Any student at the University of Minnesota may pursue the BA in Music with Academic Emphasis; no application or audition is required.

The following undergraduate programs require a formal application and entrance audition to the School of Music. Additionally, the Music Education and Music Therapy programs require an entrance interview. 

• Bachelor of Music (Performance, Music Education, Music Therapy) 
• Bachelor of Arts with Applied Emphasis
• Music Minor

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

Music Application Instructions

STEP 1: Apply to the School of Music

• Applicant profile
  Includes your proposed degree plan, audition/interview date, and studio instructor preferences, musical and educational history, as well as space to list musical accomplishments and personal goals.
• Pre-screening videos
  Required only if you are applying to audition on voice, saxophone, piano, violin, viola, cello, or double bass. 
• Two letters of recommendation
  The application will gather the email addresses of your references and collect the letters on your behalf. 
• Vocal accompanist sheet music
  Vocalists who pass the pre-screening round will be provided an accompanist at no charge for their live audition round. Accompanists are neither required nor provided for other instruments.
• Recorded audition
  If you choose to submit a recorded audition, your video is due with your application. Please review recorded audition eligibility and guidelines.
• $45 Non-refundable application fee
  Students may apply for a fee waiver. Applicants from MN, ND, SD, WI, and Manitoba who receive a fee waiver on their application to the University are also eligible for a fee waiver from the School of Music.

STEP 2: Apply to the University of Minnesota

• Incoming Freshman and Transfer applicants must apply for admission to the University of Minnesota: https://admissions.tc.umn.edu/. For further clarification of the dual application decision process for the School of Music and the University, see the "Admissions Decisions" section below.
• Equivalency 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 3: Audition and Interview

Provided you pass any pre-screening round required of your instrument, the date you select on your School of Music application is considered confirmed. Due to the high volume of applications, the School of Music cannot consider requests for specific times of the day or reschedule.

Auditions will take place at the School of Music in Ferguson Hall with a formal time sent to auditionees two weeks prior to their selected audition date. 

Recorded Auditions: It is to your benefit to complete a live audition. However, recorded auditions are available for students located 200+ miles from the University of Minnesota. Recorded auditions are uploaded to the School of Music application at the time of submission. Review the recorded audition guidelines.

Music Education & Music Therapy Interviews: Music Education or Music Therapy applicants must complete a 15-minute entrance interview on a School of Music Audition & Interview day. You will be asked to submit a printed copy of your responses to the Music Education/Music Therapy Interview Profile at the time of your interview. 

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. Information about the holistic review for University admission can be found at https://admissions.tc.umn.edu/freshman/overview.html. The School of Music will also utilize the audition and interview to make a final determination. 

Scholarships

Students who complete their applications for fall enrollment to the B.Mus 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. The School of Music does not offer scholarships to students who are not pursuing the B.Mus or BA with Applied Emphasis programs. Learn more about scholarships. 

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, the School of Music 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, students must apply for housing and list Middlebrook Hall as their first choice of a dormitory. You may apply for housing as soon as the application is posted in November of each year. 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 

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.