Juilliard Plans to Go Tuition Free

The school has started a $550 million fundraising drive to make it more accessible for students

The Juilliard School, in New York, has announced plans for a $550 million fundraising drive to make the school tuition-free for its students.

Representatives of the school did not say when the policy would be enacted, but indicated that the fundraising campaign would take multiple years. So far, the school has received about $180 million in early commitments, which includes $130 million from Juilliard’s board. Damian Woetzel, the school’s president, said the school will work “as fast as we possibly can” to make the policy a reality.

While 95% of the student body receives some amount of financial aid, Juilliard’s current tuition is $55,500 per year. It offers a few tuition-free programs, like the Kovner Fellowship, but school officials want to extend the policy to its wider music, dance, and drama divisions.

“If a student can get into Juilliard — and it’s hard to get into Juilliard — it can’t be about the money,” Woetzel told The New York Times. “Money can’t be the determining factor of having the opportunity to come to Juilliard, to be in New York City at Lincoln Center, and to fulfill that dream that empowers art itself.”

“I am optimistic, even as I am realistic that it’s going to take a tremendous amount of energy and work,” he said. “I think this is a worthy goal, and I think people will understand that.”

Once the policy is enacted, Juilliard will join Philadelphia's Curtis Institute of Music, which has not charged tuition since 1928.