Juilliard Will Launch a $550 Million Drive To Eliminate Tuition Fees

The Juilliard School is considered one of the best, if not the very top, academic institution for the performing arts. Its excellence has long come with a steep price tag—one that many talented young performers can't afford to pay. Not willing to lose out on gifted actors, musicians, and dancers just because they've been priced out, Juilliard has become the latest school aiming to go tuition free for all of its students, but they'll need help.

That's why they've launched a $550 million fundraising campaign, one of the most ambitious in the school's 120-year history. “If a student can get into Juilliard—and it’s hard to get into Juilliard—it can’t be about the money,” Damian Woetzel, the school’s president 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.”

The efforts also take into account what happens once the students graduate and move on to meager salaries in the arts and entertainment industries. According to Indeed, a dancer in the U.S. makes $29.66 an hour on average, while a musician makes $35.68 an hour on average—and those are just figures for those who can actually find a paying gig. Juilliard’s tuition is $55,500 per year, a number that can take a toll on the 71% of Juilliard students who pay part or full tuition.

Juilliard's efforts to go tuition-free have been preceded by some initiatives to alleviate costs. About 95% of both undergraduate and graduate students receive at least some form of financial aid; and since the fall of 2024, its graduate acting program has been tuition-free. Now, the school hopes to extend this to its prestigious music and dance division, as well as the undergraduate drama programs, which serve about 900 students total.

There have been plenty of generational talents who have attended Juilliard on a scholarship. Among the gifted alumni we may have never gotten to see if it weren't for the financial support provided for them to attend Juilliard and launch their careers are Robin Williams, Jessica Chastain, and Oscar Isaac.

“There’s a mythology around a place with a name like Juilliard, and I know too many people who didn’t apply because they thought, ‘I couldn’t afford it,’” Woetzel said last year. “We recognize that talent is so much greater than opportunity.” If you'd like to learn more about this initiative and make a donation, visit Juilliard's website.