Graduate Admissions

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Registration Guidelines for Incoming Students

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Continue your studies in music

12/1/21: The application for Fall 2022 is now closed.

Join a thriving community of students pursuing advanced degrees in the musical arts. This page contains everything you need to know about admission requirements, the application process and timeline, and funding opportunities in the School of Music. Before you apply, be sure to review the “Graduate Application Guide” and other documents.

Auditions for entry in Fall 2022 will be completed remotely, with two exceptions:

1. Auditions for the Conducting degrees will be held in-person on the UW-Madison campus.

2. Auditions for the Wisconsin Brass Quintet and Wingra Wind Quintet assistantships will be held in-person on the UW-Madison campus.

Outside of these two exceptions, all auditions will be completed remotely. Details can be found below.

Application Process

The application for entry in Fall 2022 is now closed.
Please review the “Graduate Application Guide” thoroughly before applying. This document contains detailed instructions and a link to begin the application. Additional information can be found in the tabs below.
If you would like to visit the School of Music to tour our facilities and discuss the application process, please contact James Doing, Jr., to schedule a meeting. You are also welcome to contact any of our faculty to request a meeting or a sample lesson.

Essential information

Please review these items before starting the application.

Requirements

In addition to the Graduate Application Guide (see above), the following documents will clarify the specific requirements for your instrument or area of study:

Auditions (updated on October 1, 2021)

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the challenges posed by holding live auditions on the UW-Madison campus, auditions for entry in Fall 2022 will primarily be completed remotely.

The general Graduate Audition Days will be Saturday, January 22, and Saturday, February 12.
All candidates in Keyboard, Percussion, Strings, Voice, and Woodwinds will have a Zoom interview on one of the general Graduate Audition Days (selected by you in the application).
Brass & Conducting auditions are scheduled and organized independently by the area faculty.
No audition is required for candidates in Composition, Historical Musicology, Music Education, and Music Theory.

See the documents in the “Requirements” tab above for repertoire guidelines and other information regarding the prescreening and audition requirements.

Brass	Video prescreening. Live audition on Zoom scheduled ad hoc by the Brass faculty. Auditions for the Wingra Wind Quintet (Horn) and Wisconsin Brass Quintet (Trumpet) will be held in-person on the UW-Madison campus.
Conducting	Video prescreening. Live, in-person audition on the UW-Madison campus: • Orchestral: Tuesday, February 1, 2022 • Wind: Friday, February 4, 2022 • Choral: Tuesday, February 8, -or- Thursday, February 10, 2022
Keyboard	Audio/video prescreening. Prerecorded audio/video audition followed by Zoom interview.
Percussion	Video prescreening. Prerecorded video audition followed by Zoom interview.
Strings	Video prescreening. Prerecorded video audition followed by Zoom interview. The full audition may be waived for MM candidates on the basis of the prescreening.
Voice	Video prescreening. Prerecorded video audition followed by Zoom interview.
Woodwinds	No prescreening. Prerecorded video audition followed by Zoom interview.

International Students / TOEFL

International students are a large and important part of our community. As part of your application, you will be asked to acknowledge the following School of Music policies in the International Student Application Agreement:

1. Non-native speakers must submit a TOEFL score of 85 or higher
Graduate degrees in the School of Music require a high level of reading, writing, and speaking ability. If you cannot submit an official score of 85+ by December 1, 2021, please do not apply. Although the Graduate School offers to waive this requirement for U.S. degree holders, the School of Music does not grant TOEFL waivers. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a Special Home Edition test score is acceptable. Please contact James (below) with questions.

2. All international students must complete the Financial Statement
If you are admitted to the Graduate School, you will be asked to complete a Financial Statement showing possession of sufficient funds to cover tuition and living expenses for one year. Click here for the current amount required. Funding stipends in the School of Music will cover most, but not all, of these expenses.

Funding

You do not need to apply for funding. All candidates for the graduate program are considered for funding awards. Graduate funding comes in the form of a Teaching Assistantship, Fellowship, or partial tuition credit.

Details can be found in this document: Graduate Funding in the School of Music

Admission Statistics

Click here for application, admission, and funding statistics from our most recent enrollment cycle.

Admissions FAQ

These are some of the most frequently asked questions about the admissions process. If your question is not answered below or in the documents above, please send an email to James Doing, Jr.

Can I get a fee waiver?

The Graduate School application fee is $75 (U.S. Citizen)/$81 (international). There is no fee for the School of Music application.

We have a limited number of Graduate School application fee waivers for targeted students. Who are targeted students? U.S. citizens of the following ethnic backgrounds:

Black/African
Latin@/Hispanic
American Indian
Pacific Islander/Hawaiian
Targeted Asian:
• Vietnamese
• Hmong
• Cambodian
• Laotian

If you are eligible, please contact James Doing, Jr., before December 1 to request a fee waiver code: gradadmissions@music.wisc.edu
We will be granting fee waivers while supplies last! Please note that we cannot refund or reimburse already paid fees.

When is my application due?

Short answer: Wednesday, December 1.

Long answer: No later than December 1, you must submit all components of your application. We will no longer accept applications after 11:59 PM CST on December 1. International students: Please note that it can take several weeks for TOEFL scores to be sent by ETS, so you need to plan ahead in order for those to be received in a timely fashion.

Which application should I complete first?

Short answer: The School of Music application.

Long answer: To help us stay organized, please complete the School of Music application first. The School of Music application is a simple Google form and should only take about 5 minutes to complete. The Graduate School application is a bit more complex and can take up to an hour to complete. Here, you will upload your basic application documents (Statement of Purpose, CV, unofficial transcripts, etc.) and also fill out a detailed questionnaire.

Do I need to send official transcripts?

Short answer: No, not yet.

Long answer: You will upload an unofficial scan of your transcript or grade report to the initial application. This is all that we need for departmental purposes. Once you have been recommended for admission by the School of Music, the Graduate School will request an official transcript in order to finalize your admission. Please do not send anything to the Graduate School until you have been requested to do so!

Have you received my letters of recommendation?

Short answer: Log back into your Graduate School application to check the status of your letters.

Long answer: The list you can see on your application status check is the same list that we see, so please do not inquire about the status of your letters! Inside the application, you will be able to send official reminders to any or all of your recommenders. They will receive a reminder email within 24 hours. You may also enter additional recommenders if you wish.

** Please note: Your letters are technically due on December 1 along with the rest of your application, but you will not be penalized for any delay on the part of your recommenders. However, be aware that faculty will begin reviewing application files shortly after December 1, so it is in your best interest to make sure your letters are submitted on time! **

I’ve finished my application. What do I do now?

Short answer: Sit tight!

Long answer: Your application will be reviewed by the faculty in your area of study. If you are required to complete an audition, you will receive a prescreening decision no later than Monday, December 20. If you are not required to complete an audition, your file will be reviewed over winter break. Admission/funding decisions will be made in early spring. Please note that all decisions will be issued via email to the address you provided in your application materials.

SCHOOL OF MUSIC GRADUATE OFFICE

Graduate Admissions Coordinator
James Doing, Jr.
gradadmissions@music.wisc.edu
608.263.3220
5553 Humanities
Application, admission, funding

Graduate Student Coordinator
Marina Drake
msdrake@wisc.edu
608.263.5016
5554 Humanities
Administration for current graduate students

Director of Graduate Studies
Prof. John C. Stowe
dgs@music.wisc.edu
608.890.0882
5552 Humanities
Advising for current M.M. and D.M.A. students

Mead Witter School of Music

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