Applicants are required to submit academic transcripts from each college/university attended.  You may submit your transcript using one of the following methods:

1. Upload a PDF, or scanned copy, of your transcripts, within the online application (strongly preferred). Transcripts can be either an official or unofficial copy; however, a grade report from a student portal is not acceptable. Please upload the transcript on the “Academic” page of the application, on the same section where you enter the name of your school. Transcripts must be clear and legible, and documentation for each institution should be saved in a separate single file. After uploading your transcript, please preview the file to ensure readability.
2. Send transcripts electronically, or via email, to the Eastman Office of Admissions: admissions@esm.rochester.edu. We also receive transcripts through electronic platforms such as Parchment, National Student Clearinghouse, and Scoir.
3. Postal Mail: If neither of the submission options above is possible, transcripts can also be sent by postal mail. Mailing address: Office of Admissions | Eastman School of Music | 26 Gibbs St | Rochester, NY 14604.

International applicants: If your transcript is not in English, you must also provide a certified English translation. In some cases where it is unclear, international applicants will be asked to submit a third party transcript evaluation.  Documents will be reviewed in the month of January and you will be notified if a third party evaluation is needed for your application. If you are notified that an evaluation is required your transcripts should be evaluated by an organization specializing in foreign credential evaluation, such as World Education Services (www.wes.org) or Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc. (www.ece.org). For either service we would be requesting a course-by-course evaluation.

Please note that the Eastman School of Music reserves the right to verify the accuracy of all transcripts, and to require submission of official documentation at any point in the admissions review process.

Final official transcripts will be required for students who ultimately enroll. Offers of admission are contingent upon receipt of final official transcripts which must be sent directly from the issuing institution, and show degree conferment.  Transcripts uploaded by an applicant within their application are not considered official documents.

All applicants must list their recommenders in the online application.  For DMA applicants, one recommendation must be from a teacher of music history, musicology or music theory. Recommenders are notified via email and given instructions to submit the recommendation online. You will be able to view the status of each recommendation.

If a recommender does not receive the email prompt to complete their recommendation, we advise that they start by checking their “spam” folder or equivalent.  If they continue to have difficulty, they can contact the Office of Admission at: admissions@esm.rochester.edu.

Applicants to majors in Composition, Jazz Writing, DMA Jazz, and Contemporary Media/Film Composition must submit the following materials for review by the faculty.

• Composition applicants must upload:
  Composition scores: PDF copies of three or four scores should be uploaded within application for review by the composition faculty. Each score pdf must be clearly marked with the applicant’s name.
  If you are submitting a large-ensemble piece (full orchestral score etc.) then it is also recommended that you mail a hard copy of the score to: Office of Admissions/ Eastman School of Music/ 26 Gibbs St/ Rochester, NY 14604.If your piece is electroacoustic and does not have a score, you may upload a PDF indicating this along with the recording.
• Recordings: Composition applicants are required to upload recordings of your composed works. Note: MIDI recordings only are acceptable if acoustic recordings are not available.

•  
• Jazz Writing applicants and all DMA Jazz applicants must submit scores that display writing for large and small jazz group formats; arrangements can also be included. Jazz Writing applicants who have a background in classical composition are also encouraged to submit one or two examples of original non-jazz works. Jazz Writing applicants must also upload recordings of these works with the application. Recordings from reading sessions and rehearsals are acceptable. If live performances are not available, recordings of computer sequences of works may be submitted. Please note that a separate jazz performance recording featuring improvisation on your primary instrument is also required.
• Contemporary Media/Film Composition applicants must submit a minimum of four compositions by the application deadline. At least two of these pieces must be composed to video to demonstrate the applicant’s dramatic composing abilities. These pieces should show a range of styles and instrumental forces. Submitted pieces must have both a score (PDFs are acceptable and should be uploaded within the “Portfolio” section of the application) and a recording (uploaded within the online application). At least one of the submissions must be recorded by live musicians. A MIDI realization can and should be used for the remaining submissions. Applicants will be evaluated on their dramatic interpretation, musicality, orchestration and technical abilities. It is imperative that all the work be done by the applicant. Seeking advice from a teacher, colleague or an online tech support service is fine however the work must be done by the applicant.

An English test (TOEFL, Duolingo, Cambridge, or IELTs) and a Non-native English essay are required for all applicants whose native language is not English. Please see the International Students page for details.

See special instructions for the following programs:

• Music Education
• Music Education Skills Assessment

Research paper(s):

• Composition, Music Education, and Music Leadership applicants must submit one music research paper;
• Ethnomusicology and Musicology must submit two research papers;
• Music Theory and Theory Pedagogy applicants must submit two papers, one or both of which are music analysis papers.

Research paper(s):

• Composition and Music Education applicants must submit one music research paper.
• Musicology applicants must submit two music research papers.
• Music Theory applicants must submit two papers, one or both of which are music analysis papers. For Music Theory applicants, each paper should be about 15–25 pages; excerpts from longer works are acceptable.