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CONTACT: Charles Loebbaka at 847-491-4887 or c-loebbaka@northwestern.edu

FOR RELEASE: April 12, 2007

PDF version of this statement

Northwestern School of Music to Offer
Full Tuition to All Entering DM Students

EVANSTON, Ill. --- The Northwestern University School of Music has announced that beginning fall 2007, it will provide full tuition for all entering doctor of music students (17 new students per year) and the same for 15 entering master of music students. Each award covers two years of study, the normal timeframe needed to complete required coursework. All Ph.D. students in the School of Music already receive full tuition support.

Toni-Marie Montgomery, dean of the School of Music, said, “Our goal is to raise the competitive bar with peer institutions in attracting the most qualified and talented students.  While we have in the past offered significant financial support to music students, the infusion of new funding will transform our graduate programs.” 

Lawrence B. Dumas, provost, noted, “People are key elements in the success of an
academic program, and we seek to attract students who are among the very most talented and promising.   The new support for graduate students in the School of Music will help ensure that our School is fully competitive for these outstanding young artists."

With the initiation of this program, Northwestern joins the Juilliard School and Yale School of Music in being the only leading music institutions that provide full tuition for all enrolling doctor of music degree students. Additionally, Northwestern and Yale are now the only institutions of this elite group to offer full tuition for all doctor of music and all Ph.D. students.

For the fall 2007 class, there were 133 applications for the 17 openings in the Doctor of Music program and 518 applications for the Master of Music program. The master’s program enrolls approximately 70 students each year.  The 20 chosen for full tuition scholarships will be selected based on their performance auditions and their overall academic record.

Founded in 1895, the Northwestern University School of Music is one of the oldest degree-granting music schools in the United States, combining the resources of a world-class private research university with conservatory-level musical training.  The school is home to 640 undergraduate and graduate students and a world-renowned faculty of more than 125, many of whom are members of the Chicago Symphony and Lyric Opera of Chicago Orchestras.  Alumni are found in almost every major arts institution in America, in both performance and administration.  Recent graduates include members of the New York Philharmonic and Cleveland Orchestra, and a 2006 Grand Winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.

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