Undergraduate Music Admissions

UPDATE 3/8/25: The deadline has passed and the application has closed for applying for fall 2025 entry into the UNCSA School of Music. If you are interested in applying for the upcoming academic year, please submit a Late Application Request (opens in new tab) form. Upon receipt, a member of our Admissions team will contact you.

UNCSA offers Bachelor of Music (B.M.) undergraduate degrees with several instruments of study in the School of Music. The application process includes an online application, additional documents, and audition with the Music faculty. Admission is based on a combination of artistic and academic merits.

Deadlines & Auditions

Auditions are conducted in-person.
Applicants submit recording(s) and, if required by the program, must schedule a live audition.
Select programs prescreen applicants to determine if a live audition or interview will be conducted.
Online video auditions can be authorized in special circumstances (i.e. international applicants, or other students with travel challenges).

A completed application, application fee, and all Required Application Documents must be submitted in order to be reviewed for admission. Applicants meeting these deadlines will be considered for merit scholarships:

Application and Application Fee Deadline	Required Application Documents Deadline	Decision Release
Sunday, December 1, 2024 (11:59 p.m. EST)	* Updated 10/24/24: Wednesday, January 15, 2025 (11:59 p.m. EST)	Friday, March 14, 2025
* Updated 1/17/2025: The application to the School of Music will be open until March 7, 2025. Application, Application Fee, and all Required Application Documents Deadline Friday, March 7, 2025 (11:59 p.m. EST)	Friday, March 14, 2025

Application and Application Fee Deadline

Required Application Documents Deadline

Decision Release

Sunday, December 1, 2024
(11:59 p.m. EST)

* Updated 10/24/24:
Wednesday, January 15, 2025
(11:59 p.m. EST)

Friday, March 14, 2025

* Updated 1/17/2025:
The application to the School of Music will be open until March 7, 2025.

Application, Application Fee, and all Required Application Documents Deadline

Friday, March 7, 2025 (11:59 p.m. EST)

Friday, March 14, 2025

Qualifying applicants will be notified and invited to schedule an audition for faculty. Audition registration will begin no later than Friday, November 1, 2024.

Admissions Criteria

Academic Requirements

Applicants should have or be on track to receive a high school diploma or equivalent with the following academic subjects:

Subject	Units	Specifications
English	4	Four units in English emphasizing grammar, composition, and literature
Social Studies	2	Includes a U.S. History credit
Mathematics	3	Includes Algebra I, Algebra II and Geometry or a higher level course
Science	3	Three course units in science including a life or biological science course, a physical science course and at least one laboratory course
Additional Coursework	2	May be in Mathematics, English, World Languages, Social Studies, Science, and/or Computer Science
Note: Early College High School Graduates This legislation only applies to seniors graduating from North Carolina Cooperative Innovative High Schools (Early Colleges) who will earn an Associate’s degree in addition to a high school diploma. All other Early College students will be evaluated using standard freshman criteria. Applicants from North Carolina Cooperative Innovative High Schools (CIHS) receive special consideration in the admission review for UNC system universities based on North Carolina law. According to House Bill 97 Section 11.16.(a) “any student who graduated from a cooperative innovative high school program with an associate degree and who applies for admission to the constituent institution has the option of being considered for admission as a freshman or as a transfer student.” To determine if your school is a CIHS school, visit the CIHS website: https://www.dpi.nc.gov/students-families/enhanced-opportunities/advanced-learning-and-gifted-education/cooperative-innovative-high-schools (opens in new tab) Being “considered” refers to the evaluation of your credentials and not your student type. Regardless of how you are evaluated, you are considered a new freshman upon enrollment. You will be a freshman with college credit. If you feel strongly that your standardized test scores or high school GPA will hinder you in the freshman review, please don’t hesitate to contact an admissions counselor to discuss the transfer review option. Admission to UNCSA is by audition and or interview and all applicants to the undergraduate program are considered first time freshmen. The School makes every effort to place the student at the arts level that best reflects his or her proficiency.

GPA

Test Scores

ACT or SAT Scores
All applicants for first-time admission as freshmen with a weighted High School GPA below 2.8 are required to submit either ACT or SAT test scores with the following minimum score requirements:

ACT: 17 (writing portion optional).
SAT: 930 composite score in Critical Reading & Math

Submitting either ACT or SAT test scores with the minimum score requirements is optional for applicants for first-time admission as freshmen who have a weighted High School GPA above 2.8.

The average applicant's ACT score is 24 and the average SAT Critical Reading, Math & Writing score is 1200.

Due to the impact of COVID-19 on test availability, the UNC Board of Governors waived the standardized test requirement for first-year students applying for admission in Fall 2023.

Applicants who do not meet the minimum GPA requirement for their desired program may submit qualifying SAT or ACT scores in order to meet Admissions Criteria.

International Applicants
International applicants should submit official ACT, SAT, TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo scores. Minimum score requirements for international students are:

TOEFL iBT or TOEFL iBT Home Edition: 79
IELTS Academic: 6.5
Duolingo English Test: 100
ACT: English Language Arts (ELA) section: 21
SAT: Evidence-Based Reading & Writing (ERW) section: 540

Advanced Standing for Undergraduate Students through Placement Tests
UNCSA accepts Advanced Placement (AP), College Level Examination Program (CLEP), International Baccalaureate Diploma (IB), and Cambridge International Certificate college credits. Our Division of Liberal Arts grants advanced standing credit. Learn more.

Completed Application, Fees & Required Documents

Complete the online application (opens in new tab).
Pay your Application Fee: $95 for U.S. citizens and permanent residents, $130 for international applicants. Application fees are non-refundable.

Payment Options
- Online: Follow payment instructions at the end of the application or on your Admissions Portal.
- Check or Money Order (through a U.S. bank): Make payable to "UNCSA" and include your full legal name. Mail your payment and fully legible name of the applicant to the Office of Admissions.
- Fee Waiver: Submit an SAT, ACT or NACAC Application Fee Waiver Request signed by your high school counselor.
- International Applicants: Use Flywire (opens in new tab) to pay your application fee online through an international bank or pay by check or money order through a U.S. bank as listed above.
Upload all Required Application Documents prior to your listed application deadline.

Please note: If applying to two different UNCSA art schools (Dance, Design & Production, Drama, Filmmaking, and Music), a completed second application and fee is required.