Undergraduate Frequently Asked Questions

The COVID-19 pandemic has clearly affected how students and families navigate the college admission process. Even as we see communities starting to rebuild and reopen, we understand that many have experienced school closures or restricted activities, and that families around the world are enduring financial strain and loss of loved ones. We are committed to working with schools and families to ensure all candidates receive full admission consideration.

There are no plans to change application deadlines for fall 2023. Please consult our Application & Timeline page for comprehensive information. 

The Bienen School does not expect any applicant to stray from CDC guidelines in order to record prescreening or audition materials. Please see your program/instrument’s Audition & Program Requirements for comprehensive information about this year’s requirements. 

The Bienen School of Music plans to offer on-campus auditions for fall 2023 admission. This modality is subject to change based on the trajectory of the COVID-19 pandemic. For those unable to audition on campus, all instrument areas will offer some sort of virtual audition format such as a Zoom audition or recorded audition option. Check your instrument's prescreening and audition requirements page for more details.

Lesson requests with faculty members are made directly through the faculty members themselves. Visit our Faculty Profiles to find contact information for individual faculty members.

You are welcome to upload a statement about how you have been impacted by the pandemic to your Bienen School Supplement. Please note that this is optional.

Join us for a Bienen School virtual information session! Sessions are led by a Bienen admissions staff member and cover the application process, degree options, financial aid, and more. The sessions also include time for Q&As. Register for a session here. If you have any questions about Bienen School admission, feel free to contact us at musiclife@northwestern.edu .

Refer to Application Instructions for information.

The indication to apply to the dual degree is made on the Common Application to Northwestern University.

No, however, all Bienen School of Music applicants are required to submit materials via the Bienen School Supplement.

Yes. Those interested in Early Decision should first contact the Bienen School's Office of Admission, Financial Aid and Graduate Services: musiclife@northwestern.edu.

All applicants should submit music materials via the Bienen School Supplement regardless of whether or not their chosen major/degree has an audition component.  

Most file types are accepted and can be as large as 5 GB each. Specific information about accepted files sizes and types can be found in the Bienen School Supplement Portfolio section.

A recommendation from a music teacher is required. Request and submit this through the Bienen School Supplement.

No. All admission decisions are sent from the Office of Undergraduate Admission. If you have applied to more than one school within Northwestern, your admission decision will state to which school(s) you have been accepted.

No. The Bienen School of Music is a school within Northwestern University, so Bienen School applicants must be admitted to both the Bienen School of Music and the University as a whole.

No. Students are allowed to major in only one performance area. Additional majors may be added in music studies areas such as music education, musicology, music theory, music cognition, and music composition and technology, in addition to all majors found outside the Bienen School.

Yes. Students are welcome to complete two majors within the Bienen School of Music with the exception of two performance majors. Bienen students may complete a second major or dual degree program in the Judd A. and Marjorie Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences. Students interested in pursuing a second major in the Robert R. McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science, Medill School of Journalism, School of Communication, or School of Education and Social Policy may add a dual degree with the second school, or they may transfer to the second school and pursue music as a second major.  

Yes. If you have exceptionally strong interests in music and another field, this option offers the opportunity to earn two separate degrees (music plus one in an outside field) in five years. The Bienen School partners with the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, McCormick School of Engineering, Medill School of Journalism, School of Communication, and School of Education and Social Policy so that you may pursue both your passions side by side.

Bachelor of Arts degrees within the Bienen School are considered liberal arts degrees. There are no performance-based BA degrees. BA students may pursue an optional concentration in the areas of composition, musicology, music cognition, and music theory. 

Bachelor of Music degrees include more music and performance-based courses. Those pursuing a Bachelor of Music in performance or music education perform in ensembles and take private lessons during the entirety of their undergraduate studies. Students pursuing a Bachelor of Music in other music studies areas (musicology, music cognition, music theory) receive one year of private lessons and have a one-year ensemble requirement. BM music composition students take private composition lessons with faculty and have a one-year ensemble requirement.

For more information, see Degrees.

Bachelor of Arts in Music students have a one-year ensemble requirement. There are no private lessons with faculty, but lessons with graduate students may be available. 

See our Opportunities for Nonmajors page.

Minors are declared after arriving at Northwestern as an enrolled student. See available music minors. Please note that there are no performance minors.

It is not necessary to record in a recording studio. Use the best available technology you have. Many successful prescreening recordings have been created on smartphones, but we recommend that you find a good-quality external microphone with which to record your repertoire requirements. External microphones do not necessarily need to be expensive. We also recommend that you investigate your recording device’s sound input settings and make sure to adjust the sound input to avoid distortion. Your camera should be stationary for each selection and each selection should be uploaded as a separate file. The goal is to achieve a “natural acoustic” sound. Do not edit or electronically alter the audio of your prescreening submission. 

Yes. This is strongly encouraged.

You will receive an email from the Office of Music Admission with instructions on how to schedule your audition.

Do not book travel until you have scheduled your audition. If you must purchase your travel prior to confirming an audition, we recommend purchasing refundable tickets. The Bienen School of Music reserves the right to change audition dates. We are not responsible for any expenses incurred for changing travel plans.

The Bienen School of Music strongly prefers that applicants audition live. In the event that you are unable to take part in a live audition, pre-recorded audition videos are accepted. 

The Office of Music Admission will send you a Musical Background form to bring to your audition. You may also bring sheet music for your audition selections, but this is optional.

Vocalists: Though we provide an accompanist for the live audition, you must supply your own music for the accompanist. Do not send the music in advance; bring it with you when you come to campus. We recommend making double-sided photocopies of your music and neatly organizing your selections in a three-ring binder. Please do not place the music in plastic sleeves, as this causes glare for our pianists. Do not use staples. A binder is preferable to large books or scores.
 

All auditions, with the exception of jazz studies and voice auditions, should be unaccompanied.  The Bienen School provides an accompanist for all in-person voice auditions and a small combo for all in-person jazz studies auditions. 

Contact musiclife@northwestern.edu to inquire about classes and rehearsals open for observation. You will receive information on other activities that you may participate in via email.

Yes. Northwestern University offers financial assistance to students primarily on the basis of demonstrated need. Northwestern is among a small group of private institutions that continue to meet the full demonstrated institutional financial need of our aid applicants. In addition, there are merit scholarships from the Bienen School. Learn more.

There is no difference in the merit-based scholarship process for international applicants. International students are ineligible to apply for federal student loans through FAFSA, however. There are some options for international students to receive a private loan, however many of them do require a U.S. citizen to act as a co-signer. More information can be found here.

There are several hotels and Airbnbs located in Evanston and the Chicagoland area. Directions to campus and parking details can be found on our Visit Us page.

Yes! The Bienen School of Music is pleased to offer tours and admission information sessions for students interested in majoring in music at Northwestern. In-person tours are subject to cancellation based on the trajectory of the COVID-19 pandemic. Tour/information session registration is available on this page (scroll down past the online options). 

Lessons with faculty are scheduled directly with the faculty members themselves. Visit our Faculty Profiles to find contact information for individual faculty members.