UNT's College of Music is the university's most distinctive academic identity, home to the first jazz studies degree program in the country, and it works on a completely different admission model from UNT's Business, Computer Science, or Engineering programs. Admission is not GPA-driven in the way those other majors are; it runs on a two-step process built around a live or recorded audition, on top of (not instead of) general UNT admission.
This article covers the acceptance picture for the College of Music, the audition process, cost, admission requirements, English-test rules, and career outcomes.
Acceptance Rate
UNT does not publish a College of Music-specific acceptance rate; admission is contingent on both general UNT admission and a separate audition evaluated by the College of Music. UNT's own guidance is explicit that the College of Music will not evaluate an applicant's file until the student passes the music audition and demonstrates English Language Proficiency (ELP), meaning the audition result and the ELP requirement both gate review before anything else is assessed.
For reference, UNT's university-wide undergraduate acceptance rate runs around 71%, with a third-party-estimated international-applicant rate around 41%. The College of Music's effective selectivity depends heavily on your specific instrument or voice area and the strength of your audition, which varies meaningfully by area and is not reducible to one university-wide percentage.
Fees and Cost of Attendance
Music students pay UNT's standard international cost structure, plus a separate College of Music application fee distinct from UNT's general application fee.
| Cost item | Undergraduate (International) |
|---|---|
| College of Music application fee (via Acceptd) | $30 |
| Tuition and fees | ~$21,000-$23,000/year (varies by college) |
| Living expenses (housing, meals) | ~$18,955/year |
| Other expenses (books, insurance, supplies) | ~$3,926/year |
| Total estimated cost of attendance | ~$44,000-$46,000/year |
We did not find evidence of College of Music-specific differential tuition beyond the application fee in the sources reviewed; confirm current instrument-specific costs (such as instrument rental or lesson fees) directly with the College of Music. For the full university-wide cost picture, see the UNT guide.
Admission Requirements
- Completed application via ApplyTexas or the Common Application for general UNT admission
- Official secondary school transcripts, with certified English translations if not originally in English (notarized or photocopied transcripts are not accepted)
- A separate College of Music application through Acceptd, which opens September 1 each year and serves as your audition, admission, and music scholarship application in one
- Demonstrated English Language Proficiency (ELP) before the College of Music will evaluate your file at all, separate from passing the audition
- A live or final video-recorded audition (requirements vary by instrument or voice area; some areas require a preliminary screening video before a live audition is considered, and some may require a virtual interview)
- Transcripts sent directly to UNT Admissions, not to the College of Music
Deadline: for fall admission, priority is given to music applications received on or before December 1. Applications after that date are reviewed on a case-by-case basis depending on space and audition availability.
How to Get Into UNT's College of Music
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Get admitted to UNT first. College of Music admission is explicitly contingent on successful admission to the university itself; the audition does not substitute for general UNT admission requirements.
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Don't skip the English Language Proficiency step. The College of Music will not evaluate your file until you demonstrate ELP, independent of your audition result, so this is a real gate, not a formality to handle later.
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Research your specific instrument or voice area's requirements early. Repertoire lists, screening-video requirements, and whether a live audition is required (as it always is for the DMA, even for international applicants) vary meaningfully by area, so check the undergraduate or graduate audition-requirements page for your specific instrument well before applying.
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Apply by December 1 for priority consideration. Applications received after that date are still reviewed, but on a case-by-case basis depending on space, so the priority deadline gives you the most reliable path to an audition slot.
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Prepare your recording within the required window if auditioning by video. Some areas, including strings, require recordings made within the past 6 months and without accompaniment, so plan your recording session's timing deliberately rather than submitting an older recording.
English Proficiency Requirement (IELTS/TOEFL)
The College of Music requires demonstrated English Language Proficiency (ELP) before it will evaluate your application file at all, on top of UNT's university-wide minimums. For graduate performance applicants specifically, submission of an English language test score is required as part of the application.
| Test | Minimum score |
|---|---|
| IELTS Academic | 6.0 overall (UNT university-wide minimum) |
| TOEFL iBT | 79 (before Jan 21, 2026); 4 on the redesigned scale (from Jan 21, 2026) |
| PTE Academic | 53 |
| Duolingo English Test | 100 |
We could not confirm a College of Music-specific English threshold higher than UNT's general minimums in the sources reviewed; confirm directly with the College of Music whether your specific program (especially graduate performance tracks) sets its own higher bar. For the full set of waivers and score-validity rules, see the UNT guide.
Career Outcomes
UNT's College of Music is widely known for its jazz studies program, the first of its kind in the country, and graduates move into performance, music education, composition, and audio/production roles, drawing on the Dallas-Fort Worth area's live music and media production scene. A single, confirmed College-of-Music-specific employment rate or starting salary was not found from a primary UNT source during this research; outcomes vary substantially by specific track (performance, education, composition, or music technology).
Music degrees are generally not STEM-designated, so College of Music graduates typically rely on the standard 12-month OPT period rather than the 24-month STEM OPT extension available to UNT's engineering and computer science graduates.
FAQ
Does UNT publish an acceptance rate for the College of Music? No. Admission depends on both general UNT admission and a separate audition evaluated by the College of Music; the audition's selectivity varies by instrument or voice area rather than reducing to one percentage.
How is the music application different from the general UNT application? It's a separate application through Acceptd (opening September 1 each year) that covers your audition, admission, and music scholarship consideration together, on top of the general UNT application processed through ApplyTexas or the Common Application.
What is English Language Proficiency (ELP) and why does it matter here? It's a required proficiency demonstration that gates whether the College of Music will even evaluate your file, separate from your audition result. Confirm the exact current requirement directly with the College of Music.
When should I apply for fall admission? Priority is given to applications received by December 1; applications after that date are still reviewed, but on a case-by-case basis depending on space.
Does a UNT Music degree qualify for STEM OPT? Generally no. Music degrees are not STEM-designated, so graduates typically use the standard 12-month OPT period.