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Penn State School of Music

Pennsylvania , United States

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While our audition days for 2023-2024 have concluded, we will continue to schedule auditions by appointment for incoming first-year students and transfer students through the national decision deadline. The absolute deadline to apply to Penn State with music as your intended major is April 15, although you are highly encouraged to apply at the earliest possible date. Applications received and completed, including auditions and interviews, by February 3 will be given priority consideration for admission and merit-based aid. 

We will consider applications from admitted and currently enrolled Penn State students wishing to add a concurrent (double) major, a performance minor, or who would like to audition for a change of major throughout the summer. 

Welcome from the Director

Looking for a B1G university that balances serious music study with an enriching student experience that prepares you for a career?

Welcome to the Penn State School of Music! At Penn State, you will find the ideal match between the wealth of opportunities found in a B1G University and the individualized attention provided in the intimate environment of our School of Music. With approximately 325 students enrolled, the school grants undergraduate and graduate degrees in a wide range of programs that help students develop as performers, creators, teachers, and scholars. We offer six undergraduate degree programs and four minors in music and annually serve an additional 1,000+ students who enrich their educational experience through enrollment in our ensembles, non-major lessons, and high-quality general education courses. Our faculty members are internationally renowned performers and pedagogues who care deeply about their students and use their talents to make a positive impact around the globe.

The School of Music presents more than 400 public concerts and events each year, and our students have the opportunity to experience world-class guest artists through the Center for the Performing Arts. In addition, our President's Concert series provides the opportunity for many of our students to perform in one or more of the greatest concert halls on the east coast during their undergraduate career. Past venues include Heinz Hall (Pittsburgh), The Kennedy Center (Washington, D.C.), Carnegie Hall (New York City), the Kimmel Center (Philadelphia), The Music Center at Strathmore (Bethesda, MD), and the Forum Auditorium (Harrisburg). We invite you to join us for performances either in-person or through our livestream.

We know that choosing a university experience is a big decision, and one you cannot make alone. We will be here for you every step of the way. We're thrilled that you're interested in sharing your talent with us and we're excited to get to know you!

Dr. Ann Marie Stanley, Director
Penn State School of Music

Experience Penn State
We welcome students to campus for in-person visits and will continue to host virtual information sessions for those students who cannot travel to University Park.

Upcoming In-Person Opportunities: 

  • Fall Visit Day, Monday, October 9, 2023: We invite you to join us for Fall Visit Day! We will share information about our programs, and you will have the opportunity to meet faculty and students, attend ensemble rehearsals, see the campus, and ask questions to determine if Penn State is the ideal place for you to pursue your goals!  
  • Individual on-campus visits: Individual visits on a mutually agreed upon date may be arranged by completing our Visit Planning Form. Students may schedule a sample lesson, attend classes and/or ensemble rehearsals, tour our music facilities, meet with a School of Music recruitment team member, and/or take part in other activities relevant to their interests.

Virtual Visits


Programs Offered
The School of Music at Penn State offers a wide range of undergraduate, graduate, and certificate programs. We only use Acceptd for our undergraduate programs. If you are interested in our graduate programs you may learn more on the School of Music website. All graduate and certificate program applications will be submitted through Penn State's GRADS system.

The School of Music at Penn State offers the following undergraduate degree programs in music. Please view the degree descriptions in the resources tab and/or follow the links to determine which degree best aligns with your goals and interests:

Bachelor of Music: Performance
Bachelor of Music: Composition
Bachelor of Musical Arts a degree that combines music performance with a defined secondary area of study
Bachelor of Music Education
Bachelor of Arts: Music Technology
Bachelor of Arts: Music Studies

We offer four minors within the School of Music. Only the music performance minor requires an audition and application through Acceptd. The process for adding the other majors can be found on the How to Apply page and on the minor description pages linked below.

Jazz Performance
Music Performance
Music Studies
Music Technology

We also offer an entrepreneurship and innovation minor through a partnership with the College of Arts and Architecture.

Are You Ready to Apply?
Completing your application via Acceptd is only one step in the four-step application process. A decision will not be made until all steps are completed. Students are also encouraged to review the How to Apply page for specifics for each applicant type (first-year applicants, transfer students, and current students.)

  1. First, be sure to submit your Penn State University application via MyPennState, or the CommonApp Note: The Penn State ID number you are assigned is required to submit the Acceptd materials.
  2. As soon as possible, submit your personal information and preferred audition day via Acceptd.
  3. If required, submit the requested materials for your chosen degree on Acceptd no later than the deadline(s) indicated.*
  4. Finally, attend your audition/interview to complete the process.
If you are unable to afford the fee to submit your materials through Acceptd, please review this support information.

Please note that your audition materials will be submitted in steps. First, you will complete the School of Music supplemental application and select your preferred audition date. You will pay the fee at this time. Next, if applying for composition or music technology, you will submit your portfolio. For all students, you will then complete the application process by either confirming that you intend to audition in person or providing the links to the recordings of your audition materials if you plan to audition remotely.


Multi-instrumentalists must submit an application for each instrument for which they audition; in this case only, applicants may enter the following coupon code to waive the duplicate fee: 02penn2024

Material submission deadlines:

  • The preferred date for the submission of the music technology portfolio pre-screenings is 11/25/2023.
  • The preferred deadline for voice pre-screenings is December 1 with notification of your status by December 15, 2023. Vocalists who wish to audition on December 3, are asked to submit their prescreening materials by Wednesday, November 15. They will receive notification of their status by the end of the day on November 17.
  • Music technology or voice students applying after the preferred deadline must submit their pre-screening materials at least two weeks prior to their requested audition date.
  • The preferred date for the submission of composition portfolios is 12/15.
  • For all other programs, recordings are only required for those students planning to audition virtually. For those students, recordings are due at least one week prior to your scheduled audition date.

2023-2024 Audition Dates

  • Sunday, December 3, 2023
  • Saturday, January 20, 2024
  • Saturday, January 27, 2024 
  • Saturday, February 3, 2024

Please note the following  date  restrictions  for specific instruments/studios. All other studios may choose any of the regular audition dates:  

  • December 3: Not available for composition, euphonium, tuba, or piano
  • January 20: Not available for composition, percussion, or viola
  • January 27:  Not available for double bass. ALL virtual voice applicants are encouraged to choose this date, ONLY voice applicants auditioning remotely will be heard on this date.
  • February 3: Not available for euphonium or tuba
  • Trombone auditionees (BM performance, BMA, BME, and BA music studies) are encouraged to check other when completing the scheduling form; auditions will be scheduled by appointment. Trombonists who are composition or music technology applicants will audition on one of the specified days for their program.

Whether auditioning in-person or remotely, undergraduate students auditioning on our January and February dates should plan to be available for the entire audition day beginning at 8:30 AM EST. You can view the basic schedule for the day in the resources tab. You will receive your exact audition time early the week of your audition.  The December audition date generally begins in the early afternoon, the exact schedule will be provided closer to the date.

To ensure full consideration for admission and merit-based financial aid, students should audition no later than the final regular audition date posted. Please note that some areas may be unable to give late applicants full consideration.  

Questions? Interested in more information?

  • If you would like to be added to the admissions and School of Music prospective students mailing lists please complete the interest form.
  • If you have questions about general admission to Penn State, please contact our director of enrollment, musicrecruiting@psu.edu.
  • If you have questions about the School of Music admission, please contact the recruitment team at musicrecruiting@psu.edu.
  • If you have a question about audition scheduling, please contact  music-ug-adm@psu.edu.

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