Manhattan School of Music
About
The Manhattan School of Music (MSM) is a private music conservatory in New York City. The school offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in the areas of classical performance, jazz performance, contemporary performance, composition, and conducting, as well as a bachelor's in musical theatre.
Admissions & acceptance rate
First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.
Graduation rate & outcomes
Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.
Pell equity
Pell and non-Pell students graduate at nearly identical rates, a notably small equity gap.
Source: IPEDS Graduation Rates (GR) — Pell/SSL cohort, 2024 cohort.
Program outcomes
Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.
Of 6 Title IV programs, 0 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 2 fail. 4 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.
Pass / fail distribution
- Passing0 · 0.0%
- No Data4 · 66.7%
- Failing2 · 33.3%
Severity spectrum
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.
Debt vs earnings
Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.
Accreditation status & history
Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.
Middle States Commission on Higher Education
Action history · 2
- Jan 2021Approved for Distance EducationMiddle States Commission on Higher Education
- Jun 2018Renewal of AccreditationMiddle States Commission on Higher Education
Tuition & cost
What families actually pay, broken down by family income.
Net price by family income
Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.
Federal aid volume & trends
Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.
In AY 2024–25, 85 students received $500K in Pell grants, alongside $10.5M in federal Direct Loans.
Pell recipients · 5-year trend
Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25
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.
Student loan default rate
The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.
Of 121 borrowers who entered repayment, 1 (0.8%) defaulted within three years — below the 2.3% national rate.
Default rate vs national, by cohort
* 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.
Academic programs at Manhattan School of Music
Top program areas ranked by completions.
Top program families by completions
Enrollment trends & demographics
Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.
Gender split
Race / ethnicity composition
Campus safety & crime statistics
Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.
3-year trend
Criminal offenses by type
By location
- On campus1
- Public property1
VAWA offenses
Hate crimes by bias
- Race3
Arrests vs disciplinary referrals
Residence-hall fires
Student-faculty ratio
Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.
Manhattan School of Music vs Peer comparison
The peer institutions Manhattan School of Music selected for federal comparison reporting.
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 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SubjectManhattan School of Music | 78% | — | 1,084 | $51,754 | — |
| — | — | 379 | — | — | |
| 41% | 34.5% | 213 | $34,253 | — | |
| 32% | — | 853 | $25,865 | — | |
| 37% | 49.5% | 71 | $17,683 | — | |
| 61% | 91.1% | 1,308 | $53,909 | — | |
| 100% | 66.7% | 6 | $44,554 | — | |
| — | — | 107 | $27,632 | — | |
| 58% | 61.3% | 545 | $29,208 | — | |
| 72% | 47.3% | 293 | $28,226 | — | |
| 71% | 91.9% | 1,433 | $34,617 | — | |
| 56% | 67.7% | 916 | $29,439 | — | |
| 56% | 62.2% | 505 | $40,062 | — | |
| — | — | 113 | — | — | |
| 100% | 4.6% | 161 | $27,946 | — | |
| 58% | 54.8% | 813 | $27,650 | — | |
| 52% | 94.3% | 775 | $42,505 | — | |
| — | 84.4% | 317 | $38,530 | — | |
| 52% | 76.1% | 475 | $38,338 | — | |
| — | — | 42 | — | — | |
| 72% | 76.8% | 1,687 | $42,729 | — | |
| 69% | 76.3% | 1,989 | $24,100 | — | |
| 67% | 60.5% | 838 | $26,541 | — | |
| 51% | 48.5% | 831 | $29,926 | — | |
| 57% | 56.5% | 549 | $43,086 | — | |
| — | — | 106 | — | — | |
| 71% | 62.9% | 573 | $45,271 | — | |
| 66% | 81.8% | 1,267 | $51,248 | — | |
| 58% | — | 41 | $42,454 | — | |
| 69% | 99.2% | 414 | $30,083 | — | |
| 74% | 73.3% | 5,356 | $52,659 | — | |
| 72% | 69.7% | 1,666 | $57,742 | — | |
| 74% | 54.9% | 439 | $42,607 | — | |
| 67% | 77.5% | 3,394 | $49,790 | — | |
| 91% | 9.2% | 1,073 | $43,571 | — | |
| 73% | 41.1% | 853 | $46,754 | — | |
| 78% | 30.0% | 1,111 | $14,906 | — | |
University of the Arts | 69% | 78.2% | — | $44,154 | — |
| Peer group median | 68% | 64.8% | 573 | $39,296 |
Institutions like Manhattan School of Music
Explore the federal data for institutions in Manhattan School of Music's comparison group.
- California
American Film Institute Conservatory
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment379Net price—View data - Ohio
Art Academy of Cincinnati
Grad rate41%Admit rate34.5%Enrollment213Net price$34,253View data - Massachusetts
Boston Architectural College
Grad rate32%Admit rate—Enrollment853Net price$25,865View data - California
California College of ASU
Grad rate37%Admit rate49.5%Enrollment71Net price$17,683View data - California
California College of the Arts
Grad rate61%Admit rate91.1%Enrollment1,308Net price$53,909View data - California
California Jazz Conservatory
Grad rate100%Admit rate66.7%Enrollment6Net price$44,554View data - Ohio
Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment107Net price$27,632View data - Ohio
Cleveland Institute of Art
Grad rate58%Admit rate61.3%Enrollment545Net price$29,208View data - Ohio
Cleveland Institute of Music
Grad rate72%Admit rate47.3%Enrollment293Net price$28,226View data - Michigan
College for Creative Studies
Grad rate71%Admit rate91.9%Enrollment1,433Net price$34,617View data - Ohio
Columbus College of Art & Design
Grad rate56%Admit rate67.7%Enrollment916Net price$29,439View data - Washington
Cornish College of the Arts
Grad rate56%Admit rate62.2%Enrollment505Net price$40,062View data - Michigan
Cranbrook Academy of Art
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment113Net price—View data - Pennsylvania
Curtis Institute of Music
Grad rate100%Admit rate4.6%Enrollment161Net price$27,946View data - Missouri
Kansas City Art Institute
Grad rate58%Admit rate54.8%Enrollment813Net price$27,650View data - California
Laguna College of Art and Design
Grad rate52%Admit rate94.3%Enrollment775Net price$42,505View data - Massachusetts
Longy School of Music of Bard College
Grad rate—Admit rate84.4%Enrollment317Net price$38,530View data - Maine
Maine College of Art & Design
Grad rate52%Admit rate76.1%Enrollment475Net price$38,338View data - Maine
Maine Media College
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment42Net price—View data - Maryland
Maryland Institute College of Art
Grad rate72%Admit rate76.8%Enrollment1,687Net price$42,729View data - Massachusetts
Massachusetts College of Art and Design
Grad rate69%Admit rate76.3%Enrollment1,989Net price$24,100View data - Wisconsin
Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design
Grad rate67%Admit rate60.5%Enrollment838Net price$26,541View data - Minnesota
Minneapolis College of Art and Design
Grad rate51%Admit rate48.5%Enrollment831Net price$29,926View data - Pennsylvania
Moore College of Art and Design
Grad rate57%Admit rate56.5%Enrollment549Net price$43,086View data - New York
New York Academy of Art
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment106Net price—View data - New York
New York School of Interior Design
Grad rate71%Admit rate62.9%Enrollment573Net price$45,271View data - California
Otis College of Art and Design
Grad rate66%Admit rate81.8%Enrollment1,267Net price$51,248View data - Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Grad rate58%Admit rate—Enrollment41Net price$42,454View data - Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania College of Art and Design
Grad rate69%Admit rate99.2%Enrollment414Net price$30,083View data - New York
Pratt Institute-Main
Grad rate74%Admit rate73.3%Enrollment5,356Net price$52,659View data - Florida
Ringling College of Art and Design
Grad rate72%Admit rate69.7%Enrollment1,666Net price$57,742View data - California
San Francisco Conservatory of Music
Grad rate74%Admit rate54.9%Enrollment439Net price$42,607View data - Illinois
School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Grad rate67%Admit rate77.5%Enrollment3,394Net price$49,790View data - New York
The Juilliard School
Grad rate91%Admit rate9.2%Enrollment1,073Net price$43,571View data - Massachusetts
The New England Conservatory of Music
Grad rate73%Admit rate41.1%Enrollment853Net price$46,754View data - North Carolina
University of North Carolina School of the Arts
Grad rate78%Admit rate30.0%Enrollment1,111Net price$14,906View data - Pennsylvania
University of the Arts
Grad rate69%Admit rate78.2%Enrollment—Net price$44,154
Reports & documents (2)
Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.
- DFR reportIPEDS Data Feedback Report 20242024nces.ed.gov
- Strategic planMSM Strategic Plan 2024–292023The Manhattan School of Music's Strategic Plan for 2024-29 aims to guide the institution through key initiatives over the next five years. The plan is divided into Foundational Initiatives, focusing on infrastructure and enrollment security, and Bold Moves that aim to innovate the conservatory experience and bolster financial strength. Key priorities include enhancing classroom technology, expanding online education, strengthening student pipelines, and increasing financial resilience to ensure MSM continues to nurture excellence in music education.msmnyc.edu
Frequently asked questions about Manhattan School of Music
Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Manhattan School of Music.
What is the graduation rate at Manhattan School of Music?
How many students attend Manhattan School of Music?
What is the average net price at Manhattan School of Music?
What is the yield rate at Manhattan School of Music?
Where is Manhattan School of Music located?
About the data on this page
Every figure comes from an official federal or public source. Here is each one and the release it is currently on.
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