International Students

Undergraduate Applicants

Northwestern University has adopted a SAT or ACT test-optional policy for the 2020-21 admission cycle. Click here for more information about this year's test-optional policy.

Applicants for whom English is not a first nor primary language, or whose schooling has been in a language other than English, must submit results from either the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL iBT or TOEFL iBT Special Home Edition), International English Language Testing System (IETLS), or Duolingo English Test (DET).

International applicants must demonstrate a high level of English proficiency. An evaluation of English proficiency includes reviewing all test scores, grades in classes taught in English, writing samples, and comments by recommenders.

Learn More about Undergraduate International Requirements

Graduate Applicants

TOEFL Requirements

Please note that we cannot release prescreening results or schedule an audition until we have received your TOEFL score. TOEFL scores are due by December 1.

All graduate applicants to the Bienen School of Music whose native language is not English, regardless of citizenship, are required to submit a TOEFL iBT or TOEFL iBT Special Home Edition score.

To be considered official, a TOEFL score report must be delivered to our office directly from ETS, and cannot be more than two years old. For example, if your application is submitted on December 1, 2021, then your TOEFL report cannot be older than December 1, 2019. It is recommended that you take the TOEFL exam at least two months before the application is due, to ensure that your scores arrive by the deadline.

Photocopies, student copies, faxes, and email attachments will not be accepted. Test scores arriving after the deadlines listed below will not be accepted.

The Bienen School of Music does not accept scores from other English proficiency exams, including the IELTS, ITP, or Duolingo English Test, for applications to the Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees.

Use TOEFL School Code: 1565 (Northwestern University)

Required Minimum Scores

Master of Music Applicants

Required minimum score for admission:

85 iBT

Doctor of Musical Arts Applicants

Required minimum score for admission:

95 iBT

Master and Doctor of Musical Arts applicants:

August 1

Graduate Application available online

December 1

Graduate Application due

December 1

Prescreening (if required) OR audition repertoire videos due (for applicants whose instrument does not require prescreening)

December 1

TOEFL score due

TOEFL Waiver Policy

The Bienen School of Music does not offer ESL coursework and so must evaluate English proficiency either through the TOEFL exam or through documentation provided in a request for a TOEFL waiver. Applicants who have substantial training or education in English may request a TOEFL waiver on the Graduate Application. Do not request a waiver if you are sending recent TOEFL scores with your application. We do not grant waivers based upon citizenship.

All application materials, including transcripts and letters of recommendation, must be submitted by the application deadline of December 1, 2020 in order to evaluate a TOEFL waiver. If the requirements listed below are not received by December 1, your request for a TOEFL waiver will be denied.

Applicants requesting a TOEFL waiver must do the following:

Check the box in the Graduate Application for "TOEFL Waiver."
Submit a letter explaining your request for a TOEFL waiver, and listing your experience writing in English. This letter should be uploaded to the "Portfolio" section of the Graduate Application.
Upload copies of transcripts from all post-secondary institutions you have attended (these should be uploaded into the Graduate Application). If your transcripts are not in English, they must be translated into English and evaluated for U.S. grade equivalency by an approved educational credentialing service. We recommend World Education Services or Educational Perspectives. Do not translate them yourself. The evaluation report must be delivered to our office by the December 1 deadline. Typically, you must have at least four (4) years of documented study from an institution whose language of instruction is English in order to be considered for a TOEFL waiver.
Submit the Graduate Application online, including the non-refundable application fee of $100.
Submit a letter of recommendation from an academic (non-performance) teacher. The teacher must have supervised a course taught in English, and the course should have required you to submit at least a 10-page paper in English. In this recommendation letter, the teacher should speak to your ability to write in English at the graduate level. You can add the name of this recommender to the Graduate Application, in addition to the two required for admission.

IMPORTANT: A request for a TOEFL waiver must be accompanied by a letter of recommendation from an academic (non-performance) teacher. This person ideally will have taught you in at least one course and should have experience grading your written work in English. If the academic course did not require at least a 10-page paper, you should find another person to recommend you.

You will be contacted by the Office of Music Admission and Financial Aid if your request for a TOEFL waiver has been approved. MM applicants whose request for a TOEFL waiver is denied will not be able to audition on campus. DMA applicants whose request for a TOEFL waiver is denied will not be invited to campus for an audition, and the application will not receive further review.

Financial Aid

There is no difference in the merit-based scholarship process for international applicants. International students are not eligible to apply for federal student loans through FAFSA. There are some options for international students to receive a private loan, however, many require a U.S. citizen to act as a co-signer.