Curtis Piano Admissions: Acceptance Rate, Auditions & Tuition

What the acceptance rate tells you

The official sources linked below do not provide a verified piano-specific acceptance rate. An institution-wide undergraduate rate describes a particular applicant group and year; it cannot be converted into your personal chance of admission or used as a graduate-program rate.

Do not divide the number of enrolled students by the number of applicants and call it an acceptance rate. Enrollment counts students who take up an offer; the admitted group can be larger. We do not state a fixed number of annual piano places without a current official quota.

Piano audition requirements

The published piano prescreening includes a complete Bach Well-Tempered Clavier prelude and fugue, a complete sonata from the permitted Mozart, Beethoven, or Haydn choices, and both a lyrical and a virtuosic Chopin solo selection. Check the separate Chopin guidelines. The live final round adds another solo work outside those composers; concertos and works with orchestra are not accepted.

All rounds require memorization. The piano video instructions require both hands and feet in view and recordings made within six months of the application deadline. Movements may be recorded separately, but each must remain an uninterrupted performance. Follow Curtis’s own instructions on permitted audio processing.

This is a planning summary, not the complete application checklist. Use the official page for your degree and entry year to confirm every permitted work, exception, recording rule, and deadline.

Tuition and financial aid

The full-tuition scholarship does not automatically cover every living expense. Curtis also offers need-based financial assistance. Use its current student budget to check housing, meals, insurance, fees, and other costs rather than assuming tuition-free means cost-free.

Build your audition plan

Make a separate checklist for your degree and instrument: prescreening pieces, final-audition pieces, memorization rules, permitted substitutions, and deadlines. Record complete takes, check the sound for distortion, and follow the school’s framing and file instructions. Ask admissions about any ambiguity before recording.

Choose a teacher and program for their fit with your musical goals. A trial lesson, where available, can help you assess teaching style; it does not guarantee admission or a studio place. Discuss a balanced school list with your current teacher, including affordable options you would be happy to attend.

Official sources

• Curtis: audition and piano repertoire
• Curtis: financial aid