How to get into The Juilliard School
How to get into Juilliard: the audition is the application
9.2%
Acceptance rate
$57,950
In-state cost
What makes The Juilliard School admissions different
Juilliard is the most selective performing arts conservatory in the world, with overall admit rates under 10% (and program-specific rates as low as 3-5% for dance and drama). Academics are evaluated but secondary — your audition or portfolio is essentially the entire decision. You are not a 'student with talent'; you are an emerging professional being evaluated by working artists.
What an actually competitive application looks like
- 1.
Pick your division (Dance, Drama, Music) and prepare the required audition repertoire exactly as Juilliard specifies — wrong pieces can disqualify you.
- 2.
Submit a pre-screening recording (required for most music and dance applicants) by the December deadline. Pre-screen pass rates are below 50%.
- 3.
Treat the in-person audition as a performance, not a test. Faculty are looking for artistry and trainability, not technical perfection alone.
- 4.
Submit the Common App academic transcript and short essay. Academics screen out only at the low end; high stats do not compensate for a weaker audition.
- 5.
If admitted, follow up with financial aid materials immediately — Juilliard meets full demonstrated need for U.S. students.
Common mistakes that hurt applicants here
- ✕
Choosing repertoire that's too hard. Faculty want to hear you sound like a finished artist on appropriate material, not a struggling one on a Tchaikovsky concerto.
- ✕
Treating Juilliard like a traditional college — academics, essays, and ECs play almost no role.
- ✕
Skipping the live audition workshop or master class opportunities. They are where you absorb what the faculty actually want.
The specifics for The Juilliard School
What makes this admissions process distinctive
Audition-driven admission
The audition or portfolio is essentially the entire decision; academics are secondary
Three divisions
Dance, Drama, and Music each have separate audition requirements and admit pools
What graduates actually do
Juilliard graduates pursue careers in classical music, jazz, dance, and drama. Major orchestras (New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, Berlin Philharmonic), Broadway, the Metropolitan Opera, and major dance companies (ABT, NYCB) all draw heavily from Juilliard alumni. Career outcomes are gig-based rather than salary-based; many graduates supplement performance with teaching at conservatories. Juilliard's name is the strongest credential in classical performance.
Notable alumni
- Yo-Yo Ma — Cellist
- Robin Williams — Actor, comedian (Drama)
- Kevin Spacey — Actor (Drama)
- Renee Fleming — Soprano
- Itzhak Perlman — Violinist
- Wynton Marsalis — Jazz trumpeter
Transfer pathway
Juilliard admits transfers based primarily on audition. There is no published numerical transfer accept rate; admission is fundamentally a function of audition performance rather than academic credentials. Transfer applicants follow the same audition cycle as first-year applicants (December 1 application deadline; live or recorded auditions in February-March).
Specifics verified 2026-05-18 from the school's own admissions page + Common App (supplements re-verified this pass). Always confirm current-year details directly on the school site before applying.
If you're on the bubble
If your audition is at the level of a top regional youth orchestra principal or a Young Arts finalist, you're in the conversation. Below that, look at strong programs at NEC, Curtis (different process), Eastman, CIM, Manhattan School of Music, USC Thornton, Bard, Indiana Jacobs — all serious paths.
Next steps
Last updated: November 2025. Acceptance rate and cost data refreshed nightly from college reporting.