Download TOEFL Requirements Info PDF

Deadline for Graduate Application and TOEFL: December 1

To send an official TOEFL score to the Bienen School of Music via ETS:

Institutional Code:  3732

Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)

International applicants or applicants whose first language is not English are required to provide the Bienen School of Music with an acceptable TOEFL score. For testing sites and information, please visit www.ets.org/toefl. It is your responsibility to request that an official copy of your test scores be sent electronically to the Office of Music Admission and Financial Aid. Regardless of your situation, if English is not your first language, you must submit an acceptable TOEFL score to be considered for admission to graduate programs within the Bienen School of Music. 

Students who have not submitted a TOEFL score by the December 1 deadline will not be allowed to audition for our graduate programs.

Educational Testing Service (ETS)

When requesting that test scores be sent to the Bienen School of Music, applicants must use the school’s ETS institutional code 3732. A minimum TOEFL score of 90 on the internet-based test, 233 on the computer-based test or 577 on the written test is required for the Doctor of Music. A minimum of 80 on the iBT, 213 on the computer-based test or 550 on the written test is required for the Master of Music or Artist Certificate. Only official score reports sent directly to Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music via ETS are considered valid. 

Exams that are more than two years old are considered invalid for admission purposes.

Request for a TOEFL waiver

Within the online application for admission to the Bienen School of Music, applicants who feel they have substantial, documented training in English-speaking institutions of higher education may request a waiver of the TOEFL requirement. Should the request for a waiver be denied, the applicant will not be allowed to audition. No application fees will be refunded as a result of denying a request for a TOEFL waiver. For questions, please contact our office.

All supplemental materials, including transcripts and letters of recommendation, must be received in our office on December 1 before a TOEFL waiver request will be considered.

Questions?

Please contact the Office of Music Admission and Financial Aid at musiclife@northwestern.edu or 847-491-3141.