• September 1 - Application opens
• Audition Dates Posted - by November 30
• December 4 - Application deadline (extended deadline)
• December 16 - Start of pre-screening decision release 
• December 20 - All pre-screen decisions are released
• December 20 - Audition scheduling module opens
• February - Auditions
• Two Weeks Prior to Audition - Time confirmation email sent
• Mid-March - Admission decisions released
• April 1 - Financial aid statements released
• April 15 - Graduate and postgraduate admission response deadline
• May 1 - Undergraduate admission response deadline

• September 1 - Application opens 
• October 15 - Application deadline
• October 25 - Audition invitation and denies released
• November 12-15 - Auditions
• Date TBA, Before November 26 - Admission decisions released
• December 6 - Applicant response deadline

Please note: The following areas are not accepting applications for Spring 2025: Conducting, Opera Studies, Piano Artist Diploma, String and Piano Chamber Music, and all Voice degree programs. Please contact the Office of Admissions with any questions.

Application Fee

A $100 non-refundable application fee is required after submission of the SFCM application, payable by credit/debit card only.

Application Fee Waivers:

The following applicants have an automatic fee waiver:

• Current SFCM students (full fee waived)
• SFCM alumni (full fee waived)
• $50 discount for applicants who attend an in-person campus tour, meet admissions/faculty at a college fair, or attend an off-campus recruitment event. 

Applicants who do not qualify for an automatic waiver:

• Apply for a fee waiver through the Application Fee waiver form located under the "Review" tab within the SFCM application. This can be submitted at anytime and is due by December 1, 2024 at 11:59 pm PST.
• School counselors can also submit the NACAC Request for Admission Application Fee Waiver form on your behalf. It must be emailed directly from the counselor to nccyl@fspz.rqhude.mcfs@ylppa by December 1, 2024 at 11:59 pm PST.

Additional Fees

For a full list of fees for enrolled students, including the enrollment deposit due upon accepting your admission, please visit the "Tuition and Fees" section of our Financial Aid and Affordability page. The tuition and fees information for the 2025-2026 academic year will be updated by April 2025. 

Degree Prerequisites

GPA Requirements

SFCM does not have an overall GPA minimum for acceptance. However, applicants with a GPA lower than our minimum listed below at their previous institution are offered admission to the Conservatory with Academic Probation status. In order to have the probation status removed, these students will need to maintain the minimum GPA requirements during their first year and receive additional advising/tutoring. 

All applicants must complete an audition and/or submit a portfolio to be considered for admission to SFCM. Please note that many areas require a pre-screening round with materials uploaded into the application. A portfolio of works is required for the Composition and TAC (Technology and Applied Composition) degree programs.

Applicants are encouraged to connect with their area faculty to discuss the program and/or potentially take a sample lesson.

See the Auditions section of this page for full details.

Requirements 

Bachelor of Music/Undergraduate (BM).

Dates and Deadlines

How to Submit Transcripts

Unofficial Transcripts - Via your Application

Upload your unofficial transcript under the "Academic History" section of your application. We accept PDFs or screenshots from a student-accessible record or school portal, as long as your name, GPA, and academic records are visible. Please note that official documents uploaded by the student in the application are considered "unofficial" as they are not submitted by the institution.

Final Official Transcripts - Via your School

Final official transcripts must be sent directly from your institution/school through one of the following methods:

1. Mail: Sent to our office address (see mailing address below)
2. Institutional Email: Sent directly from the institution to nccyl@fspz.rqhude.mcfs@ylppa .
3. Secure Portal: Uploaded through services like Parchment or National Student Clearinghouse.

To be considered "final," transcripts must:

• Grades/Coursework: Include all completed coursework with final grades.
• 4.0 GPA: Show a cumulative GPA on a US 4.0 scale.
• Seal/Signature: Have an official seal, stamp, or signature.
• Degree: Show the degree awarded and graduation date. The only exception is for transfer students or those attending college without seeking a degree; for these cases, a degree and graduation date are not required.
• English Translation: Translated to English (if international).

Mailing Address

Office of Admissions
San Francisco Conservatory of Music
50 Oak Street, San Francisco, CA 94102

Written Essay

Applicants must choose two of the four essay prompts to include in their application. Essays should be a minimum of 300 words and a maximum of 500 words. Applicants for Technology and Applied Composition and the String and Piano Chamber Music program have additional writing prompts. Please visit the audition repertoire pages for more details.

1. Describe your career goals and how you envision attending SFCM will enable you to achieve these ambitions. 
2. At SFCM, we bring people together to better the lives of others through music. Describe one way in which you have contributed to your community, whether in your family, the classroom, your neighborhood, etc. 
3. At SFCM, we value diversity in all forms. Please describe what diversity means to you and how your lived experience has shaped your path.
4. Our core mission is to transform our students: artistically, intellectually, professionally, and individually. Reflect on an experience that has shaped you in one or more of these areas. 

Video Essay

Applicants must upload a 3 minute or less video essay for the faculty to get to know you. Please introduce yourself, why you chose SFCM and include anything else you want us to know about you! Past students have talked about where they are from, other musical interests, music they are currently working on, other hobbies, etc. Note that this video submission does not have an affect on admission. 

All applicants must have two letters of recommendation to apply to SFCM.  Letters are due via the online form by November 1 for Spring applications and January 1 for Fall applications. See more details below.

Recommenders

1. One recommendation letter must be from the applicant's current private music teacher, or ensemble director. If you are not currently in lessons or in an ensemble, please include at least one recommender who can speak about your musical abilities. TAC and Composition applicants who have not studied privately, please include at least one recommender who can speak about your musical abilities. 
2. The second recommendation letter may include anyone who can address your work ethic and character; they do not need to be from a music field.

How to Submit

• Submitting Contact Information: Enter the name and contact information under the "Recommendations" section of the SFCM application.
• Online Form: Letters of recommendation must be submitted through the online form associated with each application. Recommenders will receive this form automatically via email after their contact information is entered in the application.
• When to Submit: Letters can be submitted before an application is completed. Remind your recommenders that letters are due November 1 for Spring applications, and January 1 for Fall applications.

English Proficiency

International students whose first language is not English must submit TOEFL or IELTS scores for admissions, unless they qualify for a waiver. Please see the "International Student" drop down and visit the International Applicants page for full details. 

SAT/ACT

We only require SAT or ACT scores from homeschooled Bachelor of Music applicants. The Conservatory's school code for SAT is 4744; the code for the ACT is 0403. 

SFCM will accept scores as official if they are listed on the student's official school transcript.

AP/IB Scores

Students must submit scores to the Admissions Office form College Board and/or IB for transfer credit to be considered. Please visit the Transfer Credit page for more details.

International students may need to submit additional materials beyond the standard requirements listed above. This may include notarized course-by-course translations of final official transcripts if the originals are not in English, an evaluation if transcripts do not meet our requirements, and English Proficiency Scores. International applicants should carefully review the International Applicant page for details on English Language Proficiency scores and transcript policies and procedures.

Undergraduate 

Transfer applicants should review the full transfer credit and transfer applicant policies here to understand how credits transfer to SFCM. 

Please note, the class level of an undergraduate transfer student is determined by the Office of Academic Affairs at the time of acceptance into SFCM. The musical level of a transfer student is determined by the faculty at the time of the student's audition (e.g., sophomore, junior, etc.). The academic level is determined by the Office of Academic Affairs based on transfer credits and placement exam results. The student’s expected graduation date is determined by the lower of the two class levels.

Graduate/Postgraduate

SFCM does not accept transfer credit for, or from, post-baccalaureate programs (e.g., M.M., etc.). Credit from completed Bachelor's degrees cannot be applied towards the SFCM undergraduate credit load. Transcripts from all colleges attended are still required to determine academic standing and for accreditation purposes. 
 

Audition Dates

Below are the live audition dates for Fall 2025, dates are subject to change. See the Fall 2025 Scheduling Details drop down for more details. 

All live auditions are held in San Francisco on our campus. Live auditions are required for all Artist Diploma programs, as well as Piano and Strings Chamber Music. Composition, TAC, and RJAM have live Zoom auditions for those who cannot attend. 

Audition Time Sign Up

• Audition Sign-Up: During the week of December 16, applicants will select an audition day and tentative time slot through their Application Status Portal scheduling module. The scheduling module will be accessible to all areas by the end of the day on December 20, 2024. Students should not book travel until they have secured an audition slot through their Application Status Portal scheduling module.
• Prescreen Results: Applicants from pre-screened areas will receive their pre-screening decisions by the end of the day on December 20, 2024.
• Confirmation: Times will be confirmed within two weeks of the audition date (see next section).
• Booking Travel: Students should not book travel until they have secured an audition slot through their Application Status Portal scheduling module.

Time Confirmation and Check In 

• Confirmation Email: Within two weeks of the audition date, the Office of Admissions will send each student a confirmation email with their audition time. For live auditions, the email will also include required check-in details, such as arrival time and warm-up assignments.
• Time Changes: Please be aware that audition times may be adjusted up to two hours before or after the selected tentative time slot. 

Arrive and Departure Time

• Arrival Time: Live on-campus students should be prepared to arrive a minimum of 1.25 hours before their confirmed audition time to check in and access a practice room. More details regarding check-in and requirements will be included in the audition confirmation email. 
• Departure Time Warning: Due to potential scheduling changes, audition day delays, and navigating San Francisco, students are strongly discouraged from booking travel within five hours after their original tentative time slot.

The following applicants must attend live on-campus auditions: All Artist Diploma programs, Piano Chamber Music and Strings Chamber Music. 

Fall 2025 Applicants

• Requests: Virtual or recorded auditions are available upon request in mid-December when the scheduling module opens, following the pre-screening decision deadline. 
• Zoom: TAC, RJAM, and Composition have required Zoom auditions for those who cannot attend live.

Spring 2025 Applicants

For entry in the Spring semester, audition options are arranged individually via email.

Practice rooms are available to applicants on their audition day and during the assigned warm up time. All applicants will receive a minimum of 45 minutes of warm up time, with transition time built into their audition day schedule between check in and movement to the audition holding space/green room. 

Applicants cannot use practice rooms prior to their audition day or earlier than their assigned warm up time. Current SFCM students must also warm up during their assigned warm up time. The Admissions Office suggests looking into the following companies in San Francisco that may offer practice room rentals: Union Music, SF Community Music Center, Music City Rehearsal, Lennon Studios, Little Mission Studio, and Secret Studios.