Juilliard Admissions: Music, Drama, Dance — World's Top Performing Arts Training

There are conservatories. And then there is The Juilliard School.

Founded in 1905 and located on the Lincoln Center campus on Manhattan's Upper West Side, Juilliard is widely regarded as the most elite performing arts training institution in the world. About 900 students total — roughly 500 undergraduates and 400 graduate students — train across three divisions: Music, Dance, and Drama.

Understanding Juilliard requires understanding one fundamental fact: admission is driven almost entirely by audition. Academic credentials matter only at the margins. A perfect SAT will not get you into Juilliard. A transcendent audition will.

This guide explains how the audition process works, what international applicants need to prepare, and how Juilliard compares to the other elite conservatories in the United States.

The Three Divisions

Music Division

The largest of the three divisions and Juilliard's historical heart. The Music Division accepts applicants in:

• Strings (violin, viola, cello, double bass, harp, guitar)
• Woodwinds (flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon)
• Brass (horn, trumpet, trombone, tuba)
• Percussion
• Piano
• Organ
• Voice
• Composition
• Jazz Studies (a separate, audition-driven program)
• Historical Performance (period-instrument early music; graduate level)

Degrees offered are the Bachelor of Music (BM), Master of Music (MM), Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA), and several diploma and artist diploma programs.

Dance Division

Founded in 1951 by the legendary Martha Hill, the Dance Division trains contemporary dancers grounded in both modern dance (Graham, Limón, Cunningham, contemporary) and classical ballet technique. The division is small — about 100 students total — and grants the Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA).

Drama Division

The Drama Division offers a four-year BFA in Acting and is one of the most famous actor training programs in the world. Founded in 1968 under John Houseman, it has produced an extraordinary roster of alumni: Robin Williams, Christopher Reeve, Kevin Kline, Patti LuPone, Mandy Patinkin, Val Kilmer, Kelsey Grammer, Viola Davis, Jessica Chastain, Adam Driver, Anthony Mackie, Oscar Isaac, and many others.

The four-year BFA admits roughly 18 students per year out of approximately 1,500 applicants — an admit rate around 1 to 2% for the most selective performing arts program in the world.

Admit Rates by Program

The overall admit rate to Juilliard is approximately 5%, but this number conceals enormous variation between programs.

Brass and certain less-applied instruments have higher admit rates simply because the applicant pool is smaller — but this does not mean lower standards. Juilliard turns away strong candidates in every program every year.

The Audition Process: Step by Step

Step 1: Prescreening (October–December)

Most programs require a prescreening video submission, due December 1 for the following fall's enrollment. The prescreening is essentially the first audition cut: only candidates whose recordings clear prescreening are invited to live auditions.

Prescreening requirements vary by program. For instrumental music, expect 20 to 30 minutes of solo repertoire spanning multiple style periods. For voice, expect three to five contrasting songs in multiple languages. For drama, two contrasting monologues (one classical, one contemporary). For dance, a video of class work plus a solo.

The prescreening cut rate is typically 60 to 80% of the total applicant pool. Most applicants who are eliminated never reach the live audition stage.

Step 2: Live Auditions (January–February)

Candidates who pass prescreening are invited to live auditions, held in January and February at Juilliard's Lincoln Center campus and at select international locations.

Recent international audition cities have included London, Berlin, Seoul, Beijing, Singapore, and Sydney. Not every program offers auditions in every city — drama auditions are largely held in New York.

Live auditions are intense and short. A typical instrumental audition is 15 to 25 minutes in front of a faculty panel. You will play prepared repertoire and may be asked to sight-read or perform technical exercises. Drama callbacks involve scene work and improvisation across multiple days.

Step 3: Decisions (March–April)

Decisions are released in March or early April. Yield is high — most admitted students enroll, given the program's prestige.

Tuition and Cost

Juilliard tuition is approximately $55,000 per year for undergraduates. With NYC living costs (housing, food, transportation), expect a total annual cost of $80,000 to $90,000.

Juilliard offers need-based financial aid and a number of scholarships. International students are eligible for institutional aid (this is meaningful — many US conservatories restrict aid to citizens). About 90% of Juilliard students receive some form of financial aid, and the average aid package is substantial.

The Pre-College Division (described below) offers full tuition scholarships to all string students — a notable financial advantage for younger string players.

Academic Requirements

For undergraduate admission, Juilliard requires:

• High school diploma or international equivalent
• English proficiency for non-native speakers — TOEFL iBT 100+ or IELTS 7.5+ is standard for the Drama Division (where English language work is daily and intensive); for instrumental music programs the bar is somewhat lower (TOEFL 80+ is often acceptable)
• A brief academic interview for some programs

There is no SAT or ACT requirement. GPAs are reviewed but are not the deciding factor.

For graduate programs, an undergraduate degree (or equivalent) in the relevant field is required.

Pre-College Division

Juilliard runs a Saturday Pre-College program for students approximately ages 8 to 18, enrolling about 350 students per year. Pre-College runs every Saturday during the academic year and provides instrumental lessons, music theory, ear training, ensembles, and chamber music.

Pre-College is highly competitive — admit rates are similar to the college division. All string students at Pre-College receive full tuition scholarships, which makes it one of the most accessible elite music training opportunities in the United States for talented young string players.

A separate Music Advancement Program (MAP) provides Saturday training for younger students (grades 3-12) with full tuition scholarships, focused on increasing access for underrepresented students.

Juilliard Discovery and Summer Programs

Juilliard offers various summer intensives, masterclasses, and short programs. The Juilliard Drama Discovery intensive and various Juilliard Summer Music programs allow younger students to experience the institution before formal application.

These programs are not direct admission pathways — attending a summer program does not improve your audition chances — but they do provide useful exposure to Juilliard's training style and standards.

Career Outcomes

Juilliard's career placement is exceptional. Drama alumni populate Broadway, Hollywood, and global theater at extraordinary rates — the four Oscar / Tony / Emmy winners in any given year often include Juilliard graduates.

Music alumni populate major orchestras (New York Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic, Vienna Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, and dozens of others), major opera companies, chamber music ensembles, and faculty positions at top conservatories worldwide. Juilliard's alumni network is widely considered the most powerful in classical music.

Dance alumni join companies including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Martha Graham Dance Company, Paul Taylor Dance Company, and major European companies.

The honest truth: nearly every Juilliard alumnus who continues in their art has some kind of professional career. The question is at what level, not whether.

Student Life at Juilliard

Juilliard is intensely focused on training. There is no traditional "college experience" in the broad sense — no fraternities, limited Division III sports, no general education curriculum in the way a liberal arts college has one.

Students typically practice 6 to 10 hours per day outside of classes and rehearsals. The dorm (Meredith Willson Residence Hall) houses about 350 students, including most first-years.

Students do take some academic coursework — liberal arts requirements that include literature, history, and music history — but the proportion is far smaller than at a university.

Juilliard students share Lincoln Center with the Metropolitan Opera, New York Philharmonic, New York City Ballet, and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, providing constant exposure to world-class professional performance just steps from class.

Juilliard vs. The Other Top US Conservatories

Curtis is the only US conservatory that gives full-tuition scholarships to every admitted student, but its admit rate (about 4% overall) and per-program selectivity is in the same range as Juilliard.

Eastman offers a less stratospheric overall reputation but very strong specific programs (composition, jazz, music theory) and the academic integration with the University of Rochester.

NEC allows dual-degree pathways with Harvard and Tufts, which appeals to students who want serious academic study alongside conservatory training.

Manhattan School of Music is in some ways "the other Juilliard" — same city, similar scale, somewhat less selective, strong programs. A serious option for students who want NYC training without Juilliard's specific name.

What Admissions Looks For

Juilliard auditions are not technique exhibitions — they are auditions for artists. Faculty panels are looking for:

• Technical mastery sufficient to handle the conservatory's demands (this is the floor, not the ceiling)
• Distinctive artistic voice — interpretive choices that reveal a real point of view
• Musicality and presence — the ability to communicate in performance, not just play notes
• Coachability — many Juilliard auditions include brief coaching moments to see how candidates respond to feedback

Drama auditions specifically look for specificity in choices, emotional availability, physical and vocal range, and the indefinable quality of stage presence that cannot be taught.

Should You Apply?

Apply to Juilliard if:

• You have been training seriously in your art for many years (typically 8+ years for instrumentalists, 4+ years of intensive training for actors and dancers)
• You are already performing at a high regional or national level
• You have teachers, mentors, or directors who genuinely believe you have professional potential
• You are prepared to commit to professional artistic work as your primary career

Do not apply to Juilliard as a "reach" the way you might apply to Harvard — the audition format means there is no point applying without genuine professional-track ability. The energy is better spent on conservatories and university music/drama programs that match your actual development stage.

Application Checklist

• Online application (via Juilliard's portal, not the Common App), typically due December 1
• Application fee: $110
• Prescreening recordings (uploaded by December 1 for most programs)
• Repertoire list
• Letters of recommendation (typically 2-3 from teachers)
• High school transcripts and (for international applicants) credential evaluation
• TOEFL or IELTS scores for non-native English speakers
• Live audition invitation (issued late December / early January)

The Bottom Line

Juilliard is not for everyone — and that is the point. It is for students whose primary identity is already that of a serious artist, who are prepared to spend their college years training intensively for a professional performing career, and who can clear the audition bar.

For those students, Juilliard is the destination, and the audition process is rigorous but transparent. Start prescreening preparation a full year before your application. Take live auditions seriously. And remember: Juilliard cannot be hacked. It can only be earned in the practice room.

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