Students are admitted to all undergraduate programs at the Conservatory through an audition. In granting admission, the faculty signals its belief in the potential of an individual to reach through training a significant pre-professional level of excellence in his/her field or instrument. During the first few semesters of study, students confront enriching training experiences designed and led by the faculty to provoke and nurture artistic and technical growth and development. These experiences are organized into courses for which students are assigned grades based on the quality of effort, on the process, not merely on the developing product, of work. The Conservatory's expectation is that all students will engage in this work with energy, commitment, and self-discipline.

After those first semesters, the faculty takes a deeper look at the growth and development of individual students through a promotional jury and/or examination process, asking and answering a fundamental question: is this student manifesting the kind of growth which promises that he/she will attain the significant pre-professional level of excellence which is the goal of all conservatory programs? Some students, even though they have confronted the training curriculum with dedication and discipline, may not show promise of meeting this standard and will be dismissed for artistic reasons.

A Conservatory, which invites students to devote four years of their educational lives to intensive focus on training in the arts, has a particular obligation to consider thoughtfully the wisdom of an individual student remaining in a program. The Boston Conservatory feels that obligation deeply for two key reasons: 1) it may not be in the best interest of a student to continue to invest in the demands of training work if sufficient progress toward a clear, pre-professional goal is not being demonstrated; and 2) quality performing arts training programs must insure a uniform level of excellence in studio classroom and ensemble activities.

This is why we have a process for defining a moment in a student's career called promotion. Students in Dance, Music, and Theater are given two years at The Boston Conservatory before they face the possibility of dismissal for artistic reasons (as opposed to merely academic ones). The specific procedures defining the promotion process are described in detail below.

Dance Division Policies and Procedures
Students who enter The Boston Conservatory as freshmen are candidates for promotion at the end of the third semester in the program. Those who enter as transfer students and who may be completing their program of study in three or fewer years become candidates for promotion at the end of the second semester of work.

Candidates for promotion are evaluated by the entire performance faculty through performance exams at the conclusion of Ballet and Modern Technique. In discussing a student's candidacy for promotion, the faculty may also make use of personal knowledge of the candidate from courses or rehearsal/performance experiences. They will have access to a candidate's transcript, as well as input (when applicable) gathered from choreographers.

The faculty may recommend one of two possible actions to the Dean of the Conservatory at the end of the third semester: 1) that promotion is granted, or 2) that a student is placed on artistic probation.

Students placed on artistic probation will again be candidates for promotion at the end of the next semester. At that time, the faculty has the option of recommending either that promotion be granted or that a student be dismissed from the program. Note: Students who entered by transferring from another institution may be granted up to an additional year of study (for a total of two years) before the decision must be either promotion or dismissal.