Students must have completed a bachelor's degree in music in piano performance or its equivalent, as well as contact information for three people to provide letters of recommendation. All candidates must complete a satisfactory audition. Deficiencies, if noted, must be satisfied before admission to candidacy for the degree.

Achieved a grade point average of at least 2.750 from a U.S. institution, or its equivalent from a foreign institution, and no background deficiencies in the desired field of graduate study. Students with background deficiencies may be admitted on a conditional basis. In certain instances, the GPA may be based on the last 60 credit hours of coursework (or nearest semester or term break to this). Many departments require a higher minimum grade point average
TOEFL 79 on the internet-based test, or 550 on the paper-based test.
IELTS minimum overall band score of 6.5 is required