More selective than 85% of Ohio colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $61,212. College Scorecard.
Higher than 85% of Ohio colleges we cover and 82% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 1% of Ohio colleges we cover and 3% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
CIM acceptance rate & admissions
Of 461 applicants, Cleveland Institute of Music admitted 176 and 50 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class).
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
CIM 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
State aid: Ohio residents with household income up to $96,000 and a Student Aid Index of 3,750 or less may receive an Ohio College Opportunity Grant: up to $5,000 a year at private nonprofit colleges in 2026-27. Not included in the prices above. Ohio Department of Higher Education, OCOG 2026-27 award memo (FA27-001)
What CIM costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Cleveland Institute of Music took 4.2 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 Ohio. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $23,782 | $100,360 | no earnings gain |
| $30–48k | $29,767 | $125,617 | no earnings gain |
| $48–75k | $16,884 | $71,250 | no earnings gain |
| $75–110k | $21,212 | $89,515 | no earnings gain |
| $110k+ | $32,629 | $137,694 | no earnings gain |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.2 years, the average time graduates took (57% 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 ($32,641) minus $35,438 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in OH (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.
CIM majors, earnings & careers
Cleveland Institute of Music offers 1 bachelor's majors across 1 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Arts & Design · 1
Highest-earning majors at CIM
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Music | $37,656 | $25,500 |
Quick list of all 1 majors
- Music$37,656
— 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 →Living in Cleveland
Overall prices in the Cleveland, OH area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $1,274. Housing costs 21% below the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 33 inches of rain a year, 64 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: tornado (very high); river flooding (relatively high); heat wave (relatively high); winter weather (relatively high).
FEMA National Risk Index, Cuyahoga County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Cuyahoga County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare CIM with similar schools
Similar private colleges in Ohio 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland Institute of Music | 47% | $28,226 | 72% | $32,641 | This school |
| Good Samaritan College of Nursing and Health Science | 46% | $19,622 | 73% | $66,111 | |
| Aultman College of Nursing and Health Sciences | 46% | $24,204 | 53% | $63,582 | |
| The College of Wooster | 60% | $23,458 | 74% | $59,629 | |
| Cleveland Institute of Art | 61% | $29,208 | 58% | $42,509 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Cleveland Institute of Music would cost you $8,604 more per year than Good Samaritan College of Nursing and Health Science, on average.
- Higher sticker price at Cleveland Institute of Music.
- Cleveland Institute of Music gives aided families $25,981 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Ohio resident | CIM | Good Samaritan College of Nursing and Health Science | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sticker price | $61,212 | $26,627 | +$34,585 |
| Average grants | −$32,986 | −$7,005 | −$25,981 |
| You pay | $28,226 | $19,622 | +$8,604 |
“+” means CIM 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 CIM
What is the CIM acceptance rate?
Cleveland Institute of Music accepts 47% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 176 of 461 applicants were admitted.
How much does Cleveland Institute of Music cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $61,212 a year. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $28,226 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $23,782 and families earning $110k+ pay $32,629.
How much do CIM graduates earn?
Former Cleveland Institute of Music students earn a median $32,641 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the CIM graduation rate?
72% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 90% return for their second year.
Is CIM 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: “Cleveland Institute of Music: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/cleveland-institute-of-music (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).