Private nonprofit

San Francisco Conservatory of Music

San Francisco, California·Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above·Far West·sfcm.edu
6-yr Graduation
74%
—
Total enrollment
439
peer median 853
Avg net price
$42,448
—
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AboutAdmissionsOutcomesProgram outcomesAccreditationCostFederal aidLoan defaultsAcademic programsEnrollment trendsCampus safetyFacultyPeersDocumentsGrantsAlumni

About

The San Francisco Conservatory of Music is a music institution located in San Francisco, California. Notable focus areas include various music majors such as brass, composition, historical performance, and technology and applied composition. The institution offers a variety of programs, including pre-college and continuing education.

Admissions & acceptance rate

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

IPEDS
Applied
428
428 candidates competed
Admitted
235
54.9% acceptance rate
Enrolled
64
27.2% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

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

IPEDS
Overall completion
74%
4-year graduation
44%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
74%
Full-time retention
93%

Pell equity

17.0pp gap
Pell recipients
57%
Non-Pell
74%

Non-Pell students graduate at a 17.0-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.

FVT/GE

Of 4 Title IV programs, 2 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 2 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
4
Passing
2
50.0% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

4programs
  • Passing2 · 50.0%
  • No Data2 · 50.0%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
1
Watch
0
Safe
1
No data
2

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.

2
Music
Master's Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+7.3%
$51,822 vs $48,304
Music
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+36.3%
$49,186 vs $36,082

Debt vs earnings

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

2
Music
Master's Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
121%
$62,500 debt · $51,822 earn
Music
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
51%
$25,000 debt · $49,186 earn

Accreditation status & history

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

DAPIP
AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

WASC Senior College and University Commission

Accredited since 1960Next review Jun 2030

Programmatic accreditations · 1

Action history · 2

  1. Jun 2022Renewal of Accreditation
    WASC Senior College and University Commission
  2. Aug 2014Change in Agency recognition
    National Association of Schools of Music, Commission on Accreditation · Music (MUS) - Institutions and units within institutions offering degree-granting and/or non-degree-granting programs

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

College Scorecard

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$30,283
$30–48k$38,209
$48–75k$43,138
$75–110k$40,423
$110k+$45,384

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

Avg net price (private)
$42,448
vs peer median $42,448
Federal loans
47.5%
In-state tuition
$54,550
Out-of-state
$54,550

Federal aid volume & trends

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

Federal Student Aid

In AY 2024–25, 38 students received $231K in Pell grants, alongside $3.7M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
38
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$231K
$231,143 total
Direct Loans
$3.7M
253 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

0k
’20
0k
’21
0k
’22
0k
’23
0k
’24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$233K
56 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$243K
69 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$1.1M
58 loan awards
Parent PLUS$1.2M
33 loan awards
Grad PLUS$994K
37 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.

Cohort Default Rate

Of 84 borrowers who entered repayment, 1 (1.1%) defaulted within three years — below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
1.1%
-1.2pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
84
Defaulted
1
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
4.4%
2017
3.0%
2018
4.1%
2019
1.1%
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 SFCM

Top program areas ranked by completions.

IPEDS
Distinct CIP programs10
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

120 total completions
01Visual/Performing Arts
120100.0%

Enrollment trends & demographics

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

IPEDS
Fall total
439
12-mo unduplicated
417
Undergraduate
221
Graduate
196

Gender split

Men
57%238
Women
43%179

Race / ethnicity composition

White
30.2%
Non-resident
30.2%
Hispanic
13.5%
Two or more
10.2%
Asian
7.4%
Unknown
4.7%
Black
3.7%

Campus safety & crime statistics

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

Clery Act
Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
0.00
0 offenses · 437 students

3-year trend

0.002 yrs ago0.001 yr ago0.00Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
0
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
0
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
0

Criminal offenses by type

No criminal offenses reported.

By location

0total

    VAWA offenses

    0
    Domestic violence
    0
    Dating violence
    0
    Stalking
    0 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

    Hate crimes by bias

    No hate crimes reported.

    Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

    CategoryArrestsReferrals
    Weapons00
    Drugs00
    Liquor00

    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.

    IPEDS
    Student-to-faculty
    5.0:1
    Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
    34

    SFCM vs Peer comparison

    The peer institutions SFCM selected for federal comparison reporting.

    IPEDS
    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
    SubjectSan Francisco Conservatory of Music
    		74%—439$42,448—
    Cleveland Institute of Music
    		72%47.3%293$32,623—
    Manhattan School of Music
    		78%40.8%1,084$47,599—
    The Juilliard School
    		91%9.2%1,073$37,903—
    The New England Conservatory of Music
    		73%41.1%853$42,556—
    Peer group median74%40.9%853$42,448

    Institutions like SFCM

    Explore the federal data for institutions in SFCM's comparison group.

    IPEDS

    Reports & documents (1)

    Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.

    Grants & funding (1)

    Federal grant awards and open funding opportunities awarded to this institution.

    USA Spending

    Notable alumni of SFCM (11)

    A curated list of alumni recognized for notable achievements across industries.

    • John Adams
      Music
    • Sérgio Assad
      Music
    • George Duke
      Music
    • Gordon Getty
      Music
    • Eddie Henderson
      Music
    • Aaron Jay Kernis
      Music
    • Carla Kihlstedt
      Music
    • Lise Lindstrom
      Music
    • Terry Riley
      Music
    • Rob Wasserman
      Music
    • Isaac Stern
      Music

    Frequently asked questions about San Francisco Conservatory of Music

    Quick answers to the questions most often asked about SFCM.

    What is the graduation rate at San Francisco Conservatory of Music?

    San Francisco Conservatory of Music reports a 6-year graduation rate of 74% per the latest IPEDS.

    How many students attend San Francisco Conservatory of Music?

    San Francisco Conservatory of Music reports a total enrollment of 439 students per the latest IPEDS.

    What is the average net price at San Francisco Conservatory of Music?

    The average net price at San Francisco Conservatory of Music is $42,448 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

    What is the yield rate at San Francisco Conservatory of Music?

    San Francisco Conservatory of Music's yield rate is 27.2%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

    Where is San Francisco Conservatory of Music located?

    San Francisco Conservatory of Music is located in San Francisco, California 94102-6011.

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