and the program is selective for fit rather than prestige. These can be excellent first residencies — they build the CV line and the muscle memory of applying without requiring the artist to compete against established names. The strategic takeaway is to apply to a mix. A handful of top-tier "reach" programs each year, several mid-tier programs where your work is well-aligned, and one or two smaller programs where acceptance is likely. The artists who land good residencies aren't the artists who only apply to MacDowell; they're the artists with three or four acceptances over a year across different tiers, who use the smaller residencies as stepping stones toward the larger ones.