Chicago College of Performing Arts Admission

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Please contact the CCPA Office of Enrollment at ccpaadmissions@roosevelt.edu with any questions about the application or audition processes. We encourage you to attend one of our upcoming information sessions, and you may also request a virtual appointment with a CCPA Enrollment member.

Submit your RU application

A majority of CCPA applicants must also submit their Roosevelt University Application online. There is no fee associated with this application.

Application Deadlines

Spring 2024: November 1 (Select Music Conservatory programs only)
Fall 2024: December 1 (BFA programs are fall starts only)
- Second round applications will be accepted until April 1, 2024 for the following programs: BM Jazz and Contemporary Music Studies, BA Music and Computing, BM & MM Music Composition, BM Music Education, BMA Musical Arts
Summer 2024: February 1 (MA programs are summer starts only)

After first submitting the Roosevelt University application online, Chicago College of Performing Arts applicants to BM, BMA, MM, MA, PD, and PED programs must submit an artistic application with the following supplemental materials:

Artistic Application & Application Fee (via GetAcceptd)
2 or 3 Letters of Recommendation
Official Transcripts from all previously attended schools/institutions
Optional: Official ACT/SAT scores (Freshman-only)
TOEFL, IELTS, Duolingo, or Pearson English Test scores (if applicable)

Once you submit your application, you will be able to view your Supplemental Items Listing within the Application Checklist. This is where you can view and track what materials have been received or are still outstanding. For Fall 2024 applicants, all supplemental materials must be submitted by February 1 to receive full scholarship consideration.

Mailing address for transcripts and test scores:

Roosevelt University
Admission Processing Center
1400 N. Roosevelt Blvd.
Schaumburg, IL 60173
admissionforms@roosevelt.edu

Submit Your Artistic Application

A majority of CCPA applicants must also submit the Artistic Application, which allows applicants to provide more information about their artistic background, submit their Audition Preview or pre-screening recordings (No audio or video enhancements, please!), and schedule their future audition/interview.

Music Applicants: https://app.getacceptd.com/rooseveltmusic
Theatre Applicants: https://app.getacceptd.com/roosevelt
The Artistic Application fee for BM, BMA, MM, MA, PD, and PED programs is $50, to be paid through the GetAcceptd website. The Artistic Application fee for BFA programs (Theatre Conservatory) is $100. All applicants will be required to provide email addresses of their recommenders, as well as provide a response to a few short-answer questions.

Fee Waiver Requests

Undergraduate applicants seeking a waiver of the application fee must submit a Request for Application Fee Waiver or other qualifying documentation to support@getacceptd.com.

Graduate applicants seeking a waiver of the application fee must submit qualifying documentation to support@getacceptd.com.

This form must be received prior to the application deadline.

*Undergraduate applicants who are current members of the Merit School of Music, Music Institute of Chicago, Midwest Young Artists, or Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra, as well as CCPA Graduate and Performance Diploma alumni/currently-enrolled applicants, will automatically qualify for a 75% discount. The above request form should not be completed by these applicants. Please email Assistant Dean of Enrollment Management Amanda Horvath-Adair at ahorvath@roosevelt.edu for information on the discount process. Discounts will not be made retroactively after applications and fees have been submitted.

Music Conservatory applicants:

All graduate performance applicants: After you have submitted your initial Roosevelt University application, you are required to submit pre-screening recordings/materials (no audio or video enhancements, please) for review before you can be invited to a live virtual audition. Pre-screens are to be submitted through GetAcceptd.com beginning in August.

All undergraduate applicants: After you have submitted your initial Roosevelt University application, you should also submit an Audition Preview, a presentation of two contrasting pieces/excerpts (no audio or video enhancements, please). Please note that it will not serve as a pre-screening, but as a means of learning more about you prior to your audition. The Audition Preview is to be submitted through GetAcceptd.com beginning in August.

Theatre Conservatory applicants:

BFA Acting, BFA Musical Theatre and BFA Musical Theatre: Dance Concentration -- After you have submitted your initial Roosevelt University application you are required to submit pre-screen materials for review before you can be invited to a live virtual audition. Pre-screens are to be submitted through GetAcceptd.com beginning in August.

You may not submit your pre-screen materials until you have first submitted the Roosevelt University Undergraduate Application. The pre-screen deadline is December 1, though earlier submission is highly recommended.

Please see "Theatre Conservatory Pre-Screen and Audition Details" below.

Arts Administration applicants:

After submitting the Roosevelt University application, you are required to submit the following information via GetAcceptd.com:

Statement of Purpose: describing your academic and career goals and how the program will help to achieve those goals
Professional Resume

Fast Track – Theatre Directing applicants:

After submitting the Roosevelt University application, you are required to submit the following information via GetAcceptd.com:

A list of all productions you have directed, including location and year
A list of all undergraduate and post-graduate theatre courses you have taken, including location and year
A teaching resume, including schools, years, and courses taught
A related experience resume, including technical experience, performance experience, and workshops, given or attended
An essay on how you hope the program will impact your work as a director
A mini-portfolio containing pictures from a production (six photos maximum) and a reflection (two-page maximum) on your involvement, approach and process in mounting the production

Meet the Enrollment Team

Ee Ming Chua
Assistant Director of Admission for Chicago College of Performing Arts (CCPA)
Email: echua@roosevelt.edu
Phone: 312-341-6735

Amanda Horvath-Adair
Assistant Director of Outreach/Engagement for Chicago College of Performing Arts (CCPA)
Email: ahorvath@roosevelt.edu
Phone: 312-341-3796

Jessica Meaux
Admissions Counselor for College of Performing Arts (CCPA)
Email: jmeaux@roosevelt.edu
Phone: 312-341-3795

International Applicants

International Applicants should check the International Admission Requirements to determine if they meet the University's English Language Proficiency Requirement and are required to submit a Foreign Credential Evaluation.

All non-native speakers of English who are admitted and enrolled will be required to take Roosevelt University's English Language Proficiency (ELP) exam upon entry and may be required to complete additional coursework as part of their program of study. Please contact us at ccpaadmissions@roosevelt.edu if you have questions.

Submit Financial Aid Documents

US Citizens and Permanent Residents must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) if they wish to be considered for federal aid. Please see our Financial Aid page for more information. Enter Roosevelt’s six-digit Federal School Code (001749) to ensure the University receives your FAFSA information.

As the CCPA Scholarship is one award and is inclusive of merit/talent and financial need, all undergraduate applicants that are US Citizens or Permanent Residents are strongly encouraged to complete the FAFSA by March 1.

All applicants offered admission to the Chicago College of Performing Arts are automatically considered a CCPA Scholarship, which ranges from partial to full tuition. The scholarship does not exceed tuition and does not apply to fees, housing, meals, books and supplies, and other personal expenses.

The scholarship award for the Professional Diploma in Opera grants full tuition with the exception of the Graduate General Fee, Student Activity Fee, and CTA Ventra U-Pass Fee.

CCPA also offers Graduate Music Student Assistantships. However, each assistantship is not always available.

Music Conservatory Audition/Interview Details

A pre-screen is required for all graduate and diploma performance applicants. All pre-screening recordings will be submitted through GetAcceptd.

Music Conservatory auditions will be held live on-campus Saturdays in February 2024. We will also host live-virtual audition options remotely. Please check back for specific program's audition dates and times later in the fall.

All undergraduate applicants are strongly encouraged to submit their Audition Preview, which is not a pre-screen, through GetAcceptd.

Live Audition Requirements

Brass Performance (BM, MM, Perf. Diploma)
Classical Guitar (BM, MM, Perf. Diploma)
Honors Bachelor of Musical Arts (BMA)
Jazz and Contemporary Music (BM)
Music Composition (BM, MM)
Music Education (BM)
Music Education and Performance (BM)
Opera (Prof. Diploma)
Orchestral Studies (MM, Prof. Diploma) - Please note that all audition repertoire requirements are contained within the performance area pages for your instrument area.
Percussion (BM, MM, Perf. Diploma)
Performing Arts Administration (MA)
Piano Performance (BM, MM, Perf. Diploma)
Strings (BM, MM, Perf. Diploma)
Suzuki Pedagogy (MM, Prof. Diploma)
Voice (BM, MM)
Woodwinds (BM, MM, Perf. Diploma)

Dates & Locations

LIVE AUDITIONS: Auditions for admission to all Fall 2024 programs will be held on-campus in Chicago, the Saturdays in February. Specific music programs host auditions on select dates - this information will be posted soon!

LIVE VIRTUAL AUDITIONS: Live virtual auditions will be available for a limited number of applicants on select dates and times, likely in late January.

Theatre Conservatory Pre-Screen and Audition Details

A prescreen is required for all BFA Acting, BFA Musical Theatre and BFA Musical Theatre: Dance Concentration applicants. All pre-screens will be submitted through GetAcceptd.

Theatre Conservatory auditions will be held live on-campus, and at Chicago, LA, and NYC Unifieds, throughout January and February of 2024. We will also host live-virtual audition options remotely.

BFA Acting Pre-Screen Requirements

Overall

Each piece should be filmed/uploaded as a separate piece of media. No continuous videos.

Slate

There should not be a separate “slate” video, rather slates are to appear at the beginning of each piece.
The proper slate for a monologue is to share your name, the title of the play, and the playwright.

Monologue

TWO 60-90 second contemporary monologues (written during the 20th Century-present) from a published play. This time limit includes the slate at the beginning of the piece and is strictly adhered to; please do not upload media files longer than 90 seconds.
Monologues must be from a published play. Monologues cannot be from musicals, television shows, or movies.
One monologue should be filmed in a 3/4 shot, which means the top of your head to your knees should be in frame and visible.
The other monologue should be filmed as a medium close-up shot, which means the top of your head to the area right under your shoulders should be visible.

Wild Card Video

Wild Card submissions completely optional.
Submissions should be no more than 60 seconds.
This media can be ANYTHING you want: a special skill, an interesting story about yourself, a passion speech, an instrument that you play, etc. “What do you want us to know about you?” and “What makes you unique?”

BFA Acting Live Audition Requirements

Students can audition in-person on campus, at Unifieds (Chicago, New York, or Los Angeles) OR in a virtual-live formal during our virtual audition weekend.
TWO 60-90 second contemporary monologues (written during the 20th Century-present) from a published play. This time limit includes the slate at the beginning of the piece and is strictly adhered to; please do not upload media files longer than 90 seconds.·Monologues must be from a published play.
Monologues cannot be from musicals, television shows, or movies

BFA Musical Theatre and Musical Theatre: Dance Concentration Pre-screen Requirements

Overall

We are following the guidelines for the Common Musical Theatre Pre-Screen. Each piece should be filmed/uploaded as a separate piece of media. No continuous videos. Students are encouraged to use standard technology/recording devices that are available to them (i.e. smartphones, tablets, etc.)

Introduction (“Slate”)

There should not be a separate introduction or “slate” video. Instead, “slates” are to appear at the beginning of each piece and included as part of the time allotment.

The proper slate for a song is to share your name, the song title, and show in which it appears.
The proper slate for a monologue is to share your name, the title of the play, and the playwright.
The proper slate for a piece of dance is to share your name, the title of the song you are dancing to, and the name of the choreographer. If the piece is “self-choreographed” you should share your own name as choreographer.

Songs

Students should prepare 2-contrasting pieces:

Style: one song should be a ballad (where the piece has longer, sustained vocal lines) and one song should be an uptempo (where the vocal line moves at a conversational pace) so as to contrast style.
Length: Each song file should be 60-90 seconds. (This time limit includes the slate at the beginning of the piece and is strictly adhered to; please do not upload media files longer than 90 seconds.)
Accompaniment: Students must sing to musical accompaniment, which could include live or pre-recorded accompaniment. No “a cappella” singing (meaning singing without music).
One song should be written before 1970. This song can be either the “uptempo” or the “ballad” (student’s choice).
One song should be written after 1970 and contrast the style of the first.
One of the two songs (student’s choice) should be filmed in a full frame shot to see your full range of expression, and the other one in a close-up shot (top of the head to the chest should be visible in the frame).

Monologue

Students should prepare one monologue.

Monologues must be from a published play.
Monologues cannot be from musicals.
Each monologue file should be 60-90 seconds (this time limit includes the slate at the beginning of the piece and is strictly adhered to; please do not upload media files longer than 90 seconds).
One contemporary monologue (typically written after 1950), 60-90 seconds in length
- The contemporary monologue should be filmed in a “close-up” shot which means the top of the head to the chest should be visible in the frame.

Dance

Students should prepare the following dance materials.

Framing: All dance media should be filmed in a “full frame” shot taking care to keep the student’s entire person in the frame at all times. (This time limit includes the slate at the beginning of the piece and is strictly adhered to; please do not upload media files longer than 60 seconds.)
Style: Regardless of which style of dance you execute, the choreography and the movement should be connected to the music where the applicant is dancing with a sense of purpose.
All choreography must be performed to music; please no “a cappella” dance media.
30-60 seconds of dance in whatever dance discipline you feel most confident. This may include, but is not limited to jazz, ballet, tap, modern, hip hop, lyrical, contemporary, or dance styles beyond American and Euro-western styles.
Please do not submit “barre work”. Students may submit the optional ballet option.
Please use steps, movement, and physical vocabulary that you are familiar with and can execute well. To the best of your ability, move your body fully. Please include at least one turn, one jump and one kick (or other suitable rotation, elevation, and extension that works for your body).
Dance media can be “self-choreographed”, but it must be a solo video of you. This can include a show, competition, or other performance so long as you are clearly featured on your own.

Ballet Option

Submission of ballet material is optional for Musical Theatre applicants but is required for Musical Theatre: Dance Concentration applicants.
Ballet Media should be no more than 60 seconds.·Execute a brief series of plié, tendu, and grande battement;
Execute pirouette en déhors (to both sides)
Execute one or more grand jeté across the floor.

Wild Card

Wild Card submission is completely optional.
Submissions should be no more than 60 seconds.·
Applicants do not need to slate in any wild card media.
This media can be ANYTHING you want - a special skill, an interesting story about yourself, a passion speech, an instrument you play, etc. “What do you want us to know about you?” and “What makes you unique? "

For more tips and resource, please visit Acceptd’s MTCP page.

BFA Musical Theatre and Musical Theatre: Dance Concentration Live Audition Requirements

Students can audition in-person on campus, at Unifieds (Chicago, New York City, or Los Angeles) OR in a virtual-live formal during our virtual audition weekend.
1 monologue from a contemporary play. Monologue should be no longer than two minutes.
2 song selections: 32 bars each of one ballad and one up-tempo song from the musical theatre repertoire.
Do not bring more than 32 bars for each.
Characters should be close to your age. All pieces should be performed from memory.
You must sing with recorded accompaniment.
Dance Calls
- We will not be conducting a dance call for BFA Musical Theatre applicants.
- Musical Theatre: Dance Concentration applicants auditioning in-person will take part in a live dance call during their audition day. The dance call will last approximately 1 hour and include a tap portion, a ballet portion, and a jazz combination.
- Musical Theatre: Dance Concentration applicants auditioning virtually will receive three short combinations (ballet, jazz and tap) that they will be asked to learn, record and send back prior to their virtual-live audition.

Audition Dates and Locations

Please check back for specific audition dates and locations later in the fall.

Questions about this page?

Amanda Horvath-Adair

Assistant Dean of Enrollment Management, Chicago College of Performing Arts

Office: AUD 918

ahorvath@roosevelt.edu

312-341-3796