Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsPrivate nonprofit

Berklee College of Music

Boston, Massachusetts·Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above·New England·berklee.edu
6-yr Graduation
67%
-6.0pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Total enrollment
8,369
peer median 5,298
Avg net price
$50,404
+$11k vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Use this data
Ask Clema

Admissions & acceptance rate

First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.

Applied
7,050
7,050 candidates competed
Admitted
3,069
43.5% acceptance rate
Enrolled
1,395
45.5% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

Overall completion
67%-6.0pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
4-year graduation
50%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
67%
Full-time retention
89%

Pell equity

4.0pp gap
Pell recipients
61%
Non-Pell
65%

Non-Pell students graduate at a 4.0-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

Of 22 Title IV programs, 7 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 15 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
22
Passing
7
31.8% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

22programs
  • Passing7 · 31.8%
  • No Data15 · 68.2%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
2
Watch
3
Safe
2
No data
15

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

7
Dance
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+2.6%
$35,702 vs $34,808
Visual and Performing Arts Other
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+6.6%
$37,117 vs $34,808
Music
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+10.9%
$38,617 vs $34,808
Music
Master's Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+14.8%
$55,467 vs $48,304
Computer Software and Media Applications
Bachelor Degree · Computer And Information Sciences And Support Services
+15.5%
$40,186 vs $34,808
Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians Other
Bachelor Degree · Engineering Technologies/Technicians
+38.1%
$48,069 vs $34,808
Arts Entertainment and Media Management
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+71.5%
$59,703 vs $34,808

Near the line (±5%)

Programs within five points of the pass line, one cohort year from flipping.

1
Dance
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+2.6%
+$894

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

8
Dance
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
76%
$27,000 debt · $35,702 earn
Music
Master's Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
74%
$41,000 debt · $55,467 earn
Music
Undergraduate Certificate · Visual And Performing Arts
74%
$25,000 debt · $34,014 earn
Visual and Performing Arts Other
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
73%
$27,000 debt · $37,117 earn
Music
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
61%
$23,625 debt · $38,617 earn
Computer Software and Media Applications
Bachelor Degree · Computer And Information Sciences And Support Services
60%
$23,959 debt · $40,186 earn
Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians Other
Bachelor Degree · Engineering Technologies/Technicians
54%
$26,000 debt · $48,069 earn
Arts Entertainment and Media Management
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
34%
$20,198 debt · $59,703 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

New England Commission of Higher Education

Accredited since 1973Next review Dec 2033

Action history · 2

  1. Nov 2023Renewal of Accreditation
    New England Commission of Higher Education
  2. Sep 2016Renewal of Accreditation
    New England Commission of Higher Education

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$38,537
$30–48k$39,205
$48–75k$46,723
$75–110k$50,150
$110k+$56,371

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price (private)
$50,404
+$11,349vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs median $39,056
Federal loans
32.6%
In-state tuition
$50,270
Out-of-state
$50,270

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

In AY 2024–25, 1,621 students received $7.9M in Pell grants, alongside $47.8M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
1,621
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$7.9M
$7,903,266 total
Direct Loans
$47.8M
5,643 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

1k
20
1k
21
1k
22
1k
23
2k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$8.0M
2,022 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$10.4M
2,647 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$4.4M
305 loan awards
Parent PLUS$22.4M
560 loan awards
Grad PLUS$2.6M
109 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Of 1,206 borrowers who entered repayment, 25 (2.0%) defaulted within three years below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
2.0%
-0.3pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
1,206
Defaulted
25
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
5.9%
2017
6.9%
2018
4.4%
2019
2.0%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at Berklee College of Music

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs14
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

2,033 total completions
01Visual/Performing Arts
1,22660.3%
02Computer Sciences
47423.3%
03Engineering Tech
26913.2%
04Education
331.6%
05Health Professions
311.5%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

Fall total
8,369
12-mo unduplicated
9,705
Undergraduate
8,697
Graduate
1,008

Gender split

Men
56%5,460
Women
44%4,245

Race / ethnicity composition

White
39.2%
Non-resident
30.1%
Hispanic
12.7%
Black
6.0%
Asian
5.8%
Two or more
4.6%
Unknown
1.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.1%

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
3.02
25 offenses · 8,282 students

3-year trend

2.262 yrs ago1.891 yr ago3.02Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
55
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
24
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
5
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
0

Criminal offenses by type

Aggravated assault
8
Robbery
7
Rape
4
Fondling
3
Motor vehicle theft
3

By location

25total
  • On campus7
  • Public property18

Includes 3 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

1
Domestic violence
7
Dating violence
7
Stalking
15 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

  • National origin2

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons10
Drugs024
Liquor078

Residence-hall fires

No residence-hall fires reported.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

Student-to-faculty
9.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
397

Berklee College of Music vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Berklee College of Music selected for federal comparison reporting.

GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

Carnegie
SubjectBerklee College of Music
67%8,369$50,404Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Merrimack College
70%70.0%5,862$37,899Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Emerson College
77%51.3%5,263$46,766Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Bentley University
87%45.1%5,333$38,787Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Endicott College
75%71.2%4,394$39,324Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Regis College
71%69.8%2,517$28,346Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Peer group median73%69.8%5,298$39,056

Frequently asked questions about Berklee College of Music

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Berklee College of Music.

What is the graduation rate at Berklee College of Music?

Berklee College of Music reports a 6-year graduation rate of 67% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Berklee College of Music?

Berklee College of Music reports a total enrollment of 8,369 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Berklee College of Music?

The average net price at Berklee College of Music is $50,404 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at Berklee College of Music?

Berklee College of Music's yield rate is 45.5%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Berklee College of Music located?

Berklee College of Music is located in Boston, Massachusetts 02215.

Have a question this page can’t answer?

Ask Clema anything about Berklee College of Music and its peers — plain language in, cited answers out, in minutes instead of days.

Free for teams up to 3 · No credit card