The following polices for deferment and part-time enrollment are offered for Academic Year 2020-2021 as part of the Conservatory’s response to the pandemic.  For more information about Peabody preparedness, please view the latest information at Student Resource Page.

Deferment for New Students

For AY 2020-21, the Conservatory will allow admitted students to defer enrollment as follows: ​​​​​​​

• Graduate students may defer for either a semester or a year.  Undergraduate students must defer for the entire year because the first-semester coursework is not offered in the spring.
• The maximum duration for a deferment is one year.
• A scholarship is guaranteed to remain in place for the expected timeframe: 4 years for undergraduates, 2 years for graduate students.  However, students who have been awarded a graduate assistantship will forfeit that award and must reapply for the position before they return to their studies.
• Students who defer are not guaranteed a place in the studio to which they had been admitted.
• Coursework taken elsewhere may be transferred in accordance with the Conservatory’s policies.
• However, coursework taken elsewhere does not accelerate the time required to complete the degree. Students will be required to complete enrollment in the expected timeframe: four years for undergraduate students and two years for graduate students, and the published timeframes for five-year programs.

Process for Deferment

• A new student must request a deferral before 17 August 2020
• A student requests a deferral by completing an online form:  

Link to Deferment Webform

• Students who have deferred enrollment must complete an online form to confirm when they will enroll:  

Link to Webform to Begin After Deferment

• Students must complete this form by the middle of the semester immediately preceding the semester in which they intend to matriculate 16 November for a spring 2021 start; 15 April for a fall 2021 start.
• Graduate students who have deferred enrollment for the fall semester may request an extension for the spring semester by completing the same form before 16 November.
• Once students confirm a start date, they will be scheduled for an interview/demonstration with faculty to assess the student’s preparedness for study. The interview/demonstration could result in one of the following outcomes:
  • The student may begin studies as originally planned.
  • The student may begin studies, but in a different studio.
  • The student needs to complete remedial work before matriculating.

Part-time Enrollment

Given the uncertainties about travel, both new and returning students may elect to take some classes in part-time enrollment for the per-credit rate listed in the regular tuition schedule.

• Students must request part time status by completing an academic petition before 17 August:

 http://bit.ly/AcademicPetition   

• Students may not take major enrollments as part-time enrollment, including major lessons, ensembles, dance technique classes, and Music for New Media classes.
• Students may only take classes offered by Peabody; they may not take courses at other divisions of the University.
• Students may only take classes totaling 6 credits.
• Continuing students can drop to part-time status with the understanding that it will not eliminate a semester of their major requirements.  International students who remain in the US must remain full-time for the purposes of their visa.
• New students may matriculate and begin study as part-time students.  A part-time semester will not eliminate a semester of their major requirements in the expected timeframe of four years for undergraduate students, two years for graduate students, and the published timeframes for five-year programs
• A scholarship is guaranteed to remain in place for the expected timeframe: 4 years for undergraduates, 2 years for graduate students.  However, students who have been awarded a graduate assistantship will forfeit that award and must reapply for the position before they return to their studies.
• Diploma students (PC, GPD, and AD) must remain full-time.
• Institutional aid is not available for part-time enrollment.  However, on resumption of full-time study, a previously awarded scholarship will continue for the published duration of the program.