<p>I know another thread was talking about the fact that some schools have minimums, and I didn't want to derail. =)</p>
<p>What are some examples of GPA and ACT/SAT minimums specifically for the music schools, either reported by schools, rumored, or otherwise?</p>
<p>3.0 is the minimum for most music schools (if you are talking about just conservatories). Many music schools will not even require test scores, but I’ve only seen/known a few serious musicians with below average GPA and scores because most of them tend to be very focused and really know how to balance their time between music and academics.</p>
<p>I think there will be a wide range, depending on the school. The info is easily available at each school’s website. Set up a google spreadsheet, and you can track the info.</p>
<p>Generic admissions minimums may be readily available, but another kind of minimum (the relative weight of audition vs. stats at a selective university, for example) is not easy to pinpoint. At Thornton, we were told unofficially on a tour that if a student has a great audition, they still need at least a 3.5 UW GPA, for example to be accepted by USC. </p>
<p>However, grain of salt. There are likely a musician or two at Thornton with less than that.</p>
<p>^Ditto Umich – the “minimum” to be invited for audition is 3.0, but the unofficial rumored level with a strong audition would be more like 3.5, and in truth, likely much higher right now (eg. 3.8 and up) depending on how rigorous/competitive the student is/student’s school is. I believe the “actual” average of admitted music students is around 3.7 or 3.8, but I can’t recall where I gleaned that info, so take it with a grain of salt. In terms of ACT, the only “real” requirement is a min. of 28 for the BSC in music tech (engineering stream) (but that’s low; many of those kids have 34 - 35s in math ACT). But a sub 30/sub 2000 ACT or SAT isn’t going to be helpful there if it comes down to two students with similar audition ratings for one spot.</p>
<p>Another reasonably well-documented “matching” academic school is Northwestern, where after a very favorable audition it is entirely possible not to receive academic admit and ergo final admit. For NU, they’ll be looking for candidate who match or exceed their admit ranges – varies each year but check their website to get a sense of the ballpark.</p>
<p>I am not sure where we were told this so take it with a grain of salt, too, but we learned that to be favorable at a school that is part of a major university program, you should be around the 50 percentile, and no lower than the 25 percentile with an outstanding audition. Those schools look for students that can also succeed in their regular required classes. Conservatories not so closely associated with the university have different standards.</p>
<p>Thank you very much (especially as I sent my National Merit notices to Michigan and NU- you guys hit the nail on the head!).</p>
<p>Best wishes in your apps next year. Since you mentioned Mich, your NM status will certainly assist you in the competitiveness of your app – audition notwithstanding. My son is at the SOM, so if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask. Cheers, K</p>
<p>Awww, thanks K! That’s good news. Thank you so much!</p>
<p>firesoul: You are asking the same question that I asked several years ago when our daughter was applying to music school. I later found out that the answer to this question is readily available by calling the schools and asking. But what we discovered later (and what I think Singersmom07 actually advised me), is that this question may not be the most relevant one – the student still has to compete with other applicants and the GPA/Scores for those students may be higher than the institution’s “minimum.” Also, academic scores play a significant role in the scholoarship game in music schools. So, I guess the best question to ask schools is what their average GPA and SAT scores are for incoming freshmen.</p>