<p>Can’t say for sure about the others, but Northwestern will require academic clearance and a 25 ACT is too low for traditional clearance – which is not to say they might not exercise discretion the way the other school did, but it is less likely to be accommodating due to the admit rigor of the school overall. He may want to prep and raise that score as much as possible. The general policy of many schools seems to be that the academic requirements exist so that it is possible for the student to keep up with any gen ed requirements or the level of rigor in courses such as musicology and theory. So a high GPA with a low-ish ACT raises red flags (eg. grade inflation or less rigor at the school, meaning perhaps inadequate preparation academically). Other programs really focus almost entirely on the talent itself.</p>