Admission Information

DEGREE AND DIPLOMA PROGRAMS

Students wishing to enrol in the Faculty of Music must be academically admissible to the University of Toronto, and are required to apply for formal admission to the University. Musical admissibility is assessed by the Faculty of Music on the basis of an audition/interview. Detailed admission requirements are available at www.music.utoronto.ca

Academic Requirements

The University of Toronto reserves the right to determine whether or not credentials of degree-granting institutions meet the standards for admission to University of Toronto programs.
In addition to completing an audition and interview all students must satisfy the academic requirements of the University of Toronto.

Ontario High School Students:

Bachelor of Music Degree Program in Composition, Comprehensive Studies, Music Education, History, Culture & Theory

Bachelor of Music Degree Program in Performance and Artist Diploma

Current Curriculum

English (ENG4U) and 5 Additional Grade 12 U or M courses. The “out of school” component Grade 12 U/M co-op courses will not be accepted for admission purposes.
Students who are required to present an acceptable English Facility test result are exempt from the OAC English/English (ENG4U) requirement and may substitute another OAC/Grade 12 U/M course.

OAC Curriculum

Completion of a minimum of 30 credits for the Ontario Secondary School Diploma, with a minimum of 6 Ontario Academic Courses (OAC) is required. One OAC must be English OAC I/anglais I or II.

Out-of-Province & International Students:

Please consult future.utoronto.ca.

English Requirements for International Applicants

In addition to satisfying the published academic requirements, candidates whose first language is not English and who have not studied in an English language school system for at least four full years on a full time basis, will be required to present proof of English facility by achieving appropriate standing on one of the approved options. Consult http://future.utoronto.ca/apply for specific details. The Faculty of Music collaborates with the University of Toronto International Foundation Program; see www.ifp.utoronto.ca for details.

Musical Requirements

All Programs

All candidates are required to audition for admission. Jazz applicants are required to submit an audio-visual recording for pre-screening. Deadlines and instrument-specific audition requirements are available at www.music.utoronto.ca
All candidates must submit their completed Music Questionnaire by the deadline, in order to be assigned an audition. Applicants to the Composition program are required to submit a portfolio of compositions following the guidelines. The majority of Auditions are held in February and early March. All applicants must supply their own accompanist. Applicants living more than 300 km (185 miles) from Toronto may submit a recorded audition.

Interview (held at the time of the audition) 

Candidates are interviewed about their general musical knowledge, goals, and interests; sight reading, brief tests on ear discrimination and theoretical skills will be conducted.

Theory 

All applicants must have completed Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM) Level 8 Theory (formerly Advanced Rudiments) or an acceptable equivalent, or write the Faculty of Music Theory Entrance Exam. RCM Level 9 Harmony (formerly Basic Harmony) or its equivalent is not an admission requirement (but students are encouraged to undertake basic study of harmony).
Keyboard proficiency is not an admission requirement for the Faculty of Music. However, students whose major instrument is not piano will find that piano skills at the level of Grade 3 (RCM) or equivalent will assist them in their studies.

Secondary School Transfer Credits

Applicants who have been admitted and have taken any Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, French Baccalaureate, GCE, or CAPE subjects during secondary school may be eligible for transfer credit. Transfer credits are assessed after an offer of admission has been accepted, and after the University receives official final results directly from the examining board.

Transferring to the Faculty of Music

The same application procedure is required for transfer students. The year into which the candidate is admitted is determined by the audition/interview, and prior post- secondary academic record. Only applicants with previous post-secondary study in music may request consideration for advanced standing. Candidates must complete a minimum of two full years of study (a minimum of 10.0 cr) in the Faculty of Music in order to earn a University of Toronto degree or diploma. Candidates admitted to an upper year will be given transfer credit in Applied Music and Major Ensemble, up to the year they are admitted into. Candidates who receive an exemption for Applied Music and/or Major Ensemble will be required to make up the credit value in Music Electives. All other courses taken at another post-secondary institution will be assessed for transfer credit on the basis of individual course content, grade achieved and equivalency to courses relevant to the student's program at the Faculty of Music. Transfer credits are processed, after an offer of admission has been made and accepted.

The guidelines for maximum allowable transfer credits are as follows:
1.Candidates who have completed Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, French Baccalaureate, GCE, or CAPE subjects during secondary school may be eligible for a maximum of 4. 0 transfer credits.
2.    Candidates who have completed a post-secondary degree/3-yr diploma, may be granted up to 5.0 transfer credits on admission, towards their degree/diploma. A maximum of 3.0 transfer credits is granted to students who have completed a 2-yr diploma at a publicly-funded Ontario CAAT.
3.    Candidates who have not completed a degree/diploma from another accredited institution may transfer a maximum of 4 credits if admitted into Year 1, a maximum of 8 credits if admitted into Year 2, and maximum of 10 credits if admitted into Year 3 of the degree program. Candidates who have not completed a degree/diploma from another accredited institution may transfer a maximum of 4.0 credits if admitted into Year 1 and a maximum of 5.0 credits if admitted into Year 2 of the diploma program.
4.    Candidates who have completed a post-secondary degree/3-yr diploma, and have partially completed another degree/diploma may transfer a maximum of 9 credits if admitted into Year 1, and a maximum of 10 credits, if admitted into Year 2 or 3.
 

Exemptions

Students with previous training are able to receive exemptions or attempt exemption tests for courses that are required for their program. Transfer students with prior theory background are also encouraged to write these tests. Exemption tests for the courses below are offered by the Faculty of Music during Orientation week or the first week of classes. In all cases, students will be required to make up the credit weight with another elective course of equal or higher credit value.

 

Admission as a Non-Matriculant Student

Candidates who do not meet the published academic admission requirements may qualify for admission through either the Academic Bridging Program, or the Transitional Year Program. Candidates who have already attempted degree studies are not eligible for these programs.
The Academic Bridging Program is intended for Canadian citizens/permanent residents/protected persons (convention refugees) who do not hold the published admission requirements to qualify for degree studies. Detailed information, including applications and deadlines is available at https://wdw.utoronto.ca/academic-bridging
The Transitional Year Program (TYP) is designed for those who could not finish high school because of financial constraints, family difficulties or other circumstances beyond their control. It is a one-year, full-time program that fulfills the academic requirements for admission into the Faculty of Music.
Candidates attempting either of these options would still be required to audition/interview as part of the application process.

Admission as a Non-Degree Student

Non-degree students are registered in the Faculty but are not proceeding towards a degree or diploma offered by the Faculty. Most Non-degree students have completed a degree at the Faculty of Music and are taking further courses for their own purposes, including admission to graduate studies. Students admitted as degree students cannot become Non-degree students unless they have completed a four-year Bachelor of Music degree, or are returning to the Faculty as Non-degree students on a Letter of Permission from another institution.

Admission as a Non-Degree Visiting Student

Students wishing to complete their last year at the Faculty of Music or to visit for a year while receiving their degree from another institution must audition*, present a "Letter of Permission" and official transcripts from their home university, and meet the academic requirements of the University of Toronto. An academic advisor from the home university should be consulted with regard to the equivalencies of courses offered here at the Faculty of Music, to ensure concordance with degree requirements. Applications for Visiting Students are available at https://music.utoronto.ca/docs/application_visiting_students_keep.pdf. All programs begin in September.
* An applicant is only required to audition if requesting admittance to applied music and/or performance courses.
**Applying early is recommended, as space availability is an issue.

Opera Diploma

Admission to the Opera program is by Audition. Applicants are required to submit an application and a pre-screening DVD by the posted deadlines. Successful applicants will be invited to audition in person. Applicants must have completed the Ontario Secondary School Diploma or equivalent. Applicants must also submit proof of English facility if required. Refer to http://future.utoronto.ca/apply for further details. For more information on Admission to the Opera program please refer to the Faculty of Music website at www.music.utoronto.ca

Advanced Certificate in Performance

The Advanced Certificate is designed as an intensive one-year full-time program which allows post-undergraduate level students to focus on the development of practical music skills. Areas of study for this program are Classical Performance or Baroque Performance.
Admissibility is assessed by the Faculty of Music on the basis of an audition/interview. Applicants must have completed an undergraduate degree/diploma in music or equivalent. Detailed admission requirements are available at www.music.utoronto.ca