Belmont provides undergraduate admission opportunities in two categories: degree seeking and non-degree seeking. Within these categories, there are several different programs. Belmont University does not discriminate in admission on the basis of race, color, nationality, handicaps, religion, or sex. Each application is considered on an individual basis. No two applicants will present the same credentials or the same degree of “fit” with the university. Our desire is to work with each student to determine the likelihood for that student to enroll, graduate and benefit from the Belmont educational experience.
Applications for admission to Belmont are for a particular term of enrollment. Requirements of materials may change from one term to another. Acceptance for one term does not necessarily indicate that admission will be granted for any other term. Admission to Belmont University is competitive. Applications for admission are considered on a rolling basis, pending space available, so early submission of all application materials is strongly encouraged. Applicants will be notified of a decision within 1 week of completing the application. The application deadlines are July 1 for entry in the fall term, November 1 for entry in the spring term, and May 1 for entry in the summer term. The application for admission also serves as the merit scholarship application. Applications for admission completed via the paper or online Common Application™ are accepted and processed with equal consideration to Belmont’s application. An incomplete application cannot be considered. High school seniors are encouraged to apply to Belmont during the early fall months of the senior year. Transfer applicants should apply to Belmont as soon as possible during the term preceding the term for which they are applying.
Applicants are considered on the total picture that a student’s credentials present. High school students will be considered competitive for admission if they present a rigorous course of college-preparatory academic studies. Transfer work should likewise be strongly related to the chosen field of study. Students should have an above-average academic and cumulative grade point average and rank in the top half of their graduating classes. Any college-level work is also expected to be at the above-average level. The personal supplement information, resume of activities and recommendations are also strongly considered as positive indicators of success at Belmont. Additional requirements such as portfolios or auditions are considered in conjunction with the academic credentials for those programs which require them. International students should also refer to the specific requirements outlined in this catalog. Each application is considered on an individual basis. No two applicants will present the same credentials or the same degree of “fit” with the university. Our desire is to work with each student to determine the likelihood for that student to enroll, graduate and benefit from the Belmont educational experience.
All materials and inquiries should be directed to:
Belmont University
Office of Admissions
1900 Belmont Boulevard
Nashville, TN 37212
615-460-6785
High school seniors and high school graduates who have never before attended college should apply for freshman admission to Belmont. Students currently attending another college or university and those with previous college credit post high school should apply for transfer admission. Students who have attended Belmont previously should apply for readmission.
Applicants to the School of Music, Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre, Songwriting program, and Honors Program should reference the catalog section titled “Special Program Admission Requirements” regarding additional documents required for admissions consideration to these programs.
* Not including credit from CLEP, IB, AP exams, institutional credit by examination, remedial or developmental course work, or non-academic orientation course.
Students may apply for early admission to Belmont after the junior year in high school. In addition to the application requirements for Freshman Admission, Early Admission candidates must have completed, with grade of “C” or higher, three English courses and three math courses. The Admissions Committee expects a minimum SAT of 1110 (composite score of Critical Reading and Math) or ACT composite of 24 and a minimum high school GPA of 3.00 on academic subjects for those who are able to take th ACT/SAT. In addition, the prospective student should outline the reason for requesting early admission.
An audition or portfolio review is required for admission to a particular major within the College of Music and Performing Arts and the Songwriting major. Applicants who wish to pursue a major in the College of Music and Performing Arts (School of Music and Department of Theatre and Dance) or the Songwriting major will be considered for admission to the university after all application materials are received. All application materials must be received before an admissions decision is made; applicants who audition or submit a portfolio prior to all application materials being received will not learn of an admissions decision until their application materials are received. An applicant must be academically admissible to the university in order to be considered for admission to these programs. Applicants who are academically admissible to the university but do not have a successful audition or portfolio review may choose to enroll at Belmont in another major. An applicant who is academically inadmissible to the university cannot be considered for admission to the College of Music and Performing Arts or the Songwriting major.
Applicants are required to submit an online portfolio consisting of 2 songs, corresponding lyrics, and supplemental questions. Portfolio details can be found online at www.belmont.edu/cemb/songwriting. Portfolios will be reviewed four times annually and must be completed by 11:59pm (CST) on October 1st, November 15th, February 1st, MArch 15th or July 1st (transfer only) for consideration. The Songwriting portfolio will be reviewed once the applicant’s admissions file is complete in the Office of Admissions. Portfolios will be reviewed by the Songwriting Steering Committee and approved by the Songwriting Program Chair. Applicants will be notified of an admissions decision into the program within four weeks of the respective portfolio deadline providing the University has made a general admission decision into Belmont.
Applicants to the School of Music who wish to major or minor in music are required to complete an audition. Audition requirements and guidelines can be found online at www.belmont.edu/music.
Applicants are required to either complete an audition or submit a portfolio. Applicants who wish to pursue the Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and Drama are exempt from the audition or portfolio requirement. Audition and portfolio requirements can be found online at www.belmont.edu/theatre.
Applicants for freshman admission may be considered for admission to the Honors Program if they have outstanding academic records in high school. Freshman applicants are invited to apply to the Honors program with a high school grade point average of 3.75 (4.0 scale) or higher. The application for Honors is included in the freshman application and must be submitted by December 1st.
Students applying for readmission to Belmont are considered on the same basis as new applicants to the university for that particular term. If a student has attended any other college or university since the last term of enrollment at Belmont, official transcripts must be sent. Recommendations previously sent to Belmont may be used if they are less than two years old. Applicants should contact the Office of Admissions to determine what particular requirements may be needed. Readmission cannot be considered if the student is not in good standing with Belmont University or any other institution attended, whether in the form of a financial, disciplinary or academic obligation. Once those issues have been resolved and the Office of Admissions has been notified of the resolution in writing by that institution, the application will be considered. The university reserves the right to refuse readmission to a student on any grounds deemed sufficient by the Belmont University administration.
A student who receives his/her first academic suspension from Belmont University may petition for readmission to the university after one semester. Any student who receives two academic suspensions may appeal for readmission after one year from the date of the last suspension. Any appeal for reinstatement from suspension is made to the Admissions Committee and is subject to full review. In no case is reinstatement guaranteed. A third suspension results in permanent dismissal from the university.
Belmont welcomes international students into its undergraduate programs and is authorized to issue F-1 (student) and J-1 (exchange visitor) documentation for obtaining visas.
International students interested in pursuing an undergraduate degree from Belmont University should follow these steps in addition to the steps outlined in the catalog for Degree Seeking Admission.
International students are required to submit the notarized Sponsor Statement indicating the individual responsible for financing the student’s education. (Note: A bank statement is NOT sufficient.) After being offered admission to Belmont, the student must submit a nonrefundable enrollment deposit of $3,000* which will be applied to the cost of first semester. At this point, the Director of International Student Services will issue an I-20 and provide the student with instructions for obtaining a Visa.
*Students who do not enroll as scheduled, due to failure to obtain a visa, may request a $2,900 refund of the tuition deposit, if requested within 30 days after the close of registration.
International students interested in attending Belmont through one of its established exchange programs (for one semester or one year) must be nominated by their home institution in order to apply to Belmont and be issued a J-1 visa.
Applicants who are permanent residents or resident aliens may follow the application instructions for domestic students with one exception. Applicants whose first language is not English must demonstrate English language proficiency with a minimum Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score of 550 (written), or 80 (internet based), minimum IELTS score of 6.5; minimum SAT Critical Reading score of 530 or ACT English subscore of 23; 4 years of American high school without ESL coursework; or 6 hours of English Composition coursework with a grade of ‘C’ or higher at an American college/university.
Students who do not plan to earn a degree from Belmont may apply for admission through any of the following programs and may take one or many courses at Belmont. Non-degree seeking status is not automatic and is usually granted for one term only except in special circumstances. Non-degree seeking students are prohibited by federal regulations from receiving federal financial assistance. The application fee for any non-degree seeking program is $15.00. The application deadline for non-degree seeking admission is the August 1st for the fall term, December 1st for the spring term, and May 1st for the summer term. All application materials must be received by the application deadline.
Individuals wishing to attend class presentations as a non-participant in a non-credit, non-degree seeking status may apply to audit a course. Audit is non-credit in all cases and regular tuition fees apply. Since all classes are not open for audit, students must have prior approval from the college or school in which the course is to be offered before being admitted. Students taking courses for credit have priority over audit students for class entry. Therefore, audit students may register on a space-available basis only. Students may not audit private music lessons.
Students from an institution with whom University has a cross-town agreement who wish to take courses at Belmont under that agreement must complete the application and submit a Letter of Good Standing from their home institution. Please contact the office of the Registrar at your home institution for requirements related to your particular school’s agreement with Belmont.
Students may apply for early admission to Belmont after the junior year in high school. The student may be planning to skip the senior year, take courses during the summer only and return to high school as a senior, or take courses at Belmont concurrent with the high school senior year (Dual enrollment). The requirements for consideration are: completion, with grade of “C” or higher, three English courses and three math courses, SAT of 1110 (composite score of Critical Reading and Math) or ACT composite of 24 (if testing is available), and a minimum high school GPA of 3.00 on academic subjects. In addition, the prospective student should outline the reason for requesting early admission.
The Post-Graduate status (IPG) is for students who hold an undergraduate degree from an accredited college or university and would like to take additional undergraduate courses at Belmont. In addition to the application and fee, a student must submit an official copy of the college transcript with degree and graduation date posted.
Admission as a transient student is granted on the basis of a completed application and a Transient Student Permission Form completed by an appropriate official at the student’s current university. A student coming directly from high school to summer school at Belmont needs to supply a high school transcript, test scores (if available), application, fee and letter of acceptance from the university they will attend during the fall semester.
Students who do not wish to earn a degree, but otherwise would normally fall into the freshman or transfer admission category, may apply as a non-degree seeking student. The application fee is $15.00, but all other admission requirements are the same as those for degree-seeking students.
Senior citizens 60 years or older may audit a course, pending space available for $25 per course. Proof of age is required.
A high school or college transcript is considered official when received via U.S. Mail or an approved online transcript provider. The transcript should be stamped/signed and dated by the sending institution.
Belmont University will be test optional for the 2021 academic entry terms.
If the student chooses to send test scores they considered official if they are sent directly from the respective testing agency or if the scores are included on an official high school transcript.*
* Test Scores such as AP or IB must be sent directly from the testing agency in order to be applied toward the Belmont University degree provided the score meets published standards under “Academic Policies.”