It has a 3.2% acceptance rate. So 96.8% of the people applying there are feeling extra salty!
It used to be that you can't audition; you have to be invited. But now I think there's a law that ban invitation only schools. But that didn't really change anything. It's still REALLY invitation only, they now just have to go through the formality of actually auditioning... Which is basically a full blown concert for the Jurys. It's really ugly. They already pick out their students before the application process even starts. And if you think having a 4.0 GPA and a 36 on your ACT will help you, you have another thing coming. They don't care about grades. If your schools sends them your transcript, they'll probably put it in the shredder. Admissions is 100% audition.
And for the people that get accepted into Curtis, tuition is free! The reason for that is because usually the people who are accepted there are already professional pianists with recording contracts and have already preformed all around the world. So they know you have a job right outside of school. And if you have trouble finding job, they'll get you a spot in the Philadelphia orchestra.
A friend of mine an I are auditioning there for fun to see what happens. But of course we're not actually expecting to get in.
And just to name a few Alumni: Yuja Wang, Yefim Bronfman, Leonard Bernstain, Lang Lang, Lynn Harrell, and Jorge Bolet went there. So to get accepted into that school, you pretty much have to be god.