The $100 non-refundable application fee is payable by credit card at the end of the online application. Applications will not be processed without the application fee or an approved application fee waiver as described below.

Please note: While the Eastman School of Music is a school of the University of Rochester, the Eastman application process is separate. All applicants applying to degree programs at Eastman must pay the application fee to Eastman regardless of whether the applicant has paid an application fee to another school of the University of Rochester.

• U.S. Military application fee waiver: Applicants who are veterans of the U.S. military or are actively serving are eligible for an application fee waiver. This waiver will be automatically applied for applicants who identify themselves as veterans or active military within the online application.

• Application fee waiver request due to financial hardship: The School wishes to make application possible for all interested prospective students.  Those applicants who are unable to pay the application fee may request a fee waiver on the basis of financial hardship.  This request must be made using an official form, such as an SAT or College Board waiver or the NACAC fee waiver form completed by the high school guidance counselor. Note that we cannot accept a request to waive the fee from a relative or applicant directly.  Transfer applicants must submit a letter detailing the financial need from their college’s Financial Aid Office.  This letter should verify why payment of the application fee would constitute a hardship for the student and their family.The fee waiver request should be sent via email to: admissions@esm.rochester.edu and must be received by the deadline to allow adequate time for processing. The request must include the name and email address of the applicant. Late applications are not eligible for a fee waiver.

• Discount for Eastman Community Music School or UR students: An application fee discount of $50 is automatically applied for current and former students of the Eastman Community Music School (including summer programs), and the University of Rochester.

Applicants for Fall will have the option to audition either on campus or remotely. Applicants for Spring enrollment will audition remotely, and should submit their final audition requirements via recording within their application by October 1st.

Please review repertoire requirements for information about audition repertoire requirements, prescreening requirements, and specific deadlines. Whenever a recording submission is required, applicants should refer to the following guidelines:

Recording Guidelines

• Recordings must have been made within the past 12 months and must meet the repertoire requirements set by each department.
• Record each selection on a separate unedited track unless otherwise specified for your instrument in the repertoire requirements. It is not necessary to record everything in a single file.
• Video format is required for final auditions.
• Accepted file formats (maximum size 2 GB per file)
  • Video formats: .avi, .flv, .m1v, .m2v, .m4v, .mkv, .mov, .mpeg, .mpg, .mp4, .wmv
• Recordings can be uploaded within the “Portfolio” section of the online application. After the application has been submitted, you can upload recordings at the bottom of the “Applicant Status” page until the recording deadline specified for your instrument.
• Be sure to review your entire recording for quality before submitting!

• Applicants submitting recordings for more than one instrument or program must clearly name each recording file by program/instrument.

All applicants must upload a personal statement within the application. There is no specific prompt for this personal statement, but it should give the Admissions Committee an opportunity to learn more about you as an individual and gain a sense of who you are beyond your application, resume, transcript, and other application materials.

The personal statement should be a minimum of one page and maximum of five pages in length, double-spaced, in 12-point font. The essay must be your own original writing, and must be written in English, not translated from another language.

Applicants are required to submit academic transcripts from each secondary school and college/university attended. You may submit your transcript using one of the following methods:

1. Upload a PDF, or scanned copy, of your transcripts, either unofficial or official, with the online application. This method is strongly preferred. Please upload the transcript on the “Academic” page of the application, on the same section where you enter the name of your school. Include any transcript key or guide that your school provides. Transcript must be clear and legible, and documentation for each institution should be saved in a separate single file. After uploading your transcript, please preview the file to ensure readability.
2. Send transcripts electronically to the Eastman Office of Admissions. Email address: admissions@esm.rochester.edu. We are also able to receive transcripts via systems including Parchment, Scoir, and Slate.org.
3. Postal Mail: If neither of the submission options above are possible, transcripts can also be sent by postal mail. Mailing address: Office of Admissions | Eastman School of Music | 26 Gibbs St | Rochester, NY 14604.

Transcripts must include grades 9 through 11, or equivalent.

International applicants must submit transcripts in English, or accompanied by a certified English translation. In the United States, 9th grade is considered a part of high school; therefore, we require six semesters of grades to fully review your transcript.

In some cases where it is unclear, International students will be asked to demonstrate that their high school/secondary education is equivalent to a US high school education.  Documents will be reviewed in the month of January and you will be notified if a third party evaluation is needed.  If you are notified that an evaluation is required your transcripts should be evaluated by an organization specializing in foreign credential evaluation, such as World Education Services (www.wes.org) or Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc. (www.ece.org). For either service we would be requesting a course-by-course evaluation.

Home-schooled applicants should upload a detailed description of the curriculum studied, including texts, coursework, methods of examination, and experiential learning, in addition to any transcripts of secondary or college-level coursework. .

Transfer applicants (students currently or previously matriculated in a degree program at an accredited college) must submit both high school and college transcripts.

Please note that all undergraduate programs in the School require a successful academic review and all application materials will be considered in the final admission decision.  The Eastman School of Music reserves the right to verify the accuracy of all transcripts, and to require submission of official documentation at any point in the admissions review process. Offers of admission are contingent on receipt of final official transcripts.

Completion of high school is required for enrollment at Eastman. Admitted applicants will be required to demonstrate successful completion of high school before the start of their studies at Eastman with a final official high school transcript which must be sent directly from the issuing school and include a date of graduation. The Eastman School of Music reserves the right to rescind admission to any applicant whose file documentation is deemed insufficient or incomplete.

International transcripts which do not show a degree has been awarded, or provide a graduation date, must be accompanied by a degree certification letter or diploma.

Students in the British educational system should submit a transcript showing coursework for grades 9-12 and an official copy of the certificate for having passed secondary school exams.

Undergraduate applicants should provide two (2) letters of recommendation from the following sources:

• A primary instructor on your instrument or voice, such as a private instructor, music teacher, conductor or coach. This recommendation should focus on your musical development, as well as your capabilities in areas including dedication, preparedness, collaboration and leadership.
• A high school academic teacher who can speak to your abilities in areas such as writing, critical thinking, class participation, and time management. Transfer applicants may use a college-level professor or a high school teacher for this recommendation. Home-schooled applicants should choose a recommender who is not their parent.
• An optional third letter of recommendation may be submitted by applicants who (a) are applying on more than one major or instrument or (b) who wish to have an additional recommender provide context on personal or academic circumstances that have impacted their academic or musical progress (such as a gap year, uncharacteristically low grades in a semester or year etc.)

All letters of recommendation should be written in English.

Each recommender must be listed within the online application, and will be notified via email with instructions to submit their recommendation online. Please note that the application can be submitted before recommendations have been submitted.

Composition applicants must submit:

• Composition scores: PDF copies of three or four scores uploaded within the application for review by the composition faculty. Each score must be clearly marked with the applicant’s name.
• Composition Recordings: Composition applicants are also required to upload recordings of their composed works. MIDI recordings are only acceptable if acoustic recordings are not available. Recordings should be uploaded on the “Portfolio” page of the application.
• Instrumental or Vocal Prescreen: If pre-screen recordings are required for your primary instrument, then you must also upload those recordings as part of your application.

Jazz Composition

Upload three or four scores of compositions and/or arrangements that display writing for large and small jazz group formats. Recordings of these works should also submitted. Recordings from reading sessions and rehearsals are acceptable. If live performers are not available, recordings of computer sequences of works may be submitted. Candidates with a background in classical composition are encouraged to submit one or two examples of original non-jazz works.

Music Theory applicants must submit the following:

• Written paper with their application by the application deadline. This paper is reviewed for the purpose of evaluating the applicant’s writing and research skills; a musical subject is preferred, but not strictly required. Save this research paper on your computer and upload it within the application on the “Other Documents” page.
• Representative exercises in part-writing, counterpoint, musical analysis, and/or model composition as part of their application. Applicants are encouraged to scan these exercises if possible and upload them within the online application, but they will also be accepted by postal mail to the Office of Admissions.

Music Education applicants:

1. Upload an essay describing your reasons for pursuing a graduate degree in music education, including your sources of inspiration. Also describe your long-term goals and personal qualities that make you a promising music educator. At the top of the first page of this document, list your name, e-mail contact information, and instrument/voice.
2. Two interviews with members of the Music Teaching & Learning faculty will be scheduled for MA applicants in Music Education.
3. A skills assessment will also be scheduled. The skills assessment consists of sight-reading rhythm and tonal patterns, sight-singing melodies, improvising on the major instrument/voice, and harmonizing a melody at the keyboard.