Cross-Registration Programs

OPTIONS FOR PARTICIPATION

There are three options for participation in cross-registration programs specific to first-year undergraduate applicants:

Option 1: I want to be a Juilliard student.

• You apply to Juilliard for the Bachelor of Music (BM) program.
  • If you are admitted to Juilliard and you enroll, you become a Juilliard student.
  • Once you are a Juilliard student, if you want to take classes at Barnard or Columbia, follow the instructions below for Current Juilliard Dance or Music Students.
  • Classes taken at another school appear on your Juilliard transcript. Credit for these classes may be applied to Juilliard graduation requirements, with approval from the Office of the Registrar at Juilliard.

Option 2: I want to be a Barnard or Columbia student.

• You apply to Barnard or Columbia for an undergraduate degree AND
• You also apply to Juilliard to participate in the cross-registration (“BCJ”) program option (that is, to participate in the exchange elements noted below under Current Barnard or Columbia Students).
  • If you are admitted to Barnard or Columbia and you enroll at one of those schools, you become a Barnard or Columbia student.
  • If your application and audition to the BCJ program is successful, you will be assigned an applied teacher at Juilliard. Lessons taken at Juilliard will appear on your transcript at Barnard or Columbia.
  • Students enrolled at Barnard or Columbia who have participated in the cross-registration program for at least two years are eligible to apply to Juilliard for the Master of Music degree program in their junior year (as noted under The Accelerated Master of Music section below).

Option 3: I want to keep my options open.

• You apply to Juilliard for the BM program AND
• You apply to Juilliard for the BCJ program AND
• You also apply to Barnard or Columbia for an undergraduate degree.
  • If you are offered admission to both the BM program at Juilliard AND to an undergraduate degree at Barnard or Columbia you will have to choose where to enroll. It is NOT possible to be enrolled at both Juilliard and Barnard or Columbia. Also, because cross-registered students are enrolled at only one school, double majors and double degrees across schools are not possible.

A summary of these options is available on our BCJ Flowchart.

APPLYING

• Because lessons at Juilliard are with Juilliard faculty, Barnard and Columbia students who wish to cross-register must apply and audition at the same time and to the same standard as all Juilliard applicants.
• The application deadline for both the Bachelor of Music (BM) degree program and the cross-registration programs at Barnard and Columbia is the regular published date. If your major requires prescreening, that material is also due by that date.
• The application fee is $35 for the cross-registration (BCJ) application.
• The application fee is $110 for the BM program.
  • If you are following Option 3 above, you must submit both a BM program application to Juilliard and a BCJ program application to Juilliard, and pay both application fees.
• If you are a first-time college student applying to Barnard or Columbia under Early Decision rules, and you have applied to both the BM program and the cross-registration program at Juilliard, you must withdraw your BM application if you choose to enroll under Early Decision. However, you may continue with your application to the cross-registration (BCJ) program.
• If you have applied to undergraduate study at Juilliard (the BM program) and at Barnard and/or Columbia, the admission decisions are made independently by each school. Ultimately, it is your decision where to enroll, and your responsibility to notify all schools of your final decision.
• Admission to cross-registration programs is highly selective. Approximately 10-12 applicants from all classical and jazz majors are admitted each year.

• If you enroll at Barnard College or Columbia University and are admitted to the BCJ exchange program at Juilliard, the fee for music lessons is in addition to your charges at Barnard or Columbia. Please refer to your school’s website for more information.
  • Barnard College http://barnard.edu/admissions/specialprograms
  • Columbia University http://undergrad.admissions.columbia.edu/apply/first-year/juilliard-program
• If you enroll at The Juilliard School and request to take a class at Barnard or Columbia, there is no additional charge.

Once you have applied, auditioned, and enrolled at Juilliard, you can cross-register at Barnard College or Columbia University as follows:

• You must have completed at least one semester at Juilliard and be in good academic standing to be eligible to cross-register.
• Undergraduate students: Courses taken at Barnard or Columbia can be for enrichment purposes, or approved credits may count toward your liberal arts elective requirement.
• Graduate students: You may cross-register to enrich your performance studies; however, the courses do not satisfy graduate requirements.
• Applications are available in the Office of the Registrar, and must be filed at the end of each term prior to the semester when you wish to participate.
• You are limited to taking one class only per term. Although Juilliard students may choose from a variety of classes at Barnard and Columbia, the class must have space available (as determined by Barnard and Columbia).
• Scheduling can be challenging. The course selected must fit into your Juilliard schedule. In particular, it is not always possible for Dance Division students to participate in this program due to the timing of their classes and rehearsals.

Due to actors’ intense class and rehearsal schedules, Drama Division students are unable to participate in cross-registration programs.

In order for current Barnard or Columbia students to participate in the exchange program with Juilliard, they must apply during Juilliard’s regular application and audition cycle, and follow all the requirements for BM applicants. The Barnard-Juilliard Program and the Columbia-Juilliard Program comprise the following:

• Weekly lessons with a member of the Juilliard faculty
• Annual juries, which determine eligibility to continue in the program
• Students taking instrumental lessons: Possible participation in classical or jazz chamber music ensembles (may require departmental approval)
• Students taking voice lessons: Possible participation in vocal coachings (requires departmental approval) 
• Participation in Juilliard Orchestra placement auditions (for audition experience only; participation in auditions does not result in placement in the Orchestra)
• Optional participation in concerto competitions
• Note that these Programs do not include participation in large ensembles, such as the Juilliard Orchestra or the Juilliard Jazz Orchestra, or cross-registration in any Juilliard classes.

Current Barnard and Columbia students who wish to transfer into the Bachelor of Music program at Juilliard must apply and audition the same as any other transfer applicants. Questions on transferring may be directed to Juilliard's Office of Admissions at [email protected].

One of the benefits of cross-registering for applied lessons at Juilliard is the opportunity to apply to Juilliard’s Master of Music (MM) degree program early through the Accelerated Master of Music (ACCMM) program. This program allows you to complete your bachelor’s and your master’s degrees in a condensed timeline.

ACCMM PROGRAM DETAILS

Eligibility

• Current Status: You must be in your third year of undergraduate study at Barnard College or Columbia College.
• Cross-Registration Requirement: You need to have participated in the Barnard-Columbia-Juilliard cross-registration program for at least one year.
• Duration: Typically, the program takes five years to complete (possibly six years for voice majors), and results in a Bachelor of Arts degree from Barnard College or Columbia College and a Master of Music degree from Juilliard.

Application Steps

• Barnard/Columbia Process: 
  • Current Barnard College and Columbia College students interested in the ACCMM option should refer to the Barnard or Columbia website and consult with Alex España, Associate Dean, in the Berick Center for Student Advising at Columbia or your advisor at Barnard (depending on where you are enrolled) prior to completing Juilliard’s ACCMM application.
• Juilliard ACCMM Application: 
  • The ACCMM application is available beginning October 15 of each year.
  • The submission deadline is December 15.
  • If you are applying for the same major as your current applied lessons, the prescreening requirement (if any) is waived.
• Approvals:
  • Your current applied teacher at Juilliard must approve your applying to the ACCMM program.
  • You are required to meet with Juilliard’s Office of Financial Aid to discuss changes to your financial aid (should you be admitted to the Accelerated MM program).
• If Admitted: You will complete your undergraduate requirements at your current school while starting your MM studies at Juilliard. 
• Once attending Juilliard, you will follow Juilliard's financial aid policies.
• If you are attending Barnard or Columbia on a student visa, your I-20 will transfer to Juilliard once you have completed your undergraduate requirements. Please consult with the international office at your current school regarding the change.

MASTER OF MUSIC PROGRAM (not accelerated)

Eligibility

• If you are in your fourth and final year at Barnard College or Columbia College, you may apply to Juilliard's Master of Music program through the regular graduate school application process.

Application Steps

• No approval is needed from Barnard or Columbia, as you are applying on the regular graduate application timeline.
• If you are currently enrolled in the BCJ cross-registration program and are applying to the same major as your current applied lessons at Juilliard, the prescreening requirement (if any) is waived.
• Because you will be applying to the MM during your final year at Barnard or Columbia, you will have completed your BA degree at Barnard or Columbia before beginning your MM studies at Juilliard in the fall.
• The MM application is available beginning September 1 of each year.
• The submission deadline is December 1.