Juilliard Piano Admissions: Acceptance Rate & Audition Guide

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.

Piano audition requirements

For BM prescreening, Juilliard lists a Chopin etude, a complete work from its specified Classical sonata/Schubert list, and a substantial work by Chopin, Schumann, Brahms, Liszt, or Mendelssohn. The Romantic category excludes etudes, nocturnes, short dances, waltzes, and comparable short pieces. Read the permitted sonatas and exclusions before choosing your program.

Hands and feet must be visible. Memorization is required, with possible faculty-approved exceptions for certain modern works. Concertos cannot satisfy these repertoire categories. Juilliard prohibits editing and added effects such as reverb; a professional studio is not required. Check the separate live-audition section for the full program.

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

Use the school’s current cost-of-attendance page for your entry year and degree. Add tuition, mandatory fees, housing, meals, insurance, travel, and personal expenses, then subtract grants and scholarships. Loans remain repayable, and work-study is income you must earn. Check scholarship renewal conditions before accepting an offer.

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

• Juilliard: BM piano application and audition requirements
• Juilliard: tuition, fees, and expenses