BM String Instruments at University of Washington

Programme overview

The School of Music offers both performance and research-oriented degree programs. More than 200 music majors and graduate students enrolled at the School choose among numerous degree options: Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Music, Master of Arts, Master of Music, Doctor of Musical Arts, and Doctor of Philosophy. In addition, many non-music majors take private lessons or participate in one or more of the dozens of auditioned and non-auditioned ensembles active in our performance divisions.

Faculty: College of Arts and Sciences | Department: Music | Location: Seattle, WA, United States

What you will study

Minimum 180 credits, of which at least 60 must be taken in departments other than the School of Music. All College of Arts and Sciences degree requirements must be met (including Language Skills and Reasoning and Writing in Context), except that students need take only 60 credits in Areas of Inquiry, to include at least 10 credits each in Arts and Humanities, Natural Sciences, and Social Sciences. Piano proficiency at MUSAP 235 level, a minimum 2.0 grade in each music course counted toward the major, and a minimum

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Admission is competitive to all music programs. All students must participate in an entrance audition or submit an application and satisfy the requirements of each degree program or track for admittance. Check department website for entrance audition dates. Major status in performance areas is accorded when, after admission to the College of Arts and Sciences is acknowledged and the required School of Music audition is successfully completed, the student commences applied-music study in a performance medium (e.g., voice) with an approved faculty member of the School of Music. In American music studies, music education, composition, and ethnomusicology, additional entrance requirements apply. All music programs require instruction on an instrument. Auditions into freshman-level applied-music instruction (private lessons) are based on the assumption that a student's background includes ...

Domestic applicants: USD 12,664 a year (2026-27). Resident rate. Seattle campus, full-time, Autumn+Winter+Spring quarters, rate band "Undergraduate" Undergraduate rate for tuition-based programs. Tuition only (operating + building fee); excludes technology fee, services & activities fee, IMA bond and fac Source

International applicants: USD 44,580 a year (2026-27). Non-Resident rate. Seattle campus, full-time, Autumn+Winter+Spring quarters, rate band "Undergraduate" Undergraduate rate for tuition-based programs. Tuition only (operating + building fee); excludes technology fee, services & activities fee, IMA bond and Source

First-year entry quarters: Autumn (begins late September), Winter (begins early January; not open to international first-year applicants), Summer (begins mid-June; most degree-seeking students apply for Autumn). Spring quarter is not open to first-year applicants.

Transfer entry: Autumn and Summer quarters; Spring quarter transfer admission is open only to applicants to specific departments in engineering and computer science.

First-year applications for Autumn (and Summer) open August 15 and close November 15; notification March 1-15. Winter applications open August 1 and close September 1, with notification in November and December. The UW does not offer early decision or early action. Apply through the Common App.

First-year application fee is $85 for U.S. students (fee waivers available) and $95 for international students (no fee waivers). Application requires a Common App essay and a self-reported academic record in STARS. SAT/ACT scores are not required for most applicants; homeschooled applicants and applicants from schools without letter or numeric grades must submit SAT or ACT scores. International applicants submit TOEFL or IELTS scores meeting the minimum English proficiency requirement.

Transfer applications for Autumn and Summer open December 15 and close February 28; notification May 1 to June 30. Transfer application fee is $85 (U.S., fee waivers available) or $95 (international, no fee waivers). SAT/ACT scores are not required for transfer applicants.

Apply through the official page: https://admit.washington.edu/apply/

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