Frequently Asked Questions: US Award and Diploma Policies

The academic year is from July 1 to June 30. Exams taken before June 30 will be considered for awards and diplomas for that year. Any Practical Exams taken after June 30 will be considered for awards and diplomas for the following year. For more information on certificate and diploma requirements, please consult your syllabus. 

To be eligible for award consideration, any applicable theory co-requisites must be completed either prior to completing the practical exam or within the same academic year as the practical exam is taken. 

They are: Accordion/Organ/Harpsichord, Brass, Guitar, Harp, Pedagogy/Teacher, Percussion, Piano, Speech Arts & Drama, Strings, Theory (co-requisite ARCT level only), Voice, and Woodwinds.

National Gold Medals will be awarded to those students who achieved the highest practical mark in the country (with a minimum of 90) and who successfully completed the corequisites for their discipline and level. National Gold Medals will be awarded for Levels 5 to 10 and include Elementary and Intermediate Piano Pedagogy. National Diploma Gold Medals are similar to National Gold Medals but are awarded for Diploma levels only, ie ARCT (including Piano Pedagogy/Teacher’s) and LRCM.

West: California, Hawaii
Northwest: Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington
North Central: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin
Northeast: Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia
Southeast: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia
South Central: Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas
Southwest: Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming