General Application Steps
Undergraduate | Graduate | |
|---|---|---|
Step 1 | ||
Step 2 | ||
Audition (all undergraduates) | Step 3 | Complete your Audition and/or Application |
Detailed Application Steps by Program
Find detailed application steps under degree summaries on Majors, Minors & Certificates pages:
Explore the intersection of faith and music through a versatile and academically rigorous degree.
Specialize in performance with singers and instrumentalists through refined ensemble training and coaching.
Develop your unique creative voice in a collaborative, performance-rich environment with mentorship from expert, dedicated faculty.
Master the art of musical leadership through intensive choral, orchestral, or wind conducting training.
Prepare to lead through comprehensive training in vocal or instrumental music, pedagogy, and real-world classroom experience.
Study music history, ethnomusicology, and cultural analysis while exploring global traditions and sharpening your research and writing skills.
Train to perform at the highest level—solo and ensemble—while honing your technique and artistry to launch a versatile career.
Combine exceptional performance study with expertise in teaching, curriculum design, and learning theory.
Explore advanced analysis, pedagogy, and research in the architecture of music.
Pursue broad foundational liberal arts studies that emphasize either applied music, academic studies or church music.
Pursue a major in two music areas.
Pursue advanced performance training — instrumental, vocal, or keyboard — alongside any other Baylor major.
Develop a specific skill or area of expertise in music.
Complement your studies with foundational academic or church music studies.
Do you have questions about a Major, Minor or Certificate we offer?
Application Deadlines
All applications open August 1st
| Early Decision | Non-Binding | Regular Admission | Graduate Admissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
BU Application | November 1 | November 1 | February 1 | February 15 |
SoM Application | November 15 | November 15 | February 1 | February 15 |
SoM Audition | December 6 | March 1 | March 1 | March 1 |
Deposit | February 1 | May 1 | May 1 | April 15 |
Decisions Timeline
| First-year and transfer School of Music admissions decisions (March) | Admissions decisions are sent via email and updated in GoBaylor accounts |
| School of Music Merit Scholarship offers (March) | Scholarship offers are send via email provided on School of Music application |
| First-year Decision Deadline (May 1) | Commit to Baylor by depositing at *website* |
coming soon ...
Admissions FAQs
Contact Patricia Christmas, Admissions and Recruiting Specialist.
No. Getting into the School of Music is a dual-acceptance process. In order to gain admission to the School of Music, undergraduates must also be accepted by Baylor University and graduates by the Graduate School; acceptance for one does not guarantee acceptance for the other. Those applying for the Church Music Dual Degree (MDiv/MM) must ALSO Apply to Truett Seminary.
The audition in your major performance area is the most important factor in determining whether or not you will be accepted as a music major. Please be sure to dress properly for your audition (“business casual" is a generally a good place to start).
Students who are unable to attend an on-campus audition day must contact the appropriate instrument/voice professor via email and request permission to be considered using an alternate audition. If permission is granted, applicants can upload the material to the application on Acceptd.
No. School of Music auditions are not required if your only desire is to perform in the bands, orchestras, or choirs. However, the band, orchestra, and choir directors do audition students for placement into those ensembles. These placement auditions often occur the summer before freshman year. For more information, see Ensemble Audition Information.
- The Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree is designed in the liberal arts tradition and is a good fit for students who want a music degree and who want to take additional courses outside of their major course of study.
- The Bachelor of Music (BM) degree is designed within the School of Music to provide students with an in depth curriculum in their area of focus. While a student pursing a BM degree will still take some courses outside their major course of study, the degree has been shaped in a way that puts extra emphasis on the major area.
See the Double Major in Music page for more information.
Students receive notification of their financial aid status from the University. If a student is selected to receive a music scholarship, they will receive a separate notification from the School of Music via email and will be asked to respond to verify acceptance of the scholarship. No notification letters are sent in the event that a student does not qualify for a music scholarship.
Graduate Associate positions (graduate assistantships) are awarded based on the recommendation of the faculty in the student's major area. Decisions typically begin to be made about March 1 and may take up to two months to complete. Candidates will be notified of their status by email as soon as possible after this has been determined.
Students who are awarded Graduate Associate positions will be asked to sign and return a contract. The Associate Dean for Graduate Studies of the School of Music will make the official notice of Graduate Associate position awards in writing. Any discussion of Graduate Associate position awards or assignments prior to that notice, or by any other persons, shall be considered preliminary and unofficial.
Other resources for funding include: work study programs, Direct Unsubsidized Loans, outside scholarships, GradPlus loans, and alternative loans. For more information, please contact the Student Financial Aid Office.
See our resource for Incoming Students.
International graduate applicants must demonstrate English-language proficiency by submitting either TOEFL or IELTS scores. Baylor's Institution Code: 6032.
Minimum TOEFL scores for master's degrees are: 550 paper, 213 computer-based, 80 internet-based. The minimum IELTS score for master's degrees is 6.5. Minimum DuoLingo score is 125.
Minimum TOEFL scores for doctoral degrees are: 600 paper, 250 computer-based, 100 internet-based. Comparable scores on the IELTS or PTE exams may also be submitted for doctoral degrees.
International applicants are exempt from the TOEFL/IELTS requirement under the following circumstances:
- You have a conferred degree from an institution in the United States
- Your degree was issued from an institution where the medium of instruction is English.
No one will be admitted who does not meet these minimum standards because we want students to be successful academically as well as in a performance area.
During the week preceding the semester in which a graduate student enrolls he/she will take music theory and music history diagnostic exams. Appropriate remedial course work may be required as a result of the exams. In addition, graduate students with majors in vocal performance, collaborative piano, and church music with vocal performance emphasis will be tested over their knowledge of Italian, German, and French lyric diction. If the student is deficient in any of these languages he/she will be expected to enroll in an appropriate diction course. See the Graduate Music Handbook for more information on the exams and how to prepare for them.