More selective than 72% of Massachusetts colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $72,700. College Scorecard.
Higher than 44% of Massachusetts colleges we cover and 74% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 1% of Massachusetts colleges we cover and 4% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
Berklee College of Music acceptance rate & admissions
Of 7,167 applicants, Berklee College of Music admitted 3,577 and 1,502 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class).
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
Berklee College of Music tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for students who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
What Berklee College of Music costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Berklee College of Music took 4.3 years on average to finish, so the yearly price adds up to the total below. Payback compares former students' earnings with what high school graduates earn in Massachusetts. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $42,734 | $183,329 | no earnings gain |
| $30–48k | $37,987 | $162,964 | no earnings gain |
| $48–75k | $47,799 | $205,058 | no earnings gain |
| $75–110k | $46,801 | $200,776 | no earnings gain |
| $110k+ | $54,676 | $234,560 | no earnings gain |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.3 years, the average time graduates took (50% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of former students 10 years after starting ($33,647) minus $39,880 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in MA (Census ACS 2020-2024). Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard (net price, earnings); IPEDS Graduation Rates (time to finish); U.S. Census Bureau ACS (high school earnings). Calculated by EducationGuide.
Berklee College of Music majors, earnings & careers
Berklee College of Music offers 9 bachelor's majors across 5 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Arts & Design · 5
- Education · 1
- Engineering · 1
- Health & Medicine · 1
- Technology & Computing · 1
Highest-earning majors at Berklee College of Music
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Arts and Entertainment Management | $59,703 | $26,375 |
| Engineering / Engineering-Related Technologies / Technicians, Other | $48,069 | $26,000 |
| Software and Media Applications | $40,186 | $27,000 |
| Music | $38,617 | $24,979 |
| Visual and Performing Arts, Other | $37,117 | $27,000 |
| Dance | $35,702 | $27,000 |
Quick list of all 9 majors
- Arts and Entertainment Management$59,703
- Dance$35,702
- Education (Subject Teaching)—
- Engineering / Engineering-Related Technologies / Technicians, Other$48,069
- Music$38,617
- Rehabilitation / Therapy Sciences—
- Software and Media Applications$40,186
- Theatre—
- Visual and Performing Arts, Other$37,117
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Education (Subject Teaching) → High school teacher
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to shrink 0.2% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Boston
Overall prices in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $3,008. Housing costs 48% above the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 49 inches of rain a year, 49 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: hurricane (relatively high); river flooding (relatively high); coastal flooding (relatively high); heat wave (relatively high).
FEMA National Risk Index, Suffolk County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Suffolk County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare Berklee College of Music with similar schools
Similar private colleges in Massachusetts by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berklee College of Music | 44% | $49,465 | 67% | $33,647 | This school |
| Bentley University | 45% | $37,930 | 87% | $120,959 | |
| Emerson College | 51% | $49,180 | 77% | $62,832 | |
| Brandeis University | 41% | $35,736 | 86% | $77,231 | |
| Clark University | 40% | $28,714 | 77% | $62,381 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Berklee College of Music would cost you $11,535 more per year than Bentley University, on average.
- Lower sticker price at Berklee College of Music, mostly from lower tuition & fees (−$8,960).
- Bentley University gives aided families $18,383 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Massachusetts resident | Berklee College of Music | Bentley University | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $52,040 | $61,000 | −$8,960 |
| Books & supplies | $1,085 | $1,300 | −$215 |
| Housing & meals | $19,440 | $19,200 | +$240 |
| Personal & travel | $2,623 | $1,310 | +$1,313 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$2,488 | −$3,262 | +$774 |
| Sticker price | $72,700 | $79,548 | −$6,848 |
| Average grants | −$23,235 | −$41,618 | +$18,383 |
| You pay | $49,465 | $37,930 | +$11,535 |
“+” means Berklee College of Music costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about Berklee College of Music
What is the Berklee College of Music acceptance rate?
Berklee College of Music accepts 44% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 3,577 of 7,167 applicants were admitted.
How much does Berklee College of Music cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $72,700 a year. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $49,465 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $42,734 and families earning $110k+ pay $54,676.
How much do Berklee College of Music graduates earn?
Former Berklee College of Music students earn a median $33,647 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the Berklee College of Music graduation rate?
67% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 89% return for their second year.
Is Berklee College of Music the right fit for your family?
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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Berklee College of Music: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/berklee-college-of-music (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).