The following polices for deferment, and part-time enrollment offered for Academic Year 2020-2021 as part of the Conservatory’s response to the pandemic.  

Deferment for New Students

For AY 2020-21, the Conservatory allowed 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 (Deferment is Closed for AY 2020-2021)

• 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.