I’m an international student who plays viola, drums, and vocals, and I aim to get into Umich SMTD for a bachelor of arts in music, which doesn’t require any auditions. My unweighted GPA is 3.68, and 1330 on the SAT. For the extracurriculars, I am the associate principal of viola in my school orchestra and did performances for elders and people in need. In addition, I took one AP class and got 5. Do I have the chance to get in? By the way, can anyone who got in share their academic performance, such as GPA, SAT, and instrument, and tips to get in? Thank you!
The most important question is budget. Can you afford to pay to go to Michigan?
Academically highly unlikely but many who post about music on here say that an audition can outweigh the academics. I don’t know about UM.
Michigan avg is 3.9 unweighted with like 1480 or higher Sat. It’s also over $70,000/year. The students they take are Uber talented. It’s pretty competitive also.
He is doing a bachelor of BA in music and that doesn’t require an audition (which is stated in the op). If he were doing a BM, that would require an audition.
I think academically, this is a reach for this international student, and they will need to be admitted to Michigan meeting the high academic bar.
And this:
Does University of Michigan give financial aid to international students?
There is no federal financial aid and limited scholarship funding available to international students attending U-M. If you have a F-1, F-2, J-1, J-2, or G-series visa, you are required to show proof of enough resources to meet your expenses and federal regulations limit financial assistance.
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your chance is not zero as long as you apply. On the other hand, among the several (<10) accepted (not necessarily attending) students I know in classes of 2022-2024, nobody had SAT score lower than 1400. They are all string players pursuing BMus where audition was required. All of them performed well enough to get in all-state orchestras in various states. Three were Youngarts winners. Four were in National Youth Orchestra. Two have won top prizes in international competitions. For their BA program where audition is not required, the academic expectation is higher.
SMTD has a youtube channel. If you search for “Strings at University of Michigan”, you can see for yourself their levels of playing.
But Umich SMTD’s average GPA is 3.76 and SAT is 1346, which is way lower than LSA and other schools.
Yes, I can afford it.
Agree…and that is why this is a reach for you. The BM music performance auditioned students have to be in the ballpark for admissions, but their audition is what is key to their application, and acceptance.
The BA has no audition so therefore, you need to meet the academic bar.
As noted by @compmom, if this university allows an artist supplement, this is something you probably should include.
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The BA in Music at UMich SMTD is a liberal arts major, not a performance major, so 3/4 of your classes will not be in music. Another consideration is the presence of multiple BM programs, whose students may get the best teachers and opportunities, as well as grad students.
Bachelor of Arts in Music - University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance (umich.edu)
Our program also includes a full liberal arts core curriculum, featuring English writing skills and foreign language study along with a set of options in social and physical sciences and the humanities. The degree combines depth with breadth.
It is a good platform for minors, and double majors. For many this will be a great program, with its interdisciplinary potential. One other note: the blurb on the link above appears to mix up double major and double degree, which are different paths.
On the page for the BA the curriculum for Bachelor of Music is listed, which is confusing since the BM is different from the BA. But since it says 30 credits are required within SMTD this appears to relate to the BA program. So lessons and ensemble are included (as they are at many universities that don’t have a BM program.)
The Bachelor of Music requires a minimum of 120 credits, with a minimum of 30 credits within SMTD. SMTD coursework to include:
Private lessons
Music Theory
Musicology
Ensemble participation
Piano
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