Graduate Application Requirements

KU’s Graduate Admissions Process

For questions or issues within the application system, please contact Graduate Admissions. For questions about School of Music requirements or faculty review, please contact musicgrad@ku.edu. When students begin an application, the requirements will be listed based on degree level and area of interest. 

Minimum University admission requirements

Applicants in the KU School of Music must meet the following minimum requirements for admission at the university-level to any graduate program:

  • Official Transcripts - Bachelor’s degree: A copy of official transcripts showing proof of a bachelor's degree (and any post-bachelor’s coursework or degrees) from a regionally accredited institution, or a foreign university with equivalent bachelor's degree requirements is required. Transcripts are only considered official if they are sent from the institution directly to KU at gradadmin@ku.edu. Transcripts provided by the student are considered unofficial and cannot be used for admission purposes.
  • Proof of English proficiency for non-native or non-native-like English speakers is required. There are two bands of English proficiency, including Admission and Full proficiency. The School of Music accepts the following English Proficiency Tests: TOEFL, IELTS, PTE, or AEC Coursework. We do not accept Duolingo test scores. Applicants will be considered fully proficient and will not be required to complete AEC testing or coursework if you have earned a baccalaureate degree (or higher) from an accredited US university OR a baccalaureate degree (or higher) from a foreign university that conducts all instruction in English and maintains substantially equivalent bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degree requirements.

Program-specific admission requirements

Each program has specific application requirements listed within the application system. All of the possible program requirements are listed below, but applicants should refer to their graduate application for program-specific requirements. You can save your application in-process and do not need to upload all requirements at the time that you start the application. We strongly recommend applicants submit their complete application by December 1st (our priority deadline).

  • Resume or Curriculum Vitae (CV)
  • Personal Statement
  • Repertoire List (performance degrees only) - This is a list of pieces studied and performed in order to give the audition committee a sense of your musical background and depth.
  • 3 Letters of Reference - Requested within the application system by providing email addresses for recommenders.
  • A Scholarly Writing Sample
  • Audition or Pre-screening Videos (if applicable, see application checklist in the application system) - Note: Videos can be one or multiple videos uploaded as links within the application or on the audition webpage. 

General Application Deadlines

Review ProcessSpring SummerFall 
Priority Deadline for Funding - Initial Program Review DateSeptember 1February 1December 1*
Final Deadline for Admission - Final Review DateNovember 1April 1May 1*

*The final deadline for Voice and Piano Performance applications is strictly December 1st. Find a full list of application deadlines by program at on the Graduate Admissions Website. Applicants should plan to meet the priority deadline or contact the area coordinator for their program before applying to determine the final deadline to apply.

Auditions & Admission

Some graduate programs in the School of Music require pre-screening videos and/or an in-person or on-line audition. See our Graduate Auditions page for more details.

Note: These additional materials are uploaded at the time of application and applications are not reviewed by faculty until the application is complete. Please review your application checklist online (within the application system) or check with musicgrad@ku.edu if you have questions about the supplemental materials.

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Application Details

All applicants must apply online and pay the application fee. The School of Music does not typically provide fee waivers. 

  • The application fees vary depending on your status:
    • Domestic degree-seeking: $65
    • International degree-seeking: $85
    • Certificate-seeking: $30
    • Non-degree-seeking: $30
  • A scanned copy of proof of residency, if you are a permanent resident of the U.S.

Official Transcripts

If you are a current or former KU student, you don’t need to provide official transcripts for KU.

Current and former KU students are not required to request and purchase official KU transcripts, or to provide official KU transcripts or copies of KU transcripts to apply for admission to KU graduate programs. If KU students earned a degree from another institution, they will need to upload copies of those transcripts with their application.

If you have never attended KU, your application must include official transcripts from each college attended.

For processing purposes, you may attach scanned versions of official transcripts to your application. If you are admitted to a program and accept the admission offer, you will be required to submit an official, final transcript that shows your degree has been conferred directly from your institutions to KU. Transcripts must be submitted to Graduate Admissions in one of the following ways:

  • Via mail
    Transcripts must be sent directly from your institution, in a sealed envelope, to:
    Graduate Admissions
    University of Kansas
    KU Visitor Center
    1502 Iowa St.
    Lawrence, KS 66045
     
  • Electronically
    If your institution offers a secure electronic transcript delivery service, you may have transcripts sent to graduateadm@ku.edu.

For more guidance on transcripts from non-U.S. institutions, see our International applicants page.

Official Test Scores

For non-English speaking students who do not have a US degree, English Proficiency test scores should be sent by ETS to KU's institution code 6871.

References and Recommendations

You are required to provide references and/or letters of recommendation as part of your application. You will be prompted to provide names and contact information for each reference within the application system. Your references will receive instructions on how to complete their recommendation. Recommendations received on your behalf prior to application submission will link to your application when it is submitted.

Cost of Attendance

Students have variable costs depending on if they plan to enroll full-time or part-time, are domestic or international students, and if they are provided funding in the form of a scholarship, fellowship, or Graduate Teaching Assistantship (GTA).