Requirements
When you apply to the Faculty of Music you will need to meet both academic and music requirements. The audition, interview, and other applicable portfolio submissions are key elements in admission decisions for the various music programs. The record of academic achievement is also a critical part of the admission decision.
Academic Requirements
If your first language is not English, you may need to provide an English language test.
Ontario Applicants
All Ontario high school students must be eligible to receive, or have already received, the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD).
You must also present 6 Grade 12 U or M courses, including ENG4U. The "out of school" component of Grade 12 U/M co-op courses will not be accepted for admission purposes.
Applicants from other provinces/territories
Admission requirements depend on where you went to school and your level of education. See the University Admissions & Outreach requirements page to review provincial high school, International Baccalaureate, French Baccalaureate, and Canadian home school academic admission requirements.
General grade guidelines
If you are currently enrolled in secondary school a provisional admission decision will be based on your final results from last year and your mid-year results in the current year.
U of T will make conditional offers of admission on the basis of your available Grade 11 and 12 (or equivalent) marks; this assessment is possible provided your record shows that you are enrolled in all required Grade 12 (or equivalent) courses. If a Grade 12 mark in a prerequisite subject is not available, we will use the mark in the corresponding Grade 11 course. You must submit all required documents by the published document deadline for your program(s) of interest. The admission cut-off average for Music typically varies between 78% and 82%, depending on the year; the mean for admission ranges from 83% and 88%. If you have repeated courses, the Faculty of Music reserves the right to consider the grade achieved on the first attempt, especially in English.
If you are currently a university or college student or you have completed post-secondary studies, please review details for Canadian University or College applicants from University Admissions & Outreach.
- Admission consideration is based on your overall academic record and your most recent annual average. Competitive students normally have a solid ‘B’ average in their university studies. Some programs require higher standing.
- Program prerequisites must be met at either the senior high school or university level.
If your first language is not English, you may need to meet English Language Requirements.
The University of Toronto reserves the right to determine whether a qualification granted by a secondary or other institution meets the standards for admission to University of Toronto programs.
English language requirements
International students may need to take an English Language Test and/or be required to present proof of English facility.
If you are musically admissible but do not meet the English facility requirements, the Faculty of Music may recommend you to the International Foundation Program.
International high school
If you are applying from a country outside of Canada please see the details for International High School Students from University Admissions & Outreach on academic requirements.
You can also review the minimum admissions requirements searching High School Requirements by Country.
All applicants are required to present a senior-level/Grade 12 English course for admission consideration. Other prerequisite courses must be presented at the senior/Grade 12 equivalent level.
International university or college
If you have attended or are attending a recognized international university or college please see details for International University or College Students from University Admissions & Outreach for information on academic requirements.
You will be considered for admission based on your post-secondary studies and your most recent annual average, although we will review your entire academic record. Program area prerequisites must be met at, or beyond, the minimum level required for admission from your educational system.
You are considered a mature student if you are over 18 and have never completed an Ontario Secondary School Diploma or its equivalent and do not meet the university’s established requirements for direct entry admission. If you meet these criteria, you may request consideration for admission as a non-matriculant.
Prospective students 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.
The Transitional Year Programme (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 are still required to audition/interview as part of the application process.
Music Requirements
Auditions
All applicants must demonstrate musical proficiency within an audition setting.
You may audition on any standard orchestral instrument, classical guitar, free bass accordion, harpsichord, piano, organ, or voice.
You will be required to audition on your major instrument with pieces prepared in the classical Western-art style. Audition repertoire guidelines vary depending on both the instrument and the program to which you are applying - please review these carefully.
The guidelines outline the expected level of difficulty in the repertoire to ensure competitive consideration. While we refer to Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM) levels as a benchmark, completion of RCM exams is not required. Please consult the specific requirements for your instrument to determine the minimum performance level expected for your audition.
If you are applying to more than one classical music program on the same instrument, only one audition is required. If one of your program choices is Performance, you must prepare audition materials according to the Performance repertoire guidelines.
See the full Classical audition guidelines
Applicants to the Music Technology & Digital Media (Classical) program:
- The information above applies to you if you are applying to MTDM and to another Classical Bachelor of Music program
- If you are applying exclusively to the MTDM (Classical) program, you will follow a different audition process. See the first category under the MTDM audition information below.
You may audition on any standard or non-standard jazz instrument. You will be required to demonstrate proficiency on your major instrument with pieces prepared in the jazz style. Prior to attending an official audition, you must submit a pre-screening recording demonstrating your skill. Based on review of the pre-screening recording(s), select applicants will be invited for the official audition/interview.
At the official audition you will perform three tunes of varying styles from a list of pre-approved tunes. Auditionees will be asked to demonstrate improvisation; specific details vary by instrument.
See the full Jazz pre-screening and audition guidelines
Applicants to the Music Technology & Digital Media (MTDM) program in the Jazz stream must follow the audition process above.
For audition purposes, applicants to the MTDM program fall into one of the three following categories:
Musicians in genres other than classical and jazz, and classical musicians applying exclusively to the MTDM program
- Applicants will a recorded audition of performances in any genre and on any instrument, including technology as instrument (e.g. synthesizers, turntables, or digital audio workstations).
- See the full MTDM audition guidelines.
Classical musicians who are applying to MTDM and to another Bachelor of Music program
See the Classical Audition Information.Jazz musicians applying to MTDM (regardless of whether they are applying exclusively to MTDM, or to multiple programs)
See the Jazz audition information; note that pre-screening is required.
Interviews
All applicants must complete at least one interview; certain programs require more than one interview.
If you are auditioning in-person, the interview and musical skills assessment will take place at the same time and location as the audition.
If you are submitting a recorded audition, an interview and musical skills assessment will take place in a standalone virtual meeting.
During the interview, you will be asked questions about your audition repertoire to assess your knowledge of the works you have selected, including the composers and key structural elements of the music. The panel will also engage you in a conversation about your musical interests, background, and goals.
For the musical skills assessment, you may be asked to identify intervals and chords, and to sing or play back a short melody. You may also be asked to sight-read a short piece on your instrument, and/or to sight-sing a short piece.
Note on keyboard proficiency:
For non-piano/keyboard majors
Keyboard proficiency is not an admission requirement for non-keyboard instrumentalists/vocalists, however piano skills at the level of RCM Level 3 (or equivalent) will support students in their university-level music studies. Keyboard Skills courses are included in the first-year curriculum for those without prior piano experience.
All Music Technology and Digital Media (MTDM) applicants, and select Composition Direct-Entry applicants will complete an online interview with faculty panelists from these areas to discuss their portfolios, musical backgrounds, and goals.
For those applying exclusively to the MTDM (Classical) program, this MTDM interview will be the only interview and skills assessment.Learn more about Auditions and Interviews.
Portfolios
Admission into composition in the first year is available through the Direct-Entry Composition program. This option is recommended only for applicants who demonstrate a significant commitment to music creation using contemporary Western art music techniques.
To be considered for Direct-Entry Composition, you must submit a portfolio of recent compositions at the time application, in addition to completing an audition/interview.
Portfolio requirements for Composition Direct-Entry:
- Scores for at least four (4) works totaling at least 15 minutes in duration, written for a variety of ensembles. This must exclude popular and commercial music.
- Demonstration of significant recent compositional activity and a willingness to explore and be challenged
- Use of a variety of methods of pitch organization, rhythmic structure, and motivic/thematic development
- Accurate notation
- Optional: You are welcome to submit recordings of performances of your works. In the case of electroacoustic works, scores are not necessary. Recordings of non-electroacoustic works submitted without a score will not be considered. A work for acoustic instruments recorded from a live or studio performance is not considered electroacoustic music.
Composition portfolios must be submitted by January 31. Review Submission instructions
Portfolios received after the deadline will not be considered for direct entry into the Composition program; instead you will be considered for the Exploratory Year of the Bachelor of Music.
To be considered for the Music Technology & Digital Media program (MTDM), you must submit a portfolio of three to five (3-5) works covering two or three of the following categories:
- Original compositions (scores and, if possible, sound files or MIDI realizations for acoustic works; sound files for electroacoustic works; video recordings for multimedia works)
- Music for film, television or commercials, or other media
- Arrangements of works
- Performances (video-recordings required)
- Recordings engineered/produced
- Music-related software/apps developed
- List of portfolio contents: list the title of each portfolio item along with your role(s), e.g. composer, engineer, performer, producer.
Music Technology & Digital Media portfolios must be submitted by January 31. Review the submission instructions
Entrance Theory
All applicants who are recommended for admission based on their audition/interview must demonstrate knowledge of music theory.
- Applicants must demonstrate proficiency in advanced rudiments by achieving a minimum score of 60% on the U of T Classical Entrance Theory Exam.
Materials covered on the U of T Classical Entrance Theory may include:
- Alto/Bass/Tenor/Treble Clefs
- All major and minor scales; names of degrees of the scale (tonic, supertonic, etc.)
- Time signatures, time values of notes and rests
- Key signatures and accidentals
- Intervals (above & below a given note) and their inversions, including compound intervals and enharmonic equivalents
- Keys in which given intervals may be found
- Keys in which given chords may be found
- Basic musical terms & signs
- Dominant seventh chord & inversions
- Cadences (perfect, plagal & imperfect)
- Transposition of a given melody
- Figured bass symbols for triads and seventh chords
Note: The Faculty of Music no longer accepts music theory credentials from other institutions to satisfy the Entrance Theory requirement. Instead, all applicants who are recommended for admission to Classical programs based on their audition/interview will complete the U of T Classical Entrance Theory Examination, which covers content similar to the following: RCM Level 8 Theory, ABRSM Level 5 Theory, and Advanced Placement (AP) - Music Theory.
While RCM Level 9 Harmony (or equivalent) is not an admission requirement, prospective students are encouraged to study harmony to ensure a smooth transition into the first year Core Theory courses. Applicants must demonstrate proficiency in jazz theory materials by achieving a minimum score of 60% on the U of T Jazz Entrance Theory Exam.
Materials covered on the U of T Jazz Entrance Theory may include:
- Treble and Bass clefs
- Time signatures, time values of notes and rests
- Key signatures and accidentals
- Intervals (above & below a given note) and their inversions, including compound intervals and enharmonic equivalents
- Transposition of a given melody including chords
- The recognition and construction of various time signatures
- Identification of four-part chords, including their extensions, quality and function
- Major, harmonic minor, melodic minor scales and their modes
- Altered, diminished and blues scales
- The construction and analysis of melodic and harmonic progressions using Roman numerals and chord symbols.
- Basic questions designed to assess your knowledge and understanding of fundamental jazz repertoire and the idiom as a whole
Have a question?
The Faculty of Music Admissions Office is available to assist you with questions you may have regarding requirements or the application process.