Jacobs School Of Music Acceptance Rate

Last Updated on December 16, 2022 by Omoyeni Adeniyi

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Introduction to Jacobs School Of Music Acceptance Rate

The Jacobs School of Music is a professional school within Indiana University (IU), located in Bloomington, Indiana. It offers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees in performance across a variety of instruments, as well as degrees in music education and music therapy. The school also offers non-degree programs such as summer camps and community outreach events.

The Jacobs School of Music was founded in 1906 by a donation from philanthropist James M. Bowman, who gave the university $1 million for the purpose of creating an institution for studying music. The first classes were held in 1912, with 500 students enrolled in the first year. In 1945 the school became independent from the IU Board of Education and was renamed the IU School of Music; however it remained part of IU until 1962 when it became part of IU’s College of Arts and Sciences instead. In 1971 it was renamed again to its current name: The Jacobs School Of Music At Indiana University

Apply to join our community

While application procedures differ slightly depending on what you’re applying for, all applicants to the Jacobs School of Music must complete the following steps:

1. Apply to Indiana University
2. Apply to the Jacobs School of Music
3. Complete an audition and/or interview

Find your application category on this page for more detailed information about the admissions process. ]

At Jacobs, pre-screening recordings are required for Audio Engineering and Sound Production (Recording Arts Degree) (requires a portfolio), Ballet, Composition (requires a portfolio), Flute, Classical Guitar, Jazz Guitar, Percussion, Jazz Percussion, Piano, Saxophone, Jazz Saxophone, Voice, Jazz Voice, and Violin.

Please note: Jacobs requires students to submit ACT or SAT scores.

U.S. News and World Report and QS World University rankings recognize IU programs

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Graduate programs at Indiana University in library and information studies, business, education, the humanities, law, medicine, nursing and social sciences have been recognized by U.S. News and World Report in its annual rankings.

The School of Informatics and Computing at IU Bloomington is ranked ninth in U.S. News’ listing of top library and information studies graduate programs. Two of its specialties also were ranked; digital librarianship is 10th, and information systems is 11th.

Four departments in the College of Arts and Sciences, also at IU Bloomington, are ranked by U.S. News in the top 20. IU’s program in sociology is ranked 15th. Psychology is 17th; English and history are 20th. It also ranked IU’s program in political science 29th and its economics program 39th.

Another ranking, the QS World University Rankings, reported that IU’s Jacobs School of Music is a “top performer” worldwide. The Jacobs School ranks seventh among performing arts educational institutions worldwide and second nationally. Other than Julliard, all the other music programs ranked above Jacobs by QS Digital Solutions were based in Europe.

IU President Michael A. McRobbie said the two sets of rankings highlight the university’s efforts to provide a quality education in a wide variety of disciplines.

“These rankings reflect our efforts to prepare students for successful careers in the arts and humanities, business, law, medicine and health care, and education, but they are only one measure of how well the university delivers a quality education, conducts research that changes people’s lives and reaches out to improve our society,” McRobbie said. “IU students and our alumni regularly tell they us they are extremely pleased by the quality of the education we provide, which underscores that IU is one of America’s great teaching and research universities.”

Below are U.S. News rankings for other IU graduate programs:

• The IU Kelley School of Business Master of Business Administration programs remain among elite schools of business. Its full-time program at IU Bloomington is ranked 21st overall, and its part-time Evening MBA program at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis is ranked 11th. Six of the Kelley School’s specialties were highlighted by peers, with entrepreneurship ranked eighth; and accounting, information systems and marketing programs each ranked 11th; management, 16th; and finance, 25th.
• The IU School of Nursing is ranked 28th, and its Doctor of Nursing Practice degree ranks 23rd.
• The IU Maurer School of Law in Bloomington ranks 30th overall. Four specialties in the school were ranked. Tax law was 23rd; international and environmental law, 25th; and intellectual property law, 27th.
• The IU McKinney School of Law at IUPUI moved from 100th in 2016 to 88th this year. Its health law specialty is 12th, and its legal writing program is 15th. McKinney’s part-time program ranks 32nd.
• The IU School of Education ranks 32nd. The school had top rankings for six of its degree programs: ninth for higher education administration and curriculum/instruction; 10th for elementary education and secondary education; educational administration/supervision, 17th; and educational psychology, 18th.
• The IU School of Medicine is in the top 50 for both research and primary care. It now ranks 41st for primary care and 45th for research.

U.S. News did not issue new rankings for public affairs, the biological sciences, chemistry, earth sciences, mathematics, physics and statistics. Graduate programs in these and other disciplines typically go several years between rankings. The rankings are available at the publication’s web site.

jacobs school of music requirements

Prepare for your audition

All programs in the Jacobs School of Music require an audition or interview, and in some cases, both. Many programs also require a pre-screening. Select your area’s page for more information regarding audition/interview and/or prescreen repertoire requirements. 

Indiana University Jacobs School of Music is one of the most comprehensive and acclaimed institutions for the study of music.Performance OpportunitiesThe scope of music-making at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music is unique. With more than 1,100 performances each year—including five operas, one musical, and three ballets—the school has impacted our region’s cultural life for generations and continues to prepare young musicians and dancers to bring their expressive performances to every corner of the world.State-of-the-Art Facilities Coming from all over the U.S. and the globe, our students enjoy practicing and rehearsing throughout our eight buildings. They thrill audiences on the state-of-the-art Musical Arts Center stage or in one of our four concert halls.World-class Conservatory + The Promise of the DreamMany think of the Jacobs School of Music as a world-class conservatory within a university setting—a description that certainly captures the endless resources and opportunities available to our students. Students choose from countless opportunities to pursue dual degrees, double majors, or minors at Indiana University.Quick Facts:

• More than 75% of Jacobs students receive scholarships.
• Experience 351,000 square feet of studios, practice rooms, rehearsal spaces, and more.
• Join our alumni network of more than 16,000 talented professionals.
• Grow with our 175 world-class full-time faculty.
• Utilize 5 on-campus, specialized music research hubs — Latin American Music Center, Historical Performance Institute, Thomas Binkley Early Music Archive, Center for Electronic and Computer Music, and Center for History of Music Theory and Literature.
• Choose from 39 ensembles, including choral, band, jazz, orchestra, and more.
• Now offering Master in Music Scoring for Visual Media.

Jacobs School Of Music Overview

The Jacobs School was established in 1921 and was known as the Indiana University School of Music until 2005. The conservatory is home to more the 1,600 students (half of whom are undergraduates). The ground work for the school was begun in 1907 by Charles Campbell, which eventually led to the establishment of the Jacobs School. In 1982, Leonard Bernstein spent six weeks at Jacobs to compose his final opera, A Quiet Place.

The more than 1,600 students who study at Jacobs School of Music benefit from the intensity and focus of a conservatory combined with the broad academic offerings of a major university. The essence of a great music school is its faculty, and the more than 180 full-time faculty members in residence at the IU Jacobs School of Music include performers, scholars, and teachers of international renown. In addition, many top musicians and scholars come to the school each year to give master classes and guest lectures or to serve as visiting artistic directors, conductors, and faculty.

The breadth and number of performance opportunities are unparalleled in college music study, with the school offering more than 1,100 performances a year, including up to seven fully stage operas. The school’s facilities, including five buildings located in the heart of the IU Bloomington campus, comprise outstanding recital halls, more than 170 practice rooms, choral and instrumental rehearsal rooms, and more than 100 offices and studios. The grandest facility is the Musical Arts Center, which features technical capabilities that are among the best in the nation.

The Jacobs School of Music graduates include some of the world’s most successful performers, conductors, composers, music educators, scholars, and managers of arts organizations.

Academic departments at Jacobs School of Music include: Ballet, Band, Brass, Choral Conducting, Composition, Early Music/Historical Performance Institute, Guitar, Harp, Jazz Studies, Music Education, Music in General Studies Program, Music Theory, Musicology, Opera Studies, Orchestral Conducting, Organ, Percussion, Piano, Recording Arts, Strings, Voice, and Woodwinds.

The performance opportunities at the Jacobs School are unparalleled with more than 1,100 performances a year, including seven fully staged operas. Most schools can only afford two! If you’re looking for a top-notch music school combined with the broad academic offerings of a major university, you need not look any further.

State-of-the-Art Facilities Coming from all over the U.S. and the globe, our students enjoy practicing and rehearsing throughout our eight buildings. They thrill audiences on the state-of-the-art Musical Arts Center stage or in one of our four concert halls

Many think of the Jacobs School of Music as a world-class conservatory within a university setting—a description that certainly captures the endless resources and opportunities available to our students. Students choose from countless opportunities to pursue dual degrees, double majors, or minors at Indiana University.

Acceptance Rate

According to the Jacobs’ website, they typical receive 1,600 applications for undergraduates and approximately a quarter are admitted; for graduates, the school typically receives 1,200 applications and approximately one third are admitted.

So the acceptance rate at Jacobs is 25% for undergraduates and slightly over 33% for graduates

Application Deadlines

Type	Domestic	International	Priority date
Fall deadline	December 1st	December 1st	No
Spring deadline	September 1st	September 1st	No

Prescreening

Many of our programs require you to submit prescreen recordings and/or materials. These are due on December 1, 2021, and must be uploaded and submitted to your Jacobs School of Music Supplemental Application. 

Audition/Interview

At this time, live auditions and interviews will be held over three weekends on the Bloomington campus. If you are unable to attend one of the live audition weekends, please see your area’s audition page for alternative audition/interview methods.

Audition weekends for entry into the 2022-23 school year are: 

• January 14-15, 2022
• February 4-5, 2022
• March 4-5, 2022 

*Some department audition dates vary. Please see your area’s audition page for more information. 

Prescreening requirements

Many of our programs have prescreening requirements. You must upload and submit all required recordings and/or materials by December 1 through the Jacobs School of Music Supplemental Application.

(Note: D.M. Piano prescreen recordings are due by January 10) 

Any materials received after the deadline will be considered on a case-by-case basis, depending on space availability. In the case of prescreen audition recordings, please note that if we receive your materials after the December 1 deadline, we reserve the right to consider your recording as a final audition, on which a final admission decision will be made.

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See your program for specific requirements.

• If you are applying for more than one area, please submit separate supplemental applications and prescreenings, if applicable, for each area. The fee is only required for your first application, so please use the following coupon code in the payment section of your subsequent application(s): MULTI2021
• If you are applying to B.M. or B.S.O.F. Composition Option 1, please submit your prescreening for composition and performance area (if applicable) under one application (Composition with your instrument concentration).

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Requirements for prescreening recordings

Performance recordings should be of high quality and produced without any artificial enhancement, such as echo or electronic reverb. Be aware of any background noise that may interfere with the overall audio quality.

jacobs school of music ranking 2021

Although the top ranked music school will, of course, result in heated debate, I consider the IU Jacobs School of Music to be among the most impressive, diverse, and extraordinary music schools in the world, especially for vocal performance, music composition, percussion performance, orchestral conducting, and even music librarianship.

The performance opportunities at the Jacobs School are unparalleled with more than 1,100 performances a year, including seven fully staged operas. Most schools can only afford two! If you’re looking for a top-notch music school combined with the broad academic offerings of a major university, you need not look any further.

The availability of scholarships and fellowships to music students at Jacobs is astounding. The list (which you can find here) goes on and on for pages. Each year the schools provides students with an unbelievable $5 million dollars in merit-based funds.

The Jacobs School was established in 1921 and was known as the Indiana University School of Music until 2005. The conservatory is home to more the 1,600 students (half of whom are undergraduates). The ground work for the school was begun in 1907 by Charles Campbell, which eventually led to the establishment of the Jacobs School. In 1982, Leonard Bernstein spent six weeks at Jacobs to compose his final opera, A Quiet Place.

Moved by his time at Jacobs, the Bernstein family donated the entire contents of Leonard Bernstein’s conducting studio to the school, including his conducting stool from the Vienna Philharmonic said to have been used by Johannes Brahms!

Students at the Jacobs School of Music are given the opportunity to examine the contents of Bernstein’s studio and read through his books and music scores. Talk about inspiration! Who knows what standing in the room and taking in the desk Bernstein worked at and the pictures he hung on the wall will inspire in you?

Acceptance Rate

Although you need to prove your musical skills to enter this exceptional school, the larger student body at Jacobs gives you a better chance from an acceptance rate perspective. According to the Jacobs’ website, they typical receive 1,600 applications for undergraduates and approximately a quarter are admitted; for graduates, the school typically receives 1,200 applications and approximately one third are admitted.

So the acceptance rate at Jacobs is 25% for undergraduates and slightly over 33% for graduates.

As with all applications to music school, keep in mind sometimes the numbers just don’t work to your advantage. For example, teachers can only take on a certain number of students for a given instrument each year. In these cases, musicians who apply for maxed-out studios are usually refunded their application fee and told no one who plays their instrument will be accepted that particular year.

Tuition & Fees

Because Jacobs is a state university, the tuition varies for Indiana residents and non-residents. For residents, the tuition is $6,174 for undergraduates and $602 per credit hour for graduate students (meaning a very full load of 18 credits will cost you $10,836). For non-residents, the tuition is $18,103 for undergraduates and $1,857 per credit hour for graduates (meaning 18 credits will cost you $33,426).

You can find a helpful breakdown of tuition costs on the Jacobs’ website.

Keep in mind the tuition at Jacobs is very reasonable, especially when you factor in the large amount of merit-based funds available. You can also apply for residency at Indiana University for fee-paying purposes to significantly reduce the tuition cost for non-residents. You can find a copy of the application here.

For those wishing to live on campus through student housing, the cost is $11,767 for both Indiana residents and non-residents.

Requirements and Admissions Tips

At Jacobs, pre-screening recordings are required for Audio Engineering and Sound Production (Recording Arts Degree) (requires a portfolio), Ballet, Composition (requires a portfolio), Flute, Classical Guitar, Jazz Guitar, Percussion, Jazz Percussion, Piano, Saxophone, Jazz Saxophone, Voice, Jazz Voice, and Violin.

By clicking on each degree above, you can find detailed information about the requirements for each department on the Jacobs’ website.

Please note: Jacobs requires students to submit ACT or SAT scores.

More advanced degrees at Jacobs have additional application requirements. You can find additional information for graduate student applications, international applicants, transfer students, and certificates at Jacobs here.

If you are invited to audition at Jacobs, you should become familiar with the requirements of each department as they all vary. For example, prospective Trumpet majors should demonstrate major scales up to 4 sharps and flats, covering two or more octaves and perform for 5-8 minutes of contrasting selections from your repertoire of solos, etudes, and/or excerpts.

If you are accepted to audition at Jacobs, I would recommend you schedule a lesson with a faculty member in the department you are interested in enrolling into at Jacobs prior to your audition. Knowing how a specific teacher works with you is critical for determining if a school is a good fit. Also, if they like you and your playing in your lesson together, your chance for getting in might be higher. Keep in mind this is only a recommendation and not a fact in every instance.

Notable Alumni

There are few places in the world you can visit without someone recognizing the Jacobs School of Music and their impressive list of alumni. Here a but a few …

Joshua Bell, celebrated violin soloist, chamber musician, recording artist, and conductor with more than 40 recorded CDs receiving Grammy, Mercury, Gramophone, and Echo Klassik Awards; David Baker, the late and great professor at Jacobs who made the jazz program one of the most respected in the United States (as a trombonist and later a cellist, Mr. Baker performed with the ensembles of Quincy Jones and George Russell); Angela Brown, the talented African-American soprano admired for her portrayals of Verdi heroines (at Jacobs she studied under the noted voice teacher Virginia Zeani, known as one of the greatest sopranos of the 20th century).

There are too many great Jacobs Alumni to discuss in full here. For a good list, check this Wikipedia page.

Faculty

Jacobs has more the 170 full-time faculty members of international renown. Recently, the school added the classical pianist André Watts, one of the most celebrated classical musicians of the 20th century. Also in the piano department is Menahem Pressler, widely considered to be among the top pedagogues in piano pedagogy of the 20th century and 21st centuries.

In the voice department, we find some of the world’s most noted classical performers on the faculty, including the Grammy-award winning Sylvia McNair and famed baritone Timothy Noble. Nearly every area of study at IU has expert faculty that students can study with.

Similar Schools & Ranking

A school similar to Jacobs would be a large music school located within a university setting. IU’s main emphasis is in classical performance, composition, and in jazz, but also has strong programs in musical theatre and theory. My picks for schools similar to Jacobs in the US would be the University North Texas School of Music, the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music, and the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor School of Music, Theatre, and Dance.

At Music School Central, we rank Jacobs very highly. In a previous list published in 2014, we ranked the school number 1.

While all rankings are subjective, in our opinion Jacobs is a top-10 music school.

Scholarships

As noted, the scholarships and fellowships available at Jacobs is astounding with $5 million dollars in merit-based funds. You can find a complete list of funding opportunities at Jacobs here.

Any student applying to Jacobs should also apply for the FAFSA in order to maximize opportunities for receiving financial aid. Grants and loans from FAFSA can help pay for an acceptance to Jacobs.

Is Jacobs Right for Me?

Given our opinion here at Music School Central, Jacobs should be on every music student’s list. From the funding to the faculty to the performance opportunities, you’ll be given ample opportunities to grow as a musician at Jacobs.

There are, however, some considerations to take into account. While the school is located in a metropolitan area, it’s not New York City or Los Angeles. That said, Bloomington is progressive, hip, and offers plenty of great places to eat and drink after long hours of study and practice. To find out if Jacobs is right for you, a trip to the school and surrounding area should be on your list before making a decision.

The music curriculum alone at Jacobs is impressive and intensive and also includes 31 credits of Common Education Requirements such as English Composition, Mathematical Modeling, the Humanities and Sciences, and World Language and Cultures; as a result, Jacobs provides you with a solid focus on music combined with the academic fundamentals needed to succeed in the professional world.

jacobs school of music admissions

Accepting applications for 2022 through Dec. 1.

Take the first step toward your goal

Whether your goal is to become a teacher educating the next generation, taking center stage, making concertmaster, or completing groundbreaking research, we will help you get there!

You’ll study one-on-one with some of the musical world’s top artists, scholars, and pedagogues. Perform in some of the best venues in the nation. And get a well-rounded education that will prepare you for success wherever you go.

If you’re looking to enroll in the Jacobs School Of Music, you may be wondering how likely it is that you’ll get accepted. After all, there’s no point in applying if it’s unlikely that you’ll get in.

The good news? It’s not impossible! The school accepts a wide range of students from all walks of life and with different backgrounds and interests. If you have a passion for music and want to pursue a career in performing or production, then applying to the Jacobs School Of Music is definitely worth considering!