Registration and admission process

Major – BA in Music, Creative Music Practices

Thank you for your interest in the Bachelor’s programme in Creative Music Practices at Zurich University of the Arts.

Bachelor students must first register for a major. They begin their degree programme with the selected major and choose a minor during their first year of study. They begin studying the selected minor in their second year of study. 

→ Detailed information on the Major-Minor programme structure

→ The information days will take place mid-November. Detailed information please find on zhdk.ch/en/information-days

Admissions requirements

The requirements for admission to the degree programme and for enrolment are governed by the Regulatory Framework for Bachelor’s and Master’s Programmes at Zurich University of the Arts (RO §§ 19–24).

Additional admission requirements for the selected major programme, including the required language skills, are set out in the Degree Programme Regulations of the Bachelor of Arts in Music at Zurich University of the Arts (StO BA Music § 4 ff.). 

Language skills

The language of instruction is German. Foreign-language applicants must provide proof of competence in the language of instruction, see also “application documents, point: language skills”.

  • Application documents

    1. Letter of motivation, written electronically in German or English, including: 
      • Personal details (complete CV, with dates given by year): Educational background, musical training and activities, knowledge of music software, and any other relevant interests and activities.
      • Personal statement: Why do I want to study this major at ZHdK? What do I envisage my professional future? 
         
    2. Dossier with three or four of your own works: 
      • Submit works or excerpts of works (e. g. compositions, stylistic studies, written work in music theory, etc.). The musical contributions should have a total duration of approximately 10 minutes. Scores, texts and images must be submitted as PDF files, audio recordings as MP3 files, and videos as MP4 files).
      • Provide a commentary on each work (e. g. its concept, significance, creative process etc.). Combine the commentaries into a single PDF document of no more than two A4 pages. Name this file “comments.pdf”. 
      • Optional: Compile a list of links to further information about your work (e. g. personal website, SoundCloud, Bandcamp, Vimeo, etc.). Name this file “Links.pdf”.
      • Combine all files to be submitted into a ZIP file and upload it as part of your online application. If the file exceeds 1,95 GB, the video and audio files must be compressed beforehand to reduce their size.
      • Important: The files must be labelled with your first and last name. The file names must not contain any special characters such as \ / : * ? " < > | é, â, ç, Ï or umlauts such as ä, ö, ü, as these can cause compatibility issues. 
         
    3. Swiss Matriculation number
      The field “matriculation number” only concerns applicants who have already studied at a university or applied university in Switzerland. Applicants who have studied abroad (not in Switzerland) are not required to fill in the field “matriculation number”. 
      All students receive a matriculation number when they register for the first time at a university or an applied university in Switzerland or at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology ETH in the shape of a yellow sticker, which is affixed to the reverse of their qualifying diploma (e.g. baccalaureate certificate, Swiss Federal Certificate of Competence). Please provide this number when registering and submit your university entrance qualification certificate as a PDF file.
       
    4. Exmatriculation certificate / Proof of withdrawal
      Confirmation of exmatriculation or proof of withdrawal is issued at Swiss universities upon graduation or upon termination of studies. If issue of the certificate is pending, confirmation must be submitted later.
       
    5. Swiss Social security number
      If you live or work in Switzerland, you will find your Swiss social security number (756...) on your AHV card or on your Swiss health insurance card. Applicants who wish to come to Switzerland to study do not yet have a Swiss social security number and therefore do not need to provide one.
       
    6. Personal photo as JPG
      Please upload a recent passport quality photo – no copies/screenshots of the passport page or identity card. The photo must be a frontal shot of the face that is 2/3 of the frame and at least 320 x 400 pixels.
       
    7. Identity card or passport
      A PDF of the identity card (both sides) or passport must be uploaded. If a residence permit for Switzerland is available, please also submit a PDF of it.
       
    8. Resume / Curriculum Vitae
      Please submit in tabular form.
       

    9. Language skills
      The language skills required are listed for each degree programme in the programme regulations. Language skills can be demonstrated as follows:
      –    Native speaker (does not have to be proven)
      –    Required language as a subject in the educational certificate, passed or at least grade 4 (submit the upper secondary education transcript as a PDF)
      –    Recognized certificate (according to the list “Recognized Certificates for Language Requirements”)
      –    University degree (Bachelor’s/Master’s) in a degree programme where the language of instruction corresponds to the language skills required by the study regulations (submit diploma supplement or official confirmation from the university as a PDF)

      Note: The language certificates should usually be no more than five years old. The decision on whether the admission requirements regarding language skills have been met is made during the formal review of the documents.

    10. Further documents
      Please submit the corresponding transcripts, diplomas and certificates to provide evidence of your:
      • Educational qualifications
      • Professional activities (relevant to your degree programme/chosen specialization)
      • Internships (relevant to your degree programme/chosen specialization)
         
    11. Consent form from legal guardians for applicants under the age of 18
      Applicants who have not yet reached the age of 18 at the time of application must submit a declaration of consent from their legal guardians. For this purpose, the PDF U18 is available. This form must be completed, signed by the legal guardians and submitted with the application.
      This form must be completed and submitted with the signature of the parents or legal guardians in the ‘Self-declarations/Legal Notices section of the online registration.

    Documents must be uploaded in PDF format. If you wish to upload several individual PDF files, you may do so one after the other.

    The use of artificial intelligence (AI) is generally permitted, except where it is explicitly not accepted for certain documents to be submitted. The use of AI must be declared when the application is submitted.

  • Aptitude test

    Only a few study places are available. If a candidate passes the aptitude test but is not accepted due to a lack of study places, he/she must repeat the examination when re-applying for later admission to the degree programme.

    Candidates who do not receive a study place following the aptitude test will not automatically be accepted into PreCollege Music. If you are interested in the PreCollege, we recommend that you also register for PreCollege Music in full by 1 March.
     

    1. Homework (creative assignment)
      Candidates will receive an assignment by email (see dates below). They will have two weeks from the date of receipt to submit their work ( e. g. an audio piece, composition, original production, study or analytical approach, etc.).
       
    2. Oral examination and interview
      • Preparation (1 hour)
        • Analysis of a short musical work or several short musical excerpts.
      • Oral examination (30 minutes)
        • Presentation and discussion of the main findings and observations arising from the analysis of the work or excerpts
        • Discussion of the analysis and the creative assignment, as well as a work or topic from the portfolio, which candidates will briefly present.
        • Examination panel: Composition and Music Theory lecturers and a member of the department’s leadership team
           
    3. Instrumental/vocal audition (approx. 20 minutes)
      • Audition (on the instrument you wish to study at ZHdK)
        Performance requirements:
        Candidates must prepare repertoire pieces or movements from different periods, including at least one work from a more recent period. Works of at least intermediate difficulty are expected. Candidates who require piano accompaniment provided by the university must indicate this when registering.
         
    4. Written and oral examination in Music Theory
      • All information on the examination can be found here in the section “Aptitude test”, part 2. “Written examination in music theory” and part 3 “Integrated aptitude test”. On the same page you will also find an examination example.

  • Dates

    Information day

    16 to 20 November 2026

    Online application

    5 January – 1 March 2027

    Homework (creative assignment)

    22 March – 5 April 2027

    Aptitude test

    3–8 May 2027

    Notification of the exam results

    Mid-May 2027

    Start of studies

    20 September 2027

  • Registration and examination fee

    The registration fee for the admissions process is CHF 100 Registrations are valid once the registration fee has been paid. Payment is made online by credit card, TWINT or PostFinance Card. Applicants who are invited to the second part of the aptitude test (interview or examination) pay an additional examination fee of CHF 200 for participation in the second part of the aptitude test. The payment request is sent by e-mail. Once the payment has been transferred, the invitation with the examination dates will be made available in the online registration.
    Fees are based on the Directive on Tuition Fees of Zurich University of Applied Sciences and the corresponding fact sheet on Tuition Fees at ZHdK.

  • Entry into Switzerland

    Different rules apply for entry to Switzerland. In principle, a distinction is made between nationals of EU/EFTA countries and third-country nationals

    You can find all the key information on passport and visa requirements by nationality, as well as on living and working in Switzerland, at: Everyday Life and Living in Zurich

    Importing musical instruments into Switzerland

    Please note the regulations for importing musical instruments into Switzerland. If you intend to import musical instruments into other countries, please consult the corresponding import regulations upon leaving Switzerland.

  • Information regarding online registration

    • Login to the online registration with SWITCH edu-ID
      • To register online, you will need a SWITCH edu-ID, which must be created once. If you do not yet have a SWITCH edu-ID, you can create one during the registration process. Please ensure you use your personal email address to register.
        → How to create and use a SWITCH edu-ID

      • Each person should only have one SWITCH edu-ID. 
        If you forget your password, you can create a new password via “Reset Password”

    • You may interrupt your application at any time and continue at a later stage. Any information entered will be stored.
    • Compulsory fields are marked with an asterisk (*).
    • Once all the details have been entered and the documents submitted, you must finalise your application by clicking “Complete entry” and pay the registration fee. The registration cannot be changed afterwards. The registration is only considered to be submitted and checked once the registration fee has been paid.
    • If the registration has not been completed, including payment of the registration fee, the data will be deleted after the registration deadline.
    • For technical enquiries and in emergencies, you can contact us on +41 43 446 44 00. 

→ From 5 January 2027 you can register online here.