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Any student at the University of Minnesota may pursue the BA in music with academic emphasis or World Music Minor; no application or audition is required.

The following programs require an application and audition. Additionally, music education and music therapy programs require an entrance interview. 

  • BMus (performance, music education, music therapy) 
  • BA in music with applied emphasis
  • Music minor (applied)

Equivalency and PSEO applicants, please see specialized instructions. Transfer applicants, please find additional information below.

    STEP 1: Apply to the University of Minnesota

    • Incoming Freshman and Transfer applicants must apply for admission to the University of Minnesota. The regular application deadline for Fall 2021 admission is January 1; the regular application deadline for Spring 2021 admission is December 1. For further clarification of the dual application decision process for the School of Music and the University, see the "Admissions Decisions" section below.
    • Music Therapy Equivalency-Only applicants and currently enrolled students at the U of M - Twin Cities do not need to apply to the University.
    • PSEO must apply to the U of M PSEO program when applications open in February.

    STEP 2: Apply to the School of Music

    Application Deadlines for 2021 Admission
    November 15, 2020 - Spring 2021 application and audition deadline*
    January 15, 2021 - Fall 2021 application deadline*
    *All auditions for 2021 will be conducted via video recording, due by the application deadline

    The School of Music Application includes:

    • Online Application
      Includes proposed degree plan, audition/interview date, studio instructor preferences, musical and educational history, and space to list musical accomplishments and goals.
    • Two letters of recommendation (suggested)
      Letters of recommendation are suggested, but not required. The application will gather the email addresses of references you wish to include and collect the letters on your behalf.
    • Recorded audition
      Due to Covid-19 precautions, all auditions for Spring 2021 and Fall 2021 entrance will be conducted via video recording and due at the time of application by the application deadline. Please review the recorded audition guidelines and submission instructions.
    • $45 Non-refundable application fee
      Applicants who meet specific financial circumstances as self-identified on their application will qualify for a fee waiver.

    STEP 3: Audition and Interview

    Due to Covid-19 precautions, the School of Music is moving to an all-virtual audition and interview process for Spring 2021 and Fall 2021 admission. 

    Recorded Auditions: All applicants of the B.Mus programs (music education, music therapy, performance), the BA Applied, and the Music Minor (applied) must submit a recorded audition with their application by the application deadline. Please review the recorded audition guidelines and submission instructions.

    Music Education & Music Therapy Interviews: Students applying to the music education and music therapy programs must complete a 15-minute interview via Zoom on the with the faculty on the formal interview dates for their desired term of entry: 

    Interview Dates for 2021 Admission to Music Education and Music Therapy Programs
    December 5, 2020 - remote Zoom interviews for Spring 2021 admission
    January 23, 2021 & February 6, 2021 - remote Zoom interviews for Fall 2021 admission

    Applicants of these programs will be asked to submit a printed copy of their responses to the Music Education/Music Therapy Interview Profile at the time of the interview. Interviews will take place between 8 am - 8 pm Central Standard Time on the formal interview date they select on their application.

    Admission Decisions

    For School of Music consideration, students must submit applications for both University admission as well as School of Music admission. Each applicant will be reviewed based on the information presented in the application. The School of Music will also utilize the audition and interview to make a final determination. 

    The Office of Admissions may indicate that a decision will be held until after the music application and audition process has been completed. Note that admission to the University of Minnesota does not guarantee admission to the School of Music, and admission to the School of Music does not guarantee admission to the University of Minnesota. 

    Scholarships

    Students who complete their applications for fall admission to the BMus and BA with applied emphasis programs by the application deadlines and who gain admission to the University of Minnesota are automatically considered for music scholarships. Learn more about scholarships. 

    Instructor Preference

    Instructor Preference

    Students have the opportunity to indicate their primary and secondary choices of private lesson instructor. Every effort will be made to honor these requests based on studio availability and balance. However, we cannot guarantee placement in your preferred instructor's studio. 

    Housing

    Most incoming music, art, theatre, dance and honors majors choose to live in Middlebrook Hall, the dormitory located next to Ferguson Hall (the School of Music) on the West Bank of campus overlooking the Mississippi River. In order to secure a spot in Middlebrook, apply for housing as soon as the application is posted in November and list Middlebrook Hall as your first choice of a dormitory. You do not need to wait to be admitted to or confirmed to enroll at the University of Minnesota before you apply for housing; the earlier you submit your housing application, the more likely you are to be placed in your first choice of a dormitory.  

    Transfer Students

    Transfer Students 

    The University of Minnesota School of Music is an accredited, institutional member school of the National Association for Schools of Music.

    To transfer to the School of Music, you must apply to both the University of Minnesota and the School of Music. If you are supported by a music scholarship at the time of your application to the School of Music, the director of your current music school must submit a signed transfer release form in on your behalf in order for you to be considered for music scholarships at the University of Minnesota.

    If you have taken music coursework for credit at another institution, you may be able to apply those credits toward, and be exempt from, the equivalent coursework at the School of Music. This will require you to undergo a transfer course review process that includes: placement exams for theory and ear training, syllabus review for academic and specialized music courses, and a transfer jury at the end of your first semester at the University for applied lessons and ensembles. Students transferring must take placement exams and have syllabi reviewed at the beginning of their first semester after admission. 

    Transfer specialists in the Office of Admissions will provide applicants with information on the transfer of liberal education/general credits to the University of Minnesota.