Lesson Funding

The 2025-26 academic year marks a departure from past practice regarding lesson funding. Please see below for relevant instructions for the 25-26 academic year.

For Music Majors and Minors:

In the past, each lesson course fee was reimbursed to you each quarter. Starting September 2025, you will be asked to register for a new 200-level course number (your instrument for Music Majors and Minors), which will not have a course fee associated with it. This removes the need to apply for lesson funding in the future as a music major/minor. These courses will require a permission number to enroll. Please request that number from your instructor.

Graduate students in Music may prefer to enroll in a zero-unit version of  music lessons, which also has a 200-level number. Request permission from your instructor.

For non-Music Majors or Minors:

In previous academic years, funding was made available to help offset the course fee for music lessons. To simplify this process, starting in September of 2025, the course fee for music lessons has been reduced to $595.00. If additional lesson support is needed for undergraduate students, it can be requested from the Financial Aid Office. For graduate students, requests should be submitted during the first three weeks of the current quarter. The request window for Spring Quarter will begin in the first week of that quarter. 

Doctoral students on TGR status may enroll in up to 3 additional units per quarter. Please be mindful when enrolling in lessons or ensembles, as exceeding this limit may incur tuition charges.

Reminder: Even if students enroll in MUSIC 179Z for zero units, if students also take a 3-unit course, lesson fees still apply. Visit the Applied Music Fees page and confirm the total units with the advisor to avoid unexpected costs.

If funding is provided for lessons, please note that it is awarded as a stipend and, as such, is processed through the standard stipend procedures at the time of disbursement.

These changes apply to private lessons. For group lessons, there are no course fees.