Philadelphia, PA · Private · 109 undergraduates · urban
Curtis Institute of Music
Extremely selective
Curtis pairs an exceptionally small student body with full-tuition scholarships and a learn-by-performing model built around intensive professional-level music making.
Institutional profile
Top tier Exceptional in academic standing, and strong in affordability.Admission is by audition into a single discipline; general-population earnings measures describe this school poorly.
- Admission
- Audition-led admission
- Price by income
- Varies across five income ranges
- Completion
- 90.2%
446 applicants in the reported year
Compare recent average annual costs by household income
The strongest comparable outcome available
What sets Curtis apart
Academic design
Students receive concentrated studio instruction while performing extensively in orchestra, opera, chamber music, solo recitals, and other public programs.
Admission process
Nearly every program requires recorded prescreening, after which selected applicants travel to Philadelphia for instrument-specific live auditions, interviews, or further evaluations.
Defining experience
Every enrolled student receives a full-tuition scholarship, allowing artistic promise and audition performance to drive admission rather than tuition-paying capacity.
Can I get in?
Audition-led admission
Nearly every program requires recorded prescreening, after which selected applicants travel to Philadelphia for instrument-specific live auditions, interviews, or further evaluations.
Recent applicant pool
446About 7 in every 100 applicants were admitted.
Audition and portfolio
The audition or portfolio carries the file. The academic record qualifies the applicant; the performance decides the outcome.
In the season card
Where your GPA sits in the entering class
The full entering-class GPA distribution for Curtis, in nine bands from 4.0 down, with your own record marked on it.
See where I landIn the season card
What Curtis weighs when it reads a file
See how this college describes the role of grades, testing, essays, recommendations, activities, and demonstrated interest.
- Course rigor
- GPA
- Test scores
- Essay
- Recommendations
- Extracurriculars
- Demonstrated interest
What moves the application
The evidence that separates a strong file
Clear the academic baseline
Students receive concentrated studio instruction while performing extensively in orchestra, opera, chamber music, solo recitals, and other public programs.
Complete the specialized assessment
Nearly every program requires recorded prescreening, after which selected applicants travel to Philadelphia for instrument-specific live auditions, interviews, or further evaluations.
Plan the process early
Prepare repertoire well ahead of the deadline; most departments require prescreen recordings before applicants can receive an invitation to audition live.
How to apply
Rounds, route, and required materials
Prepare repertoire well ahead of the deadline; most departments require prescreen recordings before applicants can receive an invitation to audition live.
$150 application fee
Major and program admission
Some fields have their own entry path.
The college admit rate above covers the university as a whole. These requirements apply only to the named program.
Performing and visual artsAdmits separately
What this program asks for, and when it closes.
Can I afford it?
Compare annual cost by household income.
Start with the average net price for your income range, then set that estimate beside your other realistic options.
In the season card
Average annual cost by household income at Curtis
Compare recent average net prices across five federal income ranges and estimate a 4-year cost for yours.
- $0–30k
- $30–48k
- $48–75k
- $75–110k
- $110k+
Is it worth it?
Completion, debt, and earnings
Read completion, borrowing, field mix, and earnings together. For specialized training, compare those signals with the professional path you intend to follow.
Degree completion across the reported entering cohort
First-year students who return for year two
And what that comes to against what they earn.
Reported 10 years after enrollment
Academic portfolio
Largest bachelor’s fields
How many students finish in each field, and median earnings four years after completing the program.
Music
Admits separately
What is campus life like?
Curtis beyond the classroom
The tiny conservatory community centers on Philadelphia facilities and Lenfest Hall, where students live close to lessons, rehearsals, and performances.
The academic structure
Students receive concentrated studio instruction while performing extensively in orchestra, opera, chamber music, solo recitals, and other public programs.
The campus rhythm
The tiny conservatory community centers on Philadelphia facilities and Lenfest Hall, where students live close to lessons, rehearsals, and performances.
What changes the experience
Every enrolled student receives a full-tuition scholarship, allowing artistic promise and audition performance to drive admission rather than tuition-paying capacity.