Frequently Asked Questions

All students who are accepted by audition into all degree programs receive a merit based full-tuition scholarship to attend Curtis. 

Yes. 

No. However, need-based financial assistance is available to cover all living expenses for students who qualify. 85% of our students qualify for financial aid. Read more about need-based financial assistance here Financial Aid – Curtis Institute of Music. If your question about financial aid is not answered via the website, please contact the director of financial aid, Veronica McAuley at [email protected]. 

No. Curtis sets no minimum or maximum age for application or admission. 

No. Curtis does not offer a preparatory music or academic program. Please note that Curtis sets no minimum age for application or admission. Younger students (e.g., pre-college aged students) are encouraged to apply and should apply for the Diploma program. Read more about programs for younger students here.  

Please find additional information about our school, degrees, and the application process below: 

• Why Curtis? – Curtis Institute of Music 
• How to apply: How to Apply – Curtis Institute of Music 
• International Students: Student Resources – Curtis Institute of Music 
• Curriculum: Curriculum – Curtis Institute of Music 
• Degrees & Diplomas – Curtis Institute of Music 

We are no longer accepting paper or digital copies of transcripts. Please upload an unofficial copy of your transcript through your application portal. We only require official transcripts after acceptance to Curtis Institute of Music. 

Graduate and transfer applicants are not required to upload a high school or middle school transcript

The application portal is now open, and audition dates are posted here. You may review the application requirements here. Please note that our application is no longer hosted by Acceptd. 

Applicants of any nationality who demonstrate significant financial need are eligible for a fee waiver request. After starting your application, please fill out application fee waiver form to submit your request. 

Please fill out this brief application fee waiver form as completely as you can. 

All prescreening materials including recordings and scores for composition applicants are due with your application.  

December 31st. Please do not send hard copies of transcripts at this time. Official transcripts will be requested after acceptance to Curtis. 

Yes. Use this link to update or change your recommender information: connect.curtis.edu/apply/ref  

Test scores are not required to submit your application. They may be submitted after acceptance into Curtis for placement purposes.  

For non-native English speakers, Curtis requires one of the following test scores. We do not accept home version of any of the tests below or any test that is not listed here.  

• TOEFL ITP written, score minimum of 550
• Computer-based TOEFL test, score minimum of 213
• Internet TOEFL iBT, score minimum of 79-80
• IELTS, score minimum of 6.5-7.0 in each area
• Cambridge B2 First, C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency: 169

Please note: Non-native English speakers who have graduated from a secondary school where the language of instruction is English can be considered for exemption. 

If you submit your application and prescreening materials after the deadline, (1) you will be responsible for late fees, and (2) prescreening materials received after the deadline will be reviewed at the faculty’s discretion. This means the faculty might review them, but they might not. We advise every applicant to submit all required materials by the posted deadlines.  

Invitations to audition in person are released on a rolling basis beginning in mid-January. You will be notified at least one month in advance of your department’s audition date. 

Yes.

The admissions team will make every effort to accommodate requests for an audition date. However, due to the volume of requests we receive, we may not be able to accommodate every request and cannot respond individually to each request. We will take requests into consideration when building the audition schedule. Email [email protected] including your name, department, and requested audition date in the subject line. If your department holds auditions over two days, please hold both days to accommodate finals/callbacks.  

We only hold auditions for departments that have openings in their studio.

Applicants who gain admission to Curtis may request a deferral of admission. Requests are considered on a case-by-case basis.