Founded in 1845, Baldwin Wallace is a private university in Berea, a small city about 15 miles south-west of downtown Cleveland. Its conservatory is the best-known part, with a music theatre programme that sends graduates to Broadway and a Bach Festival that has run since 1933. Outside music, students come for business, neuroscience, computer science and health sciences.
Berea, Ohio, United States
Official website: bw.edu
1845
Private university in Ohio
Home to one of the oldest collegiate Bach festivals in the US
$36,000 – $40,000
International undergraduates, before merit scholarships
$13,000 – $16,000
Rent, food and local transport
Approximate figures for 2026-27, please verify. Fees change every year and vary by course, so check the latest amount on bw.edu before you apply.
BFA Music Theatre
Bachelors DegreeDuration
48 Months
Intake
Aug
Exam Score
Audition; IELTS: 6.5, TOEFL: 79
BS Neuroscience
Bachelors DegreeDuration
48 Months
Intake
Aug
Exam Score
IELTS: 6.5, TOEFL: 79
BS Computer Science
Bachelors DegreeDuration
48 Months
Intake
Aug, Jan
Exam Score
IELTS: 6.0, TOEFL: 71
BA Business Administration
Bachelors DegreeDuration
48 Months
Intake
Aug, Jan
Exam Score
IELTS: 6.0, TOEFL: 71
MBA
Masters DegreeDuration
12 Months
Intake
Aug, Jan
Exam Score
IELTS: 6.5, TOEFL: 79
A music theatre programme with a strong Broadway track record.
The annual Bach Festival held on campus.
Small classes and close advising.
Business graduates join Cleveland employers such as Sherwin-Williams and Progressive.
Music theatre graduates work in touring and New York productions.
STEM graduates can apply for up to three years of OPT.
Undergrad
Rolling
Postgrad
Rolling
Undergrad
Limited programmes
Postgrad
Rolling
The campus runs through the middle of Berea, with sandstone buildings, residence halls and the conservatory's concert halls a short walk apart.
Berea is quiet and cheap. Downtown Cleveland, with its orchestra, sports teams and Lake Erie waterfront, is about 25 minutes away, and the airport is next door.
Form I-20 issued by Baldwin Wallace University
Proof of funds for one academic year
SEVIS I-901 fee payment receipt
Completed DS-160 online application
US embassy or consulate interview
Passport valid six months beyond stay
Baldwin Wallace admits on a rolling basis for most programmes. Music theatre and other conservatory programmes need an early application and audition, usually by December.
Most students start in August. Some undergraduate programmes and the MBA also start in January.
International students come in on an F-1 visa. The I-20 comes from Baldwin Wallace University after you confirm your place and show you can cover a year of costs; you then pay the SEVIS fee, fill in the DS-160 and book your consulate interview.
Music theatre, neuroscience, computer science, business and the MBA are popular. Conservatory entry depends on an audition. Other undergraduate entry uses school grades and IELTS 6.0 to 6.5.
Yes. Baldwin Wallace gives merit scholarships to most international undergraduates at admission, and conservatory students may also get talent awards.
