All about the Entrance exam in Music

All applicants to our music performance studies must go through 2 rounds of auditions. The 1st round is carried out by submitting a self-produced video (the deadline was 15 January). The 2nd round takes place in week 10 in Stavanger on Campus Bjergsted, or as a digital interview if you live outside of Norway, Sweden or Denmark.

Information about the exact day of the entrance exam for each instrument can be found further down in this article.

Round 1 - video

The deadline for submitting the video was January 15th.

All submitted video material is now being assessed by the committee. Results will be shared by e-mail at the end of January/beginning of Fabruary.

• Applicants who do not pass round 1 will receive an e-mail with the results during week 6. Rejections will also be posted in Søknadsweb, and formal letters of rejection will be sent during March
• Applicants who pass round 1, will receive an email together with an invitation to round 2, no later than the end of week 6

Round 2 - Entrance exam at Campus Bjergsted in week 10

If you passed round 1, you will receive an invitation to round 2 in a separate email at the end of January/beginning of February. You accept the invitation by confirming via the link in the invitation e-mail. The deadline to accept the invitation for participation in round 2 is 10 February.

Round 2 consists of an entrance exam as an audition and an interview; applicants to the bachelor programme will also have a test in Music Theory and Aural Skills. The entrance exam will last approximately 30 minutes for each applicant, somewhat longer for conducting applicants. Be prepared to play the entire audition programme.

The committee that evaluates your entrance exam in Round 2 is the same one that evaluated your video for Round 1. Within the scheduled audition time, there will also be an interview where a representative from the study administration will participate. You will have the opportunity to explain your objectives and motivation for the study during the interview,, while also having the chance to ask questions to both the teacher and the study administration.

Interview part during the entrance exam:

You can receive questions about the following themes during the interview:
Musical experience | Motivation | Independence/work capacity | Why Stavanger? | Your auditions (round 1 and 2) | Your audition programme etc. Applicants for conducting will also be introduced to various conducting topics. Applicants for master's degrees will, together with the project manager, review the submitted plans for the desired master's project.

The committee will also tell you a little about everyday life at the university and what you can expect as a student at our faculty if you are offered a place of study.

Round 2 - Digital interview in week 10 (International applicants)

This only applies to applicants with resident outside of Norway, Sweden or Denmark.
If the committee finds that you have passed on your main instrument after the video assessment in round 1, you will be invited to round 2. Round 2 is a digital interview with the committee and a representative from the study administration.

The committee that assesses your audition in Round 2 is the same one that evaluated your video for Round 1. Within the scheduled audition time, there will also be an interview where a representative from the study administration will participate. During the interview, you will have the opportunity to explain your objectives and motivation for the study, while also having the chance to ask questions to both the teacher and the study administration.

You will receive an invitation to round 2 in a separate email at the end of January/beginning of February. The deadline to accept the invitation for participation in round 2 will be 10 February.

Entrance exam day – Campus Bjergsted week 10

If you advance to round 2, you will be invited to a specific audition day in week 10. The entrance exams take place on our campus in Bjergstedparken.

In the invitation you will find information about when you must arrive on our campus. All applicants must attend a mandatory orientation meeting and register their attendance before the meeting starts. Your audition will take place after the orientation meeting, some shortly afterwards, while others may have to wait for a while. Please note that it may be a long audition day, so plan to set aside the entire day.

Attendance registration will be organized in our main building at the front desk in the foyer from 08.30. The orientation meetings take place at 09:00 and 13:30 every day. In the invitation you will find information about which one you should attend.

If you accept the invitation to the enctrance exam in week 10, you will receive an email with a link to an online overview where you will find your exact audition time. The audition times are published at the end of week 9, but there are reservations for small changes right up until the entrance exam day, so you are responsible to keep yourself updated. Your audition time is shown next to your applicant number in the overview.
If you are unsure of your applicant number - see Søknadweb.

We have several available rooms for rehearsal on the first floor of the main building. Remember that the faculty provides its own accompanists/bands for all auditions in round 2, as long as sheet music is received by 15 January.

Several of our students will meet you in the foyer when you arrive, both for attendance registration and to have a chat with you if you wish. The students know the campus, the teachers, our studies, and the city, and they can support and guide you through the audition day.

A student representative will also be present during your entrance exam to ensure a smooth execusion of the audition. The student representative is there for you, but if you wish to conduct the interview/discussion after the audition without the student present, just let us know.

Music Theory and Aural Skills for applicants to Bachelor's degree

Applicants who are applying to our bachelor programme and have passed round 1, must take a test in music theory and aural skill in week 10 on the day of the entrance exam. The person responsible for the test will be in the foyer at the front desk in the main building and show where the test location is, in addition to assist the applicants during the test.

Only one theory and aural test will be held per day in week 10, from Monday to Friday. The test lasts 90 minutes.

• The test starts: 9:30 - 11:00

Please notice!

Applicants are responsible for ensuring that the Theory and Aural (TG) test is completed in connection with the entrance examinations. If you are invited to the orientation meeting starting at 09:00, you will have time to complete the TG test before your audition. If you are scheduled to attend the orientation meeting starting at 13:30 and also need to take the theory and aural test, you will need to arrive earlier to ensure you have sufficient time to complete both.

You also have the option to take the TG test on the day before or the day after your audition, if that suits you better.

The TG test must be passed no later than 20 June in order for you to be able to accept an offer of a place of study. Where you choose to take the test is up to you, as long as you ensure that the result is shared with us.

Remember to bring your own laptop with updated software, charging cable and headphones!
You are responsible for ensuring that your equipment is in good condition and ready for the test.

If you pass the music theory and aural skill test in another university/institution in week 8, 9 or 10, you do not need to take it again in Stavanger. However, if you have not taken the test elsewhere during spring 2026, it must be taken on your entrance exam day here at campus Bjergsted.

Read about the Music Theory and Aural Skill test here (only in Norwegian).

Timetables for entrance exam round 2 - week 10

Here you will find information about which instruments will hold their audition on which day in week 10.

Jazz:

Monday 2 March: VOCAL (until 18:30)
Tuesday 3 March: WIND INSTRUMENTS (until 18:00) | PIANO / VIBRAPHONE (until 16:30)
Wednesday 4 March: BASS (until 15:00) | PERCUSSION (until 17:30)
Thursday 5 March: GUITAR (until 16:00) | MASTER applicants (until 12:00)
Friday 6 March: ....

Classical:

Monday 2 March: STRINGS (Violin: until 18:30) | (Viola: until 19:30) | (Cello until 17:00) | (Double bass: until 19:00)
Tuesday 3 March: PERCUSSION (until 19:30) | BRASS (Euphonium: until 12:00) | (Trombone bass BA: until 13:00 and Trombone bass MA: until 19:30) | (Tuba: until 16:00)
Wednesday 4 March: VOICE (until 18:00) | WOODWINDS (Flute: until 16:30) | (Clarinet: until 14:00) | (Oboe: until 17:30) | BRASS (Horn: until 15:30) | (Trumpet: until 22:30)
Thursday 5 March: PIANO (until 16:00)
Friday 6 March: CONDUCTING (until 19:00)

NB! All approved jazz applicants to our master’s programme will complete round 2 on a shared audition day for the master’s programme, regardless of instrument. This applies to jazz applicants only. Applicants to the master’s programmes in classical performance and conducting will audition on the day scheduled for their instrument.

When will I receive an answer to my application?

After the entrance exam in week 10, the head of the departments (jazz and classical) and the dean make an overall assessment of the applicants. The applicants are then assessed as qualified/not qualified based on the professional committee's assessments and rankings, submitted video material, submitted application documents, and auditions and interview during week 10. Final admission is then approved by the dean.

You will find additional rules for admission in our admission regulations. The various regulations can be found in the article for the study programme to which you have applied for admission. Scroll down to 'How to apply…'.

Qualified applicants are then offered a study place to the extent that there are available places on the applied study. If the faculty has more qualified applicants than there are available study places, the applicants are put on a waiting list based on the committee's ranking list. Please note! We do not share information on waiting list placement.

The result of your application is published in SøknadsWeb continuously after decision meetings with the dean in week 11. Exceptions apply to applicants for Bachelor in performing music, who will not receive results to their application until Wednesday in week 12 (decided by FUM - Faculty Council for Performing Music Education in Norway).

Remember to respond to offers and/or waiting lists in SøknadsWeb within 1 April, so that your study place does not pass on to someone else.

Good luck with the entrance exam, and welcome to the Faculty of Performing Arts, University of Stavanger.