Students may have pre-screen recordings completed in one take or separate videos for each piece, depending on the studio area. Please review your studio’s pre-screen instructions for confirmation on video formatting. 

All recordings should be uploaded to your CMU School of Music Acceptd application.

Undergraduate applicants: late-March.

Undergraduates will receive an official admissions decision letter from CMU’s Office of Undergraduate Admission. The final decision is available online through the “Where Am I in the Process?” portal. Financial aid packages will be posted up to three business days after admissions decisions are processed.

Graduate/AMSC applicants: mid-March.

Graduate/AMSC applicants will receive an official admissions decision letter via the Acceptd application. Your admission letter will also include any fellowship and/or assistantship offers. Federal loans are processed after a graduate student enrolls at Carnegie Mellon, typically in the summer. Information about graduate aid can be found here.

You can, but we typically see the most successful auditions from students who audition on what they consider to be their primary instrument. 

Choosing to audition, submit a portfolio, or interview for two programs within the SoM will require the submission of two separate music applications via Acceptd. Please contact the Office of Recruitment & Enrollment if you plan to apply to two programs.

You can also watch our recent webinar to learn about the differences among these programs:

No. Your portfolio review/interview is your audition for the Composition studio.

Admitted Undergraduates are eligible for the following Music Education learning opportunities:

• Music Education Certificate, which includes a student teaching internship and leads to K-12 teaching certification in PA schools and reciprocating states. Visit our Music Education Certificate page to learn more. The certificate is available to BFA performance and composition students only. 
• Music Education Minor, which gives our students the important foundations of music pedagogy without pursuing teaching certification. 

Admitted Graduates who have earned a bachelor's in music are eligible to apply to the Master of Music in Music Education.

All CMU School of Music programs have a fall-start term only.

Fee waivers are processed directly with Acceptd.

All undergraduate applicants who would like to apply for a fee waiver based on financial need should follow this Acceptd guide.

Once you have gathered the appropriate documentation, you can reach out to the Acceptd Support Team.

Admitted students can defer their enrollment for one year. During this one-year deferral, you cannot be enrolled at any other degree-granting institution. 

• Undergraduates should follow the Office of Undergraduate Admissions’ policy on deferrals and contact them directly. 
• Graduate/AMSC students must send a formal letter requesting deferral to the School of Music Office of Recruitment and Enrollment by April 15.

Undergraduate applicant transcripts and test scores should be sent directly to the CMU Office of Undergraduate Admission.

Undergraduate music application materials should be uploaded electronically via the Acceptd music application. Read our undergraduate application process.

Music minors do not require an audition. Once you are enrolled as a Carnegie Mellon student, you will first contact your major advisor. Once approved to move through with the minor, please contact School of Music Senior Academic Advisor, Kate Ganczarz (kganzcarz@andrew.cmu.edu) for next steps.

The audition or portfolio review is a large factor of your admission decision, accounting for about 80% of your final admission decision. This artistic decision happens first. Students who are admitted to the School of Music are recommended for admission to the University. All final decisions will be released by the Office of Undergraduate Admission. Please review all music admission requirements and high school course requirements.

The School of Music is test-optional for the current application cycle. 

Performance and Composition tracks for M&T and BXA will take four semesters of studio lessons as part of your curriculum. 

• It is important to note that once in junior year, you can only continue taking music courses as electives, which can include an elective fee. Not all music courses (ex: lessons, opera) are guaranteed or granted.

Technology concentrations for M&T and BXA may take lessons through the Extension Division for non-majors, since studio lessons are not a part of the curriculum.

Yes. Music students are able to study abroad but need to work closely with their advisor if they plan to be away during the academic year.  Students typically use the summer as a time to study abroad. The Study Abroad website is a great resource. The BXA program also has a student exchange program.

Yes! If your Common Application essay is related to music, we would love to see it. However, if you do not feel the essay is related to your music-making, we would prefer to see an essay that discusses your passion and interests with music. 

We suggest an essay close to 650 words, but please use that number as an estimate - if you choose to use a supplemental essay or your full Common Application essay, please feel free to do so if it is music-applicable.

Unofficial transcripts, credential evaluations, and test scores may be uploaded to the media section of your music application. Electronic documents are preferred. 

For U.S. & Canadian Transcripts

• If your degree is in progress, contact your school’s registrar for an estimated date that your degree will be conferred, and send that date to the School of Music Office of Recruitment & Enrollment (music-admissions@andrew.cmu.edu). You will need to purchase your official transcript after that date. 
• If your degree is conferred, have your official transcript ordered and sent electronically to "Carnegie Mellon University School of Music" or music-admissions@andrew.cmu.edu. 

NOTE: Official transcripts received before a degree-conferral date is posted will need to be reordered.

For Academic Credential Evaluations (International):

• Send official academic credential evaluations with GPA conversion (WES, ECE, or SpanTran) to "Carnegie Mellon University School of Music."

For GRE Scores (optional):

• Send official scores to Institution Code 2074; Department Code: “Arts – Performance and Studio – Music” 2404

For English Proficiency Scores:

• Send official TOEFL scores to Institution Code 2074; Department Code: "Humanities-Music 19"
• Send official IELTS and Duolingo scores to "Carnegie Mellon University School of Music."

Be sure to review our policies on English Proficiency Scores.

The School of Music is currently test-optional for GRE scores. Only students applying to the Music & Technology MS may provide GRE scores.

The School of Music at Carnegie Mellon University offers competitive fellowships and assistantships based on merit and institutional need.

For information on funding opportunities for graduate and AMSC applicants, please visit our Financial Aid webpage.

All admitted domestic graduate students at Carnegie Mellon are eligible for federal loans through The Hub. Your FAFSA is processed after you have chosen to enroll at Carnegie Mellon. The Hub takes the Cost of Attendance and subtracts scholarship or assistantship tuition remission in order to determine loan eligibility. Review the Graduate Financial Aid Guide for more information.

Yes, though a music degree is strongly preferred. Applicants who do not hold an undergraduate degree in music and do not have demonstrable prior academic work in music will undergo additional evaluation by the Admission Committee and may require special approval. Applicants without an undergraduate degree in music may require catch-up work in music theory/history in addition to program requirements and remedial classes. 

An applicant may choose to apply to our Advanced Music Studies Certificate program prior to applying to an MM degree, should they choose to refine their skills and take preparatory coursework. Courses taken in an AMSC program are not transferable to a MM degree program, but are intended to help prepare students who feel they need additional preparatory work before applying to the MM.

At this time, we do not offer graduate fee waivers.

We do not currently require an enrollment deposit, so the fee waiver is the only fee you will be required to invest throughout the entire admission process.

For information on English proficiency scores requirements, please visit our International Students webpage.

Yes. All international applicants or students whose native language is not English, are required to submit a TOEFL, IELTS, or DuoLingo English Test score to the School of Music. 

English proficiency scores older than 2 years will not be accepted. 

To view CMU’s current policies around standardized testing, please visit the Office of Undergraduate Admissions webpage.

Admitted students who have confirmed enrollment at Carnegie Mellon will be issued an I-20 from the CMU Office of International Education. 

Please visit our International Students page for more information.

Undergraduate International students do not qualify for need based financial aid through the Office of Undergraduate Admission. 

Graduate international students are eligible for fellowship and assistantships based on the audition/portfolio review. However, graduate international student are not eligible for federal loans.

Pittsburgh is home to a dynamic arts and cultural community including:

• Attack Theatre
• August Wilson Center for African American Culture
• Chatham Baroque
• Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh
• NAT 28
• Pittsburgh Chamber Music Society
• Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre
• Pittsburgh Festival Opera
• Pittsburgh Opera
• Pittsburgh Public Theatre
• Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra

The downtown Cultural District encompasses seven world-class theaters and a dozen art galleries. Named by National Geographic Traveler as one of the best places in the world to experience in 2012, Pittsburgh has “a wealth of fine art and architecture, and a quirky sense of humor.”