Columbia-Juilliard Exchange

In addition to the thriving music community at Columbia - which includes  the renowned Music Performance Program and the Columbia University Arts Initiative - exceptionally talented Columbia College students may have access to instrumental, jazz, composition or voice instruction and other resources, at The Juilliard School:

Columbia-Juilliard Program

Columbia College studentsin the Columbia-Juilliard Program have the opportunity for weekly instrumental, jazz, composition or voice instruction with the Juilliard faculty. At the end of each academic year, annual juries are held to determine eligibility to continue in the program. Most candidates admitted to the Program are incoming first-year students but current students within Columbia College may also apply. The program is designed for up to three years of study with the option for students in their junior year to apply for the Joint Program or petition for a fourth year of study in the Program.

Columbia College applicants interested in applying to the Columbia-Juilliard Program must indicate this interest on both the admission application for Columbia and the Juilliard application and follow the appropriate directions to complete each application for admission. The Juilliard application is due December 1. Admission to the Exchange is most selective, with approximately 15 candidates admitted each year.

The Columbia-Juilliard Program is an incredible opportunity to study at two preeminent institutions and it is the leading program of its kind in the world today. In addition to weekly instruction with Juilliard faculty, Columbia-Juilliard Program participants may:

  • access nearly all practice facilities at both Columbia and Juilliard
  • participate in chamber music at Juilliard, coached by Juilliard faculty
  • observe master classes in their area of instruction (generally 8-10 offered each academic year)
  • compete in Juilliard’s annual concerto competitions
  • apply to Juilliard’s Master of Music program early (prior to earning an undergraduate degree)

Meet some of the current Columbia-Juilliard Exchange students here. Prominent Exchange alumni include Emanuel Ax ’70CC and more recently Alisa Weilerstein ’04CC, who has been called by New York Magazine, “Yo-Yo Ma’s heiress apparent as sovereign of the American cello.”

The Joint Program: Bachelor of Arts/Masters of Music

Columbia College students in the Columbia-Juilliard Program can participate in a joint degree program that offers students the opportunity to earn a Bachelor of Arts from Columbia College and Masters of Music from Juilliard in five years. Voice candidates for the Masters of Music may need 6 years of study to complete the Joint Program depending on preparation. After successfully applying to Juilliard for graduate study, students admitted to the Joint Program enter Juilliard for their fourth and fifth years of study. Once attending Juilliard, students will be subject to Juilliard’s financial aid and housing policies.

To apply to the Joint Program, Columbia College students must:

  • consult with their Advising Dean
  • have completed (or be on track to complete) 94 points of course work at Columbia College, including the Core Curriculum requirements and major or concentration requirements
  • have participated in the Columbia-Juilliard Program for at least one year.

Advice from Students

“Check out the actual academic departments you are interested in. You may find that departments under the same name at different universities do very different kinds of work. ”

Steele S.

“When you are visiting a school, try to talk to as many current students as possible. Are they people you could see yourself being friends with? Can you see someone you would like to be in an upperclassman? ”

Mary K.

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