Bookmark this page! It is your guide to the admission process. The supporting materials needed to complete your application are outlined here, along with important dates and the link to the application fee. Please review the instructions below for how to format and submit your materials, as well as the guidelines for each item further down.
The NHSI’s goal is to provide high school students with a collegiate experience, and this includes the admission process. Students will find that our application is similar to a college application. While we understand the temptation for families to assist, we encourage students to complete all elements of their application independently (online form, gathering & writing materials, and submission), so that you may know what to expect from a college admission process.
How To Submit:
First, save PDF copies of each item and title the file: Last name, First name_Item. Example:
- Doe, Jane_Resume
- Doe, Jane_Essay 1
- Doe, Jane_Transcript
Next, visit this online portal to submit your materials.
- Click “select files” and select each material that is ready to be submitted
- Enter you first and last name in the appropriate fields
- Click “upload”
You can submit materials as they are ready, or all at the same time. Once all items have been added to your application, we will send an email confirming that your application is complete and will be reviewed for admission. This is not automated, however, if you haven’t received a confirmation after 3 business days, please feel free to reach out to the office to confirm your application is complete.
Supporting Materials
You should have received a link to pay the fee after submitting your online application form. Your first application fee is $60. Subsequent application fees are $30 if you are applying to more than one concentration or division for the 2026 season. If you have not paid the fee, you can pay here online with credit or debit card.
- For subsequent applications, please email us to receive a link to pay the reduced $30 fee.
- Alternatively, you may mail a check or money order to the NHSI Office. The check should be made payable to Northwestern University, with the applicant’s name in the memo line. Please mail this to the address in our email signature.
- If you are unsure as to whether you paid the application fee, please contact us and we will confirm for you.
List all experience in theatre. If you do not already have a theatrical resume, you can reference this example to help create your own with the following criteria:
- Name of each production, role or crew assignment, and producing organization (high school, community theatre, college, professional).
- You may include any classes, camps, programs, workshops and/or skills related to the arts (e.g. singing, dancing, competitive speech, etc.).
- A theatrical resume is never more than one page. Be clear and concise.
Students applying to the Performance and SMDT tracks must write two essays. Students applying to the MT track must write a third essay. Each essay not to exceed one page. Essays should be formatted single spaced, 11 pt. font in either Calibri (body) or Times New Roman. Include your name, track, (Performance, Stage Management & Design/Tech, or Musical Theatre), and the essay prompt in the heading. These essays are the pieces that are weighed the most heavily in our admission decision, please spend the appropriate time and care in crafting them.
- Essay #1: Write a detailed letter to your future NHSI roommate that will help your roommate get to know you better. In this letter, please tell your future roommate a story about yourself that illuminates something about who you are. Maybe it’s a story about something that happened to you that formed your personality. Maybe it’s a story that perfectly incapsulates something about your personality. Be creative! Take some time to think about what you write. You want your roommate to have a sense of what makes you, YOU! Please be specific and please keep this letter to one page.
- Essay # 2: Describe in detail a time when you were unsuccessful in achieving your goal and how that experience altered your perspective. What did you learn from the experience? In what way has that experience changed you moving forward? This experience does not need to be traumatic or life-changing, it should just be one that offered you an opportunity to reflect and shift perspective. Please choose an experience that is not related to theatre (such as not being cast in a role, etc.) Please be specific and keep this letter to one page.
- Musical Theatre Essay: Only students applying to the MT track will need to write this essay. Why are you choosing the Musical Theatre track over the Theatre Performance track? Please write a detailed essay (between 300 – 500 words) describing your desire to participate in the Musical Theatre track. This will preclude you from exploring different aspects of theater included in the Performance track and we want to know the reasoning for your choice. There are limited spots for this track, and this essay will be heavily weighted in the committee’s considerations.
Transcripts can be unofficial, but must be current and show your name.
- If you have access to your transcript in an online portal, you can send us a screenshot or PDF of that transcript. Make sure your name is included in the screenshot.
- If you don’t have an online portal, ask the appropriate person at your high school, such as a school counselor, to send us (or give you to send) a copy of your most recent transcript.
- Your transcript must include final grades from the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 school years.
- Once available, please submit any 2025-2026 quarter/semester grades or a progress report. If you are applying for Regular Admission, you must submit a copy of your fall 2025 grades.
- If you believe your grades do not reflect your ability as a student, please send us a statement providing context for the grades. Example: if you had a significant illness or extenuating circumstance that lead to a semester of C’s and D’s.
Ask your drama teacher, recent director, English teacher, or other relevant educator, if they are willing to write you a letter of recommendation by the deadline. Make sure your recommender knows you well and can advocate for you.
- Get your recommender’s email address.
- You will submit their contact information to us via this Recommender Form.
- We will email your recommender instructions for writing their letter, which they will then email back to us. Please check in with your recommender about a week after submitting the Recommender Form to make sure they received our instructions in their inbox/spam/junk.
- We must receive at least one letter, but we will accept up to two from different recommenders.
- Letters of recommendation are NOT shared with students and will only be viewed by the Admissions Committee.
If you have taken any standardized tests (PSAT, SAT, PLAN, or ACT) you can submit a copy of your scores. Do not submit SAT/PSAT scores under 1200; do not submit ACT scores under 29.
- Test score reports must include the student’s name and results in the same document or image. We CAN accept screenshots.
- Note CollegeBoard does NOT have an NHSI option for sending results. Sending results via CollegeBoard to Northwestern University will deliver your scores to Undergraduate Admissions, NOT the National High School Institute.
- If your transcript has a C average but your scores are high, you should submit your scores.
- If you will not be submitting test scores, please email to let us know.
If English is not your first language, we must receive evidence of your speaking proficiency in English. The SAT/ACT do not test speaking ability and thus will not be accepted to fulfill this requirement (though you are still encouraged to submit those scores if they meet the threshold mentioned above)
Therefore, you will be required to submit an English Language test score, such as a TOEFL, IELTS, or the Duolingo English Test. The minimum TOEFL score required is 105. To reiterate, the committee pays particular attention to the speaking score.
If you have not yet taken an English Language test, please arrange to take one in time for the admission deadline. Duolingo offers a test without appointments, with results available in 1-2 days.
Exceptions can be considered for international students who attend high school in the United States, Canada, or the United Kingdom. Please email our office to inquire: nhsi@northwestern.edu