The Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University

You apply to Peabody through an electronic application which is part of this web site.  We revise the application each year during the summer, and open for business sometime around mid-September.  If you want an introduction to the school, and a stroll through the programs we offer before applying, you can start at the Path to Peabody menu item on the left.  If you prefer to begin the application process at this time click on Application Forms.

Peabody is a division of The Johns Hopkins University. The University is "decentralized" in structure, meaning that each division has its own entrance and graduation standards. This is a good thing, because the School of Arts and Sciences would only have a passing interest in your ability to sing. And, frankly, we only have a passing interest in your ability to do nuclear physics. So, with one exception, you do not have to apply anywhere but Peabody to be accepted to Peabody. That exception is those who wish to pursue two parallel degrees at the same time. This subject is covered in detail on another page of this web site called "The Double Degree Dilemma.",

Those applying for our Recording Arts and Sciences program only need to apply to Peabody. There is no need to apply to any other division of the University.

The financial aid office maintains a web site with everything necessary to apply for all forms of Peabody-funded financial assistance, including scholarships and assistantships. United States citizens and Green Card holders may also be considered for government funded (or subsidized) forms of financial assistance. The basic document common to all federal student aid is called the FAFSA, and is available from your high school guidance counselor, or on the web at www.fafsa.ed.gov. If you want to get a head start on it, you will need to know that Peabody's school code is E00233. Detailed instructions for going through the process are included in the application package.

December 1 if you want to audition at Peabody in February.
December 1 if you want to audition at a regional location (undergraduates only) for locations within the U.S..
April 15 if you want to audition at Peabody in May. Note that there are no auditions or interviews in May for several majors, and for any DMA programs.  Your application instruction sheet will tell you which majors are excluded.

Not in a degree program. To begin with, we have no auditions to support January entrance. Also, most of our courses are based on a Fall/Spring sequence. The only exception would be a Graduate Performance Diploma applicant who auditioned and was accepted during the regular times in February or May, but delayed entrance into the second semester.

I need to define some terms before answering—just to be sure we are talking about the same thing. A typical "early admission" situation is when a high school student only needs one course (usually senior English) to get a high school degree. The student goes to college instead of to his or her last year of high school, and the high school agrees to accept completion of the first year of college English as meeting the remaining high school requirement. The college transcript is sent to the high school, which awards the diploma.

Peabody does not offer early admission, and we urge caution before starting the process at another school. Remember, musical skills mature quickly among students of high school age. Thus, if you audition at the end of your junior year, you will be at a disadvantage for acceptance compared with students who have been studying a year longer. Also, you are likely to be a year younger than other freshmen, and there are social ramifications to that. Finally, schools make merit award decisions based on faculty input about your level of musical development, so what you gain in your last year of study before coming to a conservatory could be worth thousands of dollars over the time of your program.

Some schools will process your application early if you promise to go there if accepted. We cannot do that at Peabody since we do not hold auditions on campus until February.

A quick note for those thinking about applying  "early decision" to one of the JHU Homewood schools, and hoping to be accepted to the double degree program with Peabody:  You will have to commit to the Homewood school without knowing the results of your Peabody audition.  Thus, if you are okay being involved with Peabody on a casual basis as part of your degree program, early decision can work for you.  On the other hand, if your college decision hinges on being able to pursue a double degree, early decision is not worth the gamble.  Admissions to the Peabody/JHU double degree program is too limited to make early decision at Homewood a wise move.

Here is a link to our campus visit page.

CAMPUS VISITS