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Master of Music and Graduate Diploma Application Requirements

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Applications must be submitted by the stated deadlines. Majors that are not pre-screened are guaranteed an audition. Pre-screened majors are reviewed for audition invitations. All applicants invited to audition must do so live in New York. The Juilliard School does not accept video auditions. Those applicants scheduled for auditions will receive notification approximately one month prior to the audition. Pre-screening results will also be sent at that time. No admissions decisions will be confirmed until all credentials and required documents are on file. All applicants are notified of their acceptance status via the online application or e-mail. Notification will be sent by the Office of Admissions approximately one month after the audition and no later than April 1. You may not apply more than two times to any degree level in the Music Division if you receive unfavorable results.

Graduate Programs

  1. Graduate programs are designed for students who have completed an undergraduate curriculum and seek advanced musical training in their applied area of study. Applicants must demonstrate through audition that they possess the musical competence and promise sufficient to justify admission to study at the graduate level.
  2. The graduate curriculum leading to the Master of Music degree is a two-year program that focuses on studio and ensemble work supplemented by academic course requirements and electives. If the bachelor’s degree is in an area other than music, applicants may apply to the Master of Music program provided they have had sufficient training in the major field and have the required repertoire. The Master of Music is the qualifying degree for entry into most doctoral degree programs. Applicants who have earned a Master of Music degree at another institution (domestic or international) are not eligible to apply for the M.M. in the same major at Juilliard.
  3. The graduate curriculum leading to the Graduate Diploma consists of one year of full-time study in orchestral instrument performance, Piano, or Composition (Collaborative Piano, Guitar, Historical Performance, Orchestral Conducting, and Voice require two years). If the bachelor’s degree or diploma is in an area other than music, applicants may apply to the Graduate Diploma program provided they have had sufficient training in the major field and have the required repertoire. The Graduate Diploma is not a degree and typically does not serve as qualification for entry into doctoral degree programs. Applicants who have earned a Master of Music degree are not eligible to apply for the Graduate Diploma in the same major, excepting Collaborative Piano, Historical Performance, Orchestral Conducting, and Voice. Instead, they should consider application to the D.M.A. or Artist Diploma programs. Statistics and other disclosure information for non-degree diploma programs can be found here.

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Application Fee

The $110 application fee is nonrefundable. Make check or money order payable to The Juilliard School. All checks must be drawn on a U.S. bank and must be received by December 1, 2011. Payment by credit card is only available for applications submitted online. Application fee waivers are available only for eligible undergraduate applicants.

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Transcripts

Documentation of post-secondary schooling is an essential component of the application process. Applicants must supply official transcripts of all previous college / conservatory / university studies demonstrating scholastic competence sufficient to succeed in course work at the graduate level.

Applicants should send the official transcripts of school records by February 15, 2012. Official transcripts must be in a sealed envelope, or be sent directly from the issuing institution. This applies to U.S. and international applicants. Pre-screened majors should wait to receive pre-screening results before sending transcripts.

  • Master of Music applicants must hold a bachelor’s degree (or its equivalent from a foreign institution, generally including at least 24 college-level credits in liberal arts subjects) from an accredited institution of higher learning by the time they enroll at Juilliard.
  • Graduate Diploma applicants must hold a bachelor’s degree or an undergraduate diploma by the time they enroll at Juilliard.
  • For graduates of foreign institutions: equivalency information and translations may be obtained through World Education Services, (212) 966-6311. Official transcripts with equivalency information and translations, as needed, are due by February 15, 2012.
  • Current Juilliard College Students do not need to request Juilliard transcripts be sent to Admissions.
  • Formerly enrolled Juilliard College Students do not need to request Juilliard transcripts be sent to Admissions, however, they should provide transcripts for any other institutions attended after their tenure at Juilliard.

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Proof of English Language Proficiency

The ability to speak, read, and understand English fluently is an important factor in admissions decisions. A Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) will be required of applicants for whom English is not the native language, regardless of citizenship.

Minimum score requirements for graduate applicants:

Program IBT Total IBT Writing CBT Total CBT Essay PBT Total
Master of Music 89 21 230 5.0 570
Graduate Diploma 73 11 200 3.0 533
  1. Applicants for whom English is not a native language must submit an official copy of their TOEFL scores by February 15, 2012. Photocopies, faxes, and student copies are not acceptable.
  2. Applicants will not be admitted without an official score on file which meets the minimum guidelines for admission (see above grid). Applicants should take a TOEFL by January 2012 in order to have the score submitted to the Admissions Office by February 15.
    • If you submitted a TOEFL score report to your undergraduate institution that meets our minimum requirements, you may ask that institution's Registrar to send to us directly an official photocopy of the score report in a sealed school envelope. It is important to note that not all schools will release this information and applicants who wish to pursue this option should research it well in advance so as to leave themselves time to take another TOEFL, if necessary. Applicants to the Master of Music who submit an old score that is above 73 but below 89 should see #4 below.
  3. Juilliard does not grant exemptions to the English Language Proficiency requirement based on an applicant’s citizenship status in the U.S. However, applicants who will have studied full-time for at least six years at English-speaking institutions (prior to enrolling at Juilliard) may be considered for a waiver of the TOEFL score, with approval from the Office of Admissions. To apply for a waiver of the TOEFL:
    • Submit a letter explaining your academic background and enclose official transcripts totaling six years of study in English* (include all college and high school transcripts as needed) by December 1, 2011. *It is acceptable for the applicant to be in the sixth year of study if currently enrolled in an English-speaking institution. Transcripts should show strong grades in academic classes.
    • The letter and all transcripts must be included in the same envelope; transcripts that are received separately from the letter will not be reviewed and the waiver request will be considered incomplete.
    • Incomplete or late requests will not be considered, without exception.
    • The Associate Dean for Admissions will review all complete waiver requests and will respond via e-mail by mid-January 2012.
    • Applicants who are not granted a waiver will be required to submit an official TOEFL score by February 15, as noted above, and are required to attend an English Language Interview during the audition period (see below).
    • Applicants who are granted a waiver will still be required to attend an English Language Interview during the audition period (see below). If admitted and enrolling, they must also take the English Language Placement Exam during Orientation at the beginning of the fall semester.
  4. All applicants for whom English is not their native language will be considered for a program of study in accordance with their TOEFL score. The Admissions Committee may offer admission to the Graduate Diploma to candidates whose TOEFL score does not meet the minimum requirement for the M.M., but is above the minimum for the G.D.
  5. All admitted graduate students (M.M. and G.D.) with a TOEFL score below 102 iBT must also take the English Language Placement Exam during Orientation at the beginning of the fall semester.
  6. The Juilliard School’s CEEB code is 002340.
  7. Visit the TOEFL Web site for more information.
  8. Current and Former Juilliard College Students do not need to submit another TOEFL.

English Language Interview: In addition, you are required to complete an interview with the Office of International Advisement (Room 245) during the audition period, regardless of whether a TOEFL waiver is granted. This interview is an essential component for the Admissions Committee in making admissions decisions. It is important to note that this interview does not replace a TOEFL score, nor can a member of the International Advisement staff waive the English Language Proficiency requirement.

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Essay

All applicants are required to submit an essay as a component of the online application. Juilliard’s Admissions Committee uses your essay to learn more about you as an individual, and gain a sense of who you are beyond your application, transcript and audition.  Essays should be 1 - 2 pages, double-spaced, in a 12 point font.

Current or Formerly enrolled Juilliard college students: Please explain your motivation for continuing or resuming your studies at The Juilliard School in an advanced program. Students may choose to address academic, artistic, or professional goals that they believe could be accomplished by returning to the Juilliard community.

All other Master of Music and Graduate Diploma applicants: choose one of the following essay topics:

  • Describe the most challenging obstacle you have had to overcome; discuss its impact, and tell us what you have learned from the experience.
  • Dr. Joseph Polisi, Juilliard’s president, has stated: “. . . [talented young people are] responsible for more than getting the notes right or the words right or the steps right. They have to be missionaries for the arts." Write about how, as an artist, you intend to advocate for the relevancy of the arts in the twenty-first century.
  • Using one of these words as the title of your essay, write about what the word means to you: A. Commitment; B. Education; or C. Discipline.

Your essay should be submitted through the online application. Please do not also submit a hard copy of your essay via post.

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Letters of Recommendation

Graduate applicants are not required to submit letters of recommendation, with the exception of Composition and Historical Performance.

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Audition

  • Majors that are not pre-screened are guaranteed an audition. Pre-screened majors are reviewed for audition invitations.
  • All applicants invited to audition must do so live in New York; The Juilliard School does not accept video auditions, under any circumstances.
  • It is recommended that applicants avoid scheduling conflicts by planning to be available for the entire audition period.
  • See here for audition dates and specific audition repertoire requirements.

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