Columbia-Juilliard Exchange

In addition to the thriving music community at Columbia, exceptionally talented Columbia College students may have access to instrumental, jazz, composition, or voice instruction at The Juilliard School through two distinct programs. Please read below for more information about each program, how to apply, and answers to Frequently Asked Questions about the Exchange.

Columbia-Juilliard Exchange

Columbia College students can be invited to cross-register for weekly instrumental, jazz, composition or voice instruction with the Juilliard faculty after successfully applying to the Exchange via Juilliard. Annual juries are held at the end of each academic year, which determine eligibility to continue in the program. Most candidates admitted to the Exchange are incoming first-year students but current students within Columbia College may 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 (see below) or petition for a fourth year of study in the Exchange.

Columbia College applicants interested in applying to the Exchange must indicate this interest on both the Columbia and Juilliard applications 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 8-10 candidates admitted each year.

The Columbia-Juilliard Exchange is an incredible opportunity to study at two preeminent institutions and it is the leading program of its kind in the world today. Prominent Exchange alumni include Emanuel Ax, CC'70, and more recently Alisa Weilerstein, CC'04, who has been called by New York Magazine, "Yo-Yo Ma's heiress apparent as sovereign of the American cello."

"By being a student of both Columbia and Juilliard I am constantly able to step out of one world and into another, creating an exhilarating dialog between the two. And for an aspiring musician, it is vital to spend these years as part of a musical community like Juilliard. As an Exchange student I am inspired to challenge myself as a person, and reminded that the most important part of being an artist is our humanity. As musicians we should not close ourselves off but rather we choose to be citizens of the world. The time I have spent at Columbia has opened up this world for me, and has only made my love of music stronger." 

- Michelle Ross, CC '10, Exchange Participant

The Joint Program: Bachelor of Arts/Masters of Music

Columbia College students 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, 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; and
• have participated in the cross-registration program (see above) for at least one year.

The Joint Program alumni include prominent composer Nico Muhly, CC'03, Juilliard MM'04, who recently wrote the score for the Academy Award-nominated film, The Reader. Of Muhly, The New York Times recently wrote, "a gifted, stylistically polyamorous composer and keyboardist, has become increasingly prominent in classical music circles."

The Juilliard application is due December 1.

"The Columbia-Juilliard Joint Program, in essence, provides any young artist with the best of both worlds; an Ivy League education in the liberal arts combined with the finest musical instruction in the world. Furthermore, the two seemingly disparate aspects of the program actually complement and strengthen each other. The cultivation of the mind, especially the formulation of advanced thought patterns and learning processes, benefits the young artist not only by aiding in the raw learning of the art, but also the understanding and integration of the culture and history that is inseparable from it...it provides opportunities that cannot be matched, and even more importantly, a truly unique and intensely satisfying educational experience." 

- Larry Weng, CC'09, Juilliard MM'10

Music at Columbia

In addition to the Columbia-Juilliard Exchange, Columbia offers one of the nation's leading Departments of Music with a rich array of curricula in music history, music theory, ethnomusicology and composition. The Music Performance Program within the department sponsors several music organizations, including the oldest continuously-operated collegiate orchestra in America and the most extensive academic concentration in Jazz Studies in the nation, which is sponsored by the Louis Armstrong Foundation.

Students can pursue either a major or concentration in Music or a special concentration in Jazz Studies, or they can double major with another liberal arts discipline. Students do not need to be majors or concentrators in Music or Jazz Studies to take part in the Music Performance Program or the Columbia-Juilliard Exchange.

Some highlights of Columbia's rich tradition in Music and Music Performance include:

• Private music lessons and chamber ensembles are taught by leading New York musicians, and students receive academic credit for their participation each year.
• Resources for performing and practice with several spaces on the Morningside Heights campus, and in New York City, including professional performances.
• World music scene includes bluegrass, klezmer, Japanese gagaku, and Latin ensembles, in addition to traditional classical and jazz ensembles.
• Alumni include all four members of the band Vampire Weekend, Alisa Weilerstein, Nico Muhly, Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II, Lorenz Hart, John Kander, John Corigliano, Art Garfunkel, Peter Cincotti, Emanuel Ax, and both Gil and Orli Shaham.

The Arts Initiative, brings together a large and varied arts community on campus and helps connect the Columbia community to New York City, the arts capital of the world. Many Columbia musicians take great advantage of our location as they pursue professional engagements alongside undergraduate studies. From Rodgers and Hammerstein who met as Columbia students scoring the Varsity Show of 1920 to all four members of the acclaimed band Vampire Weekend, Columbia has a long history of training leading musicians and composers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there an additional fee for Columbia College students participating in the Exchange?

Starting with the 2009-2010 academic year, Columbia-Juilliard Exchange participants will pay additional tuition for the cost of lessons at Juilliard. For the 2009-2010 academic year, the Columbia-Juilliard Exchange tuition is $4,750. Financial aid is available to cover the additional tuition expenses for Exchange participants based on demonstrated need and consistent with Columbia policies.

Do Columbia-Juilliard Exchange participants receive a degree from Juilliard?

No, the Exchange is a cross-registration program that does not lead to an additional degree. The lessons are for credit at Columbia College. However, Exchange participants may choose to continue with the Joint Program, which offers the opportunity to earn both a Bachelor of Arts from Columbia College and Master's of Music from Juilliard.

May I apply Early Decision if I am interested in the Exchange?

Yes, first-year candidates admitted to Columbia College under Early Decision may keep their candidacy open for the Exchange. However, successful Early Decision candidates must withdraw their Bachelor of Music candidacy to Juilliard along with candidacy to all other institutions as part of the Early Decision binding agreement.

May I apply to both the Columbia-Juilliard Exchange and Juilliard's Bachelor of Music program?

Yes, candidates will need to check the appropriate boxes when applying to Juilliard. However, successful Early Decision candidates must withdraw their Bachelor of Music candidacy to Juilliard, although they may keep their candidacy open for the Exchange.

May I be admitted to both Columbia College and Juilliard for the Bachelor of Music program but not be admitted to Juilliard specifically for the Exchange?

Yes, due to highly selective admissions for the Exchange, it is possible that applicants may only be admitted to Juilliard's Bachelor of Music degree and not admitted to the Exchange, regardless of admission status at Columbia.

When will I hear from Juilliard?

Columbia notifies all candidates by mid-December for Early Decision or April 1 for Regular Decision. Juilliard notifies all Exchange candidates regarding admission specifically to the Exchange by April 1. Candidates may hear sooner from Juilliard regarding pre-screening results and live audition dates.

May I reapply to the Exchange as a Columbia College student if I was not initially admitted to as an incoming student?

Yes, a small number of current Columbia College students apply (or reapply) to the Columbia-Juilliard Exchange each academic year and occasionally students are admitted to participate for the following academic year. Once admitted into the Exchange, Columbia College students may continue each eligible academic year pending performance during annual juries.

How do I obtain an application for Juilliard?

Please obtain an application and audition information from the Juilliard Office of Admission and submit the Juilliard application directly to Juilliard.

Who may I contact with additional questions about applying to the Exchange?

Prospective students with questions beyond those addressed on this webpage may reach out to David Buckwald in Columbia's Office of Undergraduate Admissions, db2326@columbia.edu. For questions about the Juilliard School, please contact Lee Cioppa, admissions@juilliard.edu.