The Juilliard School

About The Juilliard School

The Juilliard School is an independent, accredited performing-arts institution based at 60 Lincoln Center Plaza in Manhattan. The Middle States Commission on Higher Education lists it as a private nonprofit institution with reaffirmed accreditation and approved bachelor’s, master’s, and research-doctorate credential levels. Its New York main campus should not be confused with The Tianjin Juilliard Graduate School, which the accreditor identifies separately as a branch campus in China. Juilliard was founded in 1905 and organizes its college-level education around Dance, Drama, and Music. The official institutional overview reports more than 800 College Division artists drawn from numerous US states and countries and regions. It also describes a performance calendar extending across the school’s own theaters, Lincoln Center venues, Carnegie Hall, and other locations. These figures describe the specialized College Division rather than Juilliard’s separate preparatory or continuing-education populations. The institution is best understood as a focused conservatory environment. Students pursue sustained artistic training, rehearsals, performances, and academic coursework within a relatively small community of performers and creators. Juilliard also operates preparatory and extension programs, but those offerings should not be mistaken for its degree programs. Prospective students should compare the exact curriculum and credential attached to each application route, because Juilliard offers both degree and non-degree programs and the academic structure differs substantially by discipline.

Juilliard is accepting applications for fall 2027 entry, with the application scheduled to open on September 1, 2026. Admission is organized by division, program, credential, and artistic specialty; there is no single process that adequately describes every applicant. Candidates should use the official application-requirements page for their intended program because required repertoire, prescreening material, portfolio work, academic records, recommendations, and audition formats differ. Artistic evaluation is central. For fall 2027, Dance applicants must submit prescreening videos and, if advanced, attend an in-person callback. Acting applicants register for scheduled auditions; prescreening rules depend partly on where an applicant currently resides. Music auditions are held in person at the New York campus for applicants invited to audition, and candidates are expected to prepare the complete prescribed repertoire. The school notes that audition dates and requirements may be updated, so applicants should recheck them before submitting materials or arranging travel. Juilliard’s admissions page publishes program-specific deadlines rather than one institution-wide date. It currently lists November deadlines for prescreened Acting applicants and certain artist-diploma programs, with December deadlines for non-prescreened Acting, Dance, and most other Music applications. Applicants should verify the date displayed inside their specific fall 2027 application route before relying on it. English-proficiency documentation may be required depending on educational background; Juilliard provides an eligibility tool for exemptions or waiver requests, but the school retains authority to request a score.

Juilliard’s College Division centers on Dance, Drama, and Music. The Dance Division offers undergraduate study leading to the BFA. Drama includes acting at BFA and MFA levels and graduate playwriting study, while Music encompasses classical performance, composition, jazz, historical performance, and vocal arts across undergraduate and graduate routes. The school awards the BM and BFA at undergraduate level, the MM and MFA at master’s level, and the DMA at doctoral level. It also offers diplomas, graduate diplomas, professional studies, and artist diplomas; applicants should not assume that these non-degree credentials are interchangeable with academic degrees. The educational model integrates individual or studio instruction, ensemble or production work, rehearsals, performance, and classroom study. Music classroom departments include ear training, music theory and analysis, music history, and keyboard studies. Undergraduate degree programs incorporate liberal-arts study alongside intensive artistic work. Requirements vary sharply by division and program, so the relevant application-requirements page and current catalog are more useful than a school-wide checklist. Performance functions as part of the learning environment rather than merely an extracurricular activity. Juilliard’s official overview reports hundreds of annual performances across school and external venues. Creative Enterprise projects provide additional opportunities for collaboration among Dance, Drama, and Music and may also connect performance with technology, literature, or visual art. However, demanding divisional schedules can limit routine cross-registration; applicants should examine the actual program sequence, performance obligations, and credential before deciding whether this conservatory structure fits their goals.

Key Highlights

• Private nonprofit institution with reaffirmed Middle States accreditation
• Founded in 1905 and located at Lincoln Center in New York City
• College-level education is organized across Dance, Drama, and Music
• New York is the main campus; Tianjin is separately identified as a branch campus

Student Life & Environment

Student life is closely tied to an intensive schedule of classes, lessons, rehearsals, auditions, and performances. The Office of Student Affairs coordinates social programming, student organizations, leadership opportunities, and the elected Juilliard Student Congress. Leadership roles listed by the school include resident assistants, orientation leaders, international ambassadors, first-year coaches, and members of the Campus Activities Board. These activities provide ways to meet students beyond a primary studio, ensemble, or division. Juilliard’s support network includes health and counseling services, academic support and disability services, international advisement, mentoring, community engagement, and career services. The Office of International Advisement is the primary support point for international students and publishes immigration and employment-related guidance. Current students also receive access to internal resources through MyJuilliard. The Meredith Willson Residence Hall provides on-campus accommodation, with Residence Life serving residential students. The 2026–27 budget assumes that most incoming residents receive a double room with a meal plan, although availability and room assignment should be confirmed through the housing process. Living on campus places students within the Lincoln Center complex, while students living elsewhere must account for Manhattan-area housing and commuting costs. Because artistic schedules may run beyond conventional class hours, applicants should consider rehearsal access, travel time, wellness support, and the practical demands of daily training when choosing a housing arrangement.

Location & Surroundings

Juilliard’s main campus is at Lincoln Center on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. Its public entrance is at 155 West 65th Street between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue, while its institutional mailing address is 60 Lincoln Center Plaza. The location places the school beside major performing-arts organizations, including the Metropolitan Opera, New York Philharmonic, and Lincoln Center Theater. Carnegie Hall, other cultural institutions, and a broad professional arts community are also accessible elsewhere in the city. The campus is served by the 1 subway at 66th Street–Lincoln Center, with additional subway connections at 72nd Street and Columbus Circle. Several Manhattan bus routes stop nearby. Central Park and Columbus Circle are within walking distance, but street parking is difficult and driving is rarely the simplest daily option. New York offers substantial artistic exposure, professional networking, and access to performances, but it also creates practical tradeoffs. Juilliard explicitly warns that local living costs and off-campus rents can be high. Prospective students should evaluate housing availability, commuting time, late rehearsal schedules, and personal transportation expenses alongside the cultural benefits of the location.

Costs & Career Outcomes

For the nine-month 2026–27 academic year, Juilliard publishes tuition of $57,200. Its first-year residential budget adds a $24,940 double room and meal plan, estimated $3,000 health insurance, a $250 orientation fee, and estimated personal, supply, and transportation expenses, producing a total estimated cost of attendance of $91,946. The comparable published estimates are $89,042 for an off-campus student and $72,358 for a student living with parents. These are planning budgets rather than guarantees of an individual student’s spending. Juilliard states that more than 90 percent of students have received scholarship assistance in recent years and directs applicants to its net-price calculator. The official 2026–27 page also says that Artist Diploma, DMA, Historical Performance, and MFA Acting students receive either tuition-free study or full-tuition scholarships, while remaining responsible for applicable fees and living expenses. International students must carry the school health-insurance plan; eligible US citizens and permanent residents with qualifying US coverage may request a waiver. Career preparation is coordinated through the Alan D. Marks Center for Career Services and Entrepreneurship. Its services include required programming for new students, consultations, networking, co-curricular activities, advanced electives, and post-graduate grant resources. Separate project and entrepreneurship grants can support selected student initiatives. These resources are relevant to portfolio careers in the arts, but the school does not promise a particular job, employer, or salary. Applicants should evaluate affordability using their own aid offer and consider the financial variability of professional performing-arts work.