Find answers to frequently asked questions about the Peabody Institute admissions process.
Applying to Peabody is easy! Our electronic application becomes available in August. Find application instructions here.
Note: there are NO auditions or interviews in May any DMA programs, and Graduate Assistantships. Some departments may not be accepting late applications, either. Please email our office if you have any questions about excluded programs. Those applying to majors involving pre-screening should upload their pre-screening video with their application by the posted deadlines.
No. Peabody is a division of The Johns Hopkins University, but you only have to apply to Peabody to be accepted here. The only exception is for students planning to pursue a double degree.
Degree programs have an academic component to them. Diploma programs are focused almost entirely on performance.
For undergraduate students earning a Bachelor of Music (BM) degree, 75% of courses are performance and musical academics, while 25% of courses are liberal arts (general studies) courses.
Undergraduate students in the Performers Certificate Program (PC) do not take liberal arts courses and typically complete the program in three years.
Graduate students earning a Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts focus exclusively on music performance and musical academic study. These programs are limited to private study, recitals, and ensembles where appropriate.
Students may only pursue multiple majors or multiple degree programs if they are admitted to both programs through the regular admissions process and the majors/degrees in question can be pursued simultaneously per our Office of Academic Affairs. Students enrolled in multiple programs must complete all requirements specific to both majors and may only overlap credits for supportive courses in music, general studies, and electives.
Undergraduate
Students admitted to the Music Education and Recording Arts Bachelor of Music programs are considered students with multiple majors: a performance (or composition or computer music) major plus Music Education or Recording Arts. No other major may be added to these programs. Similarly, students in the Double Degree program with the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences or the Whiting School of Engineering may pursue only one Peabody major.
Bachelor of Music students majoring in Performance, Composition, Computer Music, and Music for New Media may add a second major, subject to the following conditions:
Undergraduate students may add only one minor. The Performers Certificate may not be combined with any other program. Special instructions for students in the five-year BM/MM or BMRA/MA program are noted in Section 2-1.05, with more information at this link.
Graduate Students
Graduate students may not pursue two majors that result in two degree recitals in a two-year degree timeframe.
Students in the Master of Music degree may be admitted into Performance Pedagogy, which for the purposes of these rules counts as a second area of focus. Students in the Master of Music degree or the Doctor of Musical Arts degree may be admitted into the Master of Music in Music Theory Pedagogy or the Master of Music in Musicology.
The Graduate Performance Diploma, Master of Arts Degree, and the Artist Diploma programs may not be combined with any other program.
Absolutely! Applicants to Peabody must either have graduated from an accredited high school or have a high school equivalency certificate or diploma (GED). Without a high school degree or GED, Peabody will consider musically acceptable applicants for admission on a case by case basis. To determine whether an applicant is able to complete college-level academic work, Peabody will consider a transcript from an accredited home schooling agency, standardized test scores (such as SAT or ACT), results from Peabody placement tests, and/or transcripts from a college or university showing completion of credit-level courses. More info can be found here.
Our financial aid office has all the information for applying for financial assistance, including scholarships and assistantships. If you plan to apply for federal student aid, you will need to fill out a FAFSA (studentaid.gov) and a CSS profile (undergraduate students only – https://cssprofile.collegeboard.org/). Domestic undergraduate students must complete both the FAFSA and CSS profile to be considered for need-based aid. For the FAFSA, Peabody’s school code is E00233. Our CSS Profile code is 5532.
Yes. We ask for three recommendations as supplemental data to your application. However, one missing letter of recommendation will not prevent your application from being processed.
Once you have submitted your recommenders’ email addresses on the application, they will get an automated email asking them to upload a letter of recommendation. You can log in to your application status portal at any time to see if they have submitted their letter yet and/or send them a reminder.
Peabody is test-optional for the ACT and SAT. We understand that standardized testing does not tell the full story of a student’s potential for success in an undergraduate program. If you believe that your standardized test scores do not reflect your potential as a student, please do not feel obligated to submit them. If, on the other hand, you believe that your scores might enhance your application, we encourage you to self-report them (you will be asked to send verified scores after enrolling, if you self-reported as a part of the admissions process).
Spring Admission is available to BFA Dance and MM/GPD Instrumental applicants only. Applications are accepted and evaluated on a rolling deadline until November 1st.
No. Early admission of high school students into the Peabody Institute is not offered. We recommend music students spend their final year of high school developing their musical skills before auditioning to come to Peabody.
Yes, for undergraduate applicants only. Applications for Early Decision are due by November 1st and decisions are released by December 15th.
Early Decision is an option that allows students who feel sure that Peabody (and Johns Hopkins, for Double Degree applicants) is their first-choice to apply before the Regular Decision deadline and to receive their admission decision early. If admitted, it’s also a contract to enroll. If you choose to apply Early Decision, your application and supporting materials must be submitted by November 1st. The Early Decision agreement is binding, so you may not apply to any other school under an early decision plan. (You may still apply to other schools under a non-binding early action plan.) You, your parents, and your secondary school counselor will be required to sign an agreement stating that you will enroll at Peabody if admitted and withdraw any regular decision or early action applications to other schools. You will receive your decision by December 15th, in time for you to make regular decision application deadlines for other schools.
Note: the Early Decision agreement for Double Degree applicants is binding ONLY if you are accepted to the main Johns Hopkins campus (Homewood) and are offered sufficient financial aid.
Let’s say you apply for Early Decision and are unfortunately not admitted. In this situation, you cannot submit an application for another application round, as you’ve already gone through the admissions process. You may re-apply for admission the next year. If you have any questions about eligibility for other programs within the same admissions cycle, please contact us at [email protected].
After submitting your application and any required pre-screening materials have been evaluated, the admissions office will schedule your auditions and/or interviews. You will be notified of your personal audition/interview schedule through a letter on your application status portal.
Find out if your program requires pre-screening here.
Pre-screening materials must be submitted by the application deadlines. Pre-screening helps save time, money, and stress for applicants and helps keep the on campus audition schedule from being overloaded.
Audition requirements help to identify the general level of musical development for those entering Peabody. For some majors, the listed repertoire is considered a guideline. For others, it is a requirement. Whatever you perform, it is important that the music is at least the same level of difficulty as the recommended pieces. If you have any questions about a specific repertoire selections, please email us at [email protected].
The audition repertoire requirements for each major will specify how many movements you should prepare. Given our audition time constraints, it is likely you will not be asked to perform part of every movement you have prepared. Audition repertoire is designed as a guide for the level of development typical of those accepted to Peabody.
We do not require exams during auditions for most applicants. There are a few notable exceptions:
For all other students, placement exams will be taken in the summer and during orientation. In order to help you with preparation for these exams, we have linked the samples below.
Yes (with exceptions). Eligibility for Recorded Auditions/Remote Interviews can be found here.
For any other applicants, a live audition is recommended but a recorded audition may be accepted. Regional auditions are recorded and played for faculty during our regular audition times. FACULTY DO NOT ATTEND REGIONAL AUDITIONS.
Typically, auditions/interviews last 10-20 minutes depending on the major area. Audition length is not indicative of any positive or negative faculty impressions. Additionally:
We can’t. Auditions are not a performance. Faculty may start and stop you throughout your audition in order to gain a clear understanding of your level of development.
You will receive an email directing you to view your admission decision letter through your application status portal. Please monitor your email regularly so you ensure receipt of this notification! Your decision letter may include teacher assignments and a separate financial aid award notice. To view an award notice, scroll to the bottom of the admission letter where the award notice will be linked.
Peabody does not use quotas in the admission process. We work to balance accepted students in light of our ensembles and facilities. If the number of students in one major is too large, the faculty will raise their standards for entrance the following year.
We look for a 3.0 GPA and required test scores appropriate for success at a music conservatory. These are not the same as those used for entrance to other schools of the Johns Hopkins University. If there is a question about an applicant’s academic record, we consult with our Office of Academic Affairs and others to render a final decision.
For Undergraduate applicants, little to none! Peabody’s extensive music theory program offers formal training on the subject, but we would encourage applicants with a working knowledge of music fundamentals, including scales, intervals, and the notation of rhythm. For this reason, we require music theory fundamentals and ear-training placement tests to those who decide to enroll. A second test is available for those hoping for advanced placement once enrolled in the Conservatory or if you did not initially achieve the score you’d hoped. Students who have not mastered the fundamentals of music theory will be required to take a special lab along with Theory I.
Graduate students are assumed to have a theory background, and students will take placement tests online prior to orientation to help us place or exempt you from music theory review classes.
Not necessarily. Our admissions process is independent of whether you have met or contacted one of our faculty members before your audition. If you would like to meet with a faculty member, pending their availability, please email our office.
Peabody is committed to providing an exceptional scholarship and financial aid program so that we may attract the best students while helping to ensure an education that is as affordable as possible. Peabody offers two kinds of institutional aid—merit scholarships and need-based aid. While an application for financial aid is not required to be considered for merit scholarships, students interested in being considered for need-based aid need to submit the FAFSA and CSS Profile by the deadlines established as posted on our financial aid website. Please note that at this time, only domestic Undergraduate applicants are eligible for need-based aid.
No, but we recommend all applicants submit both a FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) and CSS Profile (undergraduate students only) by the deadlines indicated on our financial aid website so that they may be considered fully for all aid for which they may be eligible, including federal and state aid.
Yes. Based on your private teacher request on your application and the faculty’s response to your audition, your acceptance email will generally contain your teacher assignment. However, in a few cases each year, applicants are offered their choice of teacher or might be waitlisted for their preferred teacher’s studio. If you decide to change your teacher preference, please email our office.
Yes! We accept AP credits in most academic subjects, requirements, or electives if you earned a four or five on the test. However, we do not accept AP Music Theory credits. Our own music theory course offerings will help us determine your level of development to accurately place you in future courses.
Transfer credits are accepted in liberal arts subjects and evaluated by our Office of Academic Affairs if you choose to enroll. We cannot guarantee that we will accept transfer credits. We do not accept transfer credits for Music Theory. Placement for Music Theory classes is proctored over the summer prior to the start of classes.
The Peabody Institute is a division of The Johns Hopkins University. As such, Peabody students are JHU students and have access to most of the opportunities, resources, and activities available to students at JHU. A Peabody degree is simultaneously a Johns Hopkins University degree, and carries with it the same assumption of excellence as any other JHU degree—plus the musical credentials of a Peabody Conservatory degree.
Yes. Undergraduate students are required to live in the dorms for their first two years at Peabody, and many elect to continue living in the dorms. The Peabody Residence Halls are on campus, and we have always been able to accommodate any student who wishes to live here. As an alternative, Peabody is located in an urban residential neighborhood with readily available off campus housing.
Yes. We have our own Campus Police, a van service to transport students to and from their local destinations after dark, and transportation to and from the Homewood campus by a shuttle bus.
That being said, Peabody is located within a single city block in a residential section of Baltimore City. While Mount Vernon is not a high crime area, we do encourage Peabody students to take security seriously.
Yes, in most cases. If you are from a school or country where English is not the language of instruction, we require an official score from International English Language Testing System (IELTS) or Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). We are no longer able accept the Duolingo English Test and we do NOT accept the TOEFL “My Best Scores”. We are now accepting the TOEFL iBT Home Edition (policy update as of 10/4/2022) if Covid-19 policies in your home country have prevented you from taking the TOEFL at a test center. We look for the following scores for Admission:
TOEFL: 79 or higher
IELTS: 6.5 band or higher
Exemption policy: if you have graduated or will be graduating prior to enrolling at Peabody with at least two years at a school where all classes are taught in English, then transcripts from that school can substitute for a IELTS/TOEFL score. It is your responsibility to alert us to your special situation.
Current Peabody Students completing a BM or MM degree and applying for a new program are not required to submit a IELTS/TOEFL score.
International students with a non-English speaking background who are completing a Performer’s Certificate or a Graduate Performance Diploma at Peabody and who are applying for a degree program must meet the stated IELTS/TOEFL requirements.
The Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) program has a strong academic component, and requires the ability to compose scholarly papers in English. In addition to the required IELTS or TOEFL score, your ability to thrive in an English-speaking academic environment will be part of the on-campus evaluation and/or DMA interview.
Information about student visas can be found through JHU’s Office of International Services. More information can be found here. Please direct any questions about visas directly to OIS:
A qualifying undergraduate degree should include 3 years of study following completion of secondary school (or high school) and 25 post-secondary credit hours of non-musical study, the equivalent of 50 European transfer credits (ETCS).
Given the different timelines, course structures, and financial aid ramifications of the low-residency program and the in-person degree, it is not possible for enrolled students to switch between the programs.
Master’s-level study at Peabody is not offered on a part-time basis. Students in both the traditional program and the low-residency programs will be required to maintain full-time enrollment in each semester of study
Given the 13-month format of the Low-Res MM program, Peabody will not offer institutional aid for students seeking financial assistance. Scholarships, Graduate Assistantships, and Institutional Grants will not be applied to financial aid packages. However, federal loans, work-study, institutional loans and private loan options are available to students who qualify.
Please visit our Tuition and Fees page for the full breakdown.
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