Admissions

The Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music maintains an admissions philosophy aligned with its educational and artistic mission, aimed at identifying and admitting students with the skills, musical abilities, and academic potential necessary to fully benefit from the institution's programs. The Conservatory aspires to serve students from diverse geographic, social, and economic backgrounds in Puerto Rico and abroad, promoting equitable access to excellent musical training within a framework of clearly established academic and artistic standards.

The CMPR admissions process is selective and based on criteria defined by the academic departments, which include auditions, assessments, interviews, and/or entrance exams, depending on the specialization. These criteria allow for an objective evaluation of applicants' preparation and talent, as well as the identification of candidates with the necessary commitment to pursue professional musical training.

The Conservatory is committed to ethical and transparent practices in its recruitment and admissions processes. Information regarding requirements, dates, procedures, and admissions decisions is communicated clearly and accessibly via electronic means and through personalized guidance.

Furthermore, the CMPR recognizes its responsibility to admit students within its academic and resource capacity, so that they may receive the necessary guidance and support for their academic and artistic development. Admission policies and practices are reviewed periodically and may be adjusted according to institutional needs; any changes will be communicated through the appropriate official channels.

In compliance with its institutional policy of non-discrimination, the Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music guarantees that its admission decisions are made without distinction of age, color, race, sex, origin, religion, physical or mental impairment, veteran status or political creed, applying these principles consistently in its educational policies and financial aid programs.

The Admissions Office is the institutional unit in charge of the recruitment and admissions process of the Conservatory. It is responsible for receiving, analyzing and processing all admission applications submitted to the institution. It also ensures that applicants comply with the delivery of all the necessary information, as established in the general admission and audition requirements for each specialty. The Admissions Office will evaluate all applications received and will have the power to reject any application that does not meet the requirements established on this page.

Among the services offered and/or coordinated through this office are:

1. Guidance on admission requirements to potential students, parents and music teachers
2. Group orientations in schools, participation in university fairs
3. Visit of potential students to seminars, workshops and concerts
4. Review for theory exam and dictation
5. Auditions and entrance exams

The Admissions Office email address is: admisiones@cmpr.edu.

Admission to all study programs will take place once a year during the second academic semester. These admissions will be effective to begin studies the first semester of each academic year. Audition results expire once the registration process is completed in August. If a student is admitted and does not enroll, they will have to go through the entire admission process again next year. The Conservatory reserves the right to make late admissions if it deems necessary.

The deadline to apply for admission is available on the Admissions Office Calendar.

The student's admission will be based on the audition, interview and/or admission exam determined by each specialty. The admission requirements for each specialty will be defined by the academic departments. This information is available in the Admissions Manual.

The audition, evaluation of the composition portfolio and/or interviews for candidates for the Musical Education program will be carried out by the different departmental juries that administer them. In the event that the number of students who pass the auditions and/or interviews exceeds the number of spaces available, those with the highest score will be admitted. The decisions made by the faculty and the various departmental committees involved in the admission process are not subject to discussion. The jury's decision is final, firm and unappealable. The results of auditions, interviews and exams are confidential.

The candidate's admission is subject to compliance with the admission requirements and the available space for each specialty and study. Any candidate who provides false information to gain admission to the institution will be automatically disqualified.

The Conservatory reserves the right to establish its admission requirements and review them when it deems appropriate. Any change will be notified through the Catalog Addendum document.

The admission of students is subject to compliance with the established admission criteria for each curricular offering and the availability of space.

The steps of the admission process to the programs of the undergraduate level are summarized below:

1. Submit the admission application on or before the deadline indicated in the academic calendar along with all the corresponding documentation.
2. Candidates for the Bachelor of Music Education program must attend and pass the interview with the faculty. This requirement precedes auditioning on the instrument for candidates for this study program.
3. Pass instrument audition (evaluation of composition portfolio in the case of applicants to the Baccalaureate in Composition).
4. Take the Theory and Dictation placement exam (only for candidates who pass the instrument audition).
5. Once admitted, confirm attendance and deliver the other necessary documents.
6. Complete your financial assistance application.
7. Contact the Financial Aid Office staff to verify the status of your scholarship application (if you qualify).

For the programs Diploma and Master, the admission process is summarized as follows:

1. Submit the admission application on or before the deadline indicated in the academic calendar along with all the corresponding documentation (list of repertoire, essay, letters of recommendation, and other documents as applicable).
2. Candidates for the Master of Music Program in Music Education must attend and pass the interview with the faculty.
3. Pass instrument audition and other tests as applicable.
4. Once admitted, confirm attendance and deliver the other necessary documents.
5. Take diagnostic tests on Music History and Theory. If you do not pass any of these tests, you must take the corresponding remedial courses.

This exam can place the student in one of three levels of Solfège and Music theory:

1. Solfège 3001: Required first-year course for all institutional curricula. It is worth two credits and meets four hours a week. Includes one hour per week of laboratory.
2. Preparatory Solfège 2101: First remedial level of the Solfeggio course. It is graded by Pass (&P) or No Pass (NP). For the purpose of Financial Assistance funds it has a value of four credits. They meet for a total of six hours a week. Includes 1.5 hours of laboratory work per week. It lasts one semester.
3. Preparatory Solfège 2102: Second remedial level of the Solfeggio course. It is graded by Pass (&P) or No Pass (NP). For the purpose of Financial Assistance funds it has a value of four credits. They meet for a total of six hours a week. Includes 1.5 hours of laboratory work per week. It lasts one semester.

Below are the levels of music theory in which students will be placed according to the average score obtained in the placement exam:

1. Solfeggio 2101 level: 69% or less
2. Solfeggio 2102 level: 84% to 70%
3. Solfeggio 3001 level: 85% or more

The Department of Theory and Composition reserves the right to annually review the evaluation instruments used for this exam.

Additional documents

Once the student is admitted to the Conservatory, they must submit the following documents to the Admissions Office:

1. Copy of the Birth Certificate.
2. P-VAC-3 Immunization Certificate (only for students under 21 years of age)
3. Final transcript of credits (applies to students from high school. The document must indicate that the student completed high school and the final average).

Exam Review and Resources

As a result of the entrance exam for each specialty, the student may be placed in one of the following categories:

1. Conditional admission (remedial or preparatory level)
• Students admitted to the Bachelor of Music in: Performance or Performance of Jazz and Caribbean Music who present deficiencies in their skill level on the instrument will be conditionally accepted and placed in remedial instrument courses for one or two semesters to help them strengthen the skills. necessary for admission to the first-year level. Students admitted to the Bachelor of Music in Composition who are weak in basic composition skills will be placed in a remedial composition course for one or two semesters before admission to the first year of the specialty.
• If, as a result of the theory and dictation exam, it is determined that the student does not have the minimum skills to be placed at the first-year level, he or she will be placed in the remedial course of Preparatory Solfeggio and Preparatory Music Appreciation to strengthen his or her deficiencies.
• All students placed in remedial courses will have to pass the exams and advance to the first year of the specialty to which they were conditionally admitted within a maximum period of two semesters. After the established time limit, the student who cannot enter high school at the first year level will be dropped from the institution. Students will be able to enjoy this privilege and be placed in the preparatory level only once.
2. Regular student

This will be the placement for all students who meet the minimum level required to be accepted into the major they applied for at the first-year level. Regular students who show greater knowledge than those at the first-year level may be placed in higher levels. This determination will be the prerogative of the academic department jury.

The following scores on the University Admission Tests (PAA) offered by CollegeBoard Puerto Rico and Latin America will serve to place the student in the required Spanish and English courses:

1. ESPA3001 – Spanish section- 475 points
2. INGL3001 – English Section- 451 points
3. ESPA3002 – Spanish section- 600 points
4. INGL3002 – English section- 600 points

Students who do not reach the minimum score indicated must take a remedial semester to address deficiencies in oral and written communication in the corresponding language. In this case the language requirement will increase to three semesters in total.

The student who takes and passes the Advanced Level Tests (PNA) offered by CollegeBoard Puerto Rico and Latin America in Spanish and English may be exempt from Spanish and English courses, as long as he or she passes them with three points or more in a five-point scale. If the student is exempt from taking one or both courses, they will receive credits, but no grade.

Conservatory students who have interrupted their studies for a period of one semester and wish to be readmitted to the institution will have to complete the readmission application on the date stipulated in the calendar and pay the corresponding fees. The Admissions Office will send a response to readmission requests by mail. Late requests will incur an additional charge. To re-enter, you must submit to the registration process for the following semester.

See page Readmission for details.

More Information

The Conservatory offers its courses in Spanish. However, the institution reserves the right to offer some courses, especially at the graduate level, in the English language.

The Admissions Committee is intended to serve as an advisory body to the Dean of Student Affairs and the Office of Admissions during the admissions process. This committee will be composed of the Dean of Student Affairs, the Registrar, the Admissions Coordinator, and a faculty representative from each academic department (elected by the departmental faculty). The committee's duties include reviewing any exceptional cases and evaluating and approving changes to admissions requirements or policies.

During academic recess periods, the Admissions Committee will be composed of the Dean of Student Affairs, the Registrar, and the Director of Admissions.

In student selection, the Conservatory of Music maintains a clear admission policy based on the principle of not discriminating based on age, color, race, sex, origin, religion, physical or mental disability, veteran status, or political creed. These standards apply to the administration of its educational policy, admission requirements, and financial aid programs.