Berklee College of Music
Boston, Massachusetts · Also known as Berklee School of Music · Website
$33,647
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$33,647
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Berklee College of Music is a private nonprofit 4-year college in Boston, Massachusetts with 7,468 undergraduates and 820 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $49,465 a year (tuition and fees $52,040). It admits 44% of applicants and 67% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $33,647 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $25,000 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$49,465
US median $17,138
Tuition and fees
$52,040
US median $11,837
Admission rate
44%
US median 78%
Completion rate
67%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$25,000
About $265 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$33,647
Rank 3,634 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $49,465
- Tuition and fees
- $52,040
- Cost of attendance
- $72,700
- Students with a need-based grant
- 16%
- Students with federal loans
- 34%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $42,734
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $37,987
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $47,799
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $46,801
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $54,676
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $40,082 in 2015-16 to $52,040 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- 44%
- Undergraduates
- 7,468
- Graduate students
- 820
- Part-time students
- 20%
- Women
- 45%
- Students per teacher
- 9
- Completion rate
- 67%
- Retention rate
- 89%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 22
- Endowment
- $426.4M
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 3,634 of 5,094 US colleges and 98 of 106 in Massachusetts (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | MA median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $49,465 | $24,402 | $22,320 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $52,040 | $34,256 | $31,170 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 44% | 71% | 74% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 67% | 69% | 57% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 89% | 79% | 77% | 75% |
| Median debt | $25,000 | $21,882 | $24,287 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $26,462 | $46,320 | $44,392 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $33,647 | $53,104 | $52,928 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US private nonprofit 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 65% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 45% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
22 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MusicBachelor's | Bachelor's | 625 | $23,392 | $18,177 | $38,617 | $42,892 |
| Computer Software and Media ApplicationsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 440 | $24,250 | $19,370 | $40,186 | $58,894 |
| Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians, OtherBachelor's | Bachelor's | 215 | $24,544 | $26,827 | $48,069 | $81,678 |
| Computer Software and Media ApplicationsMaster's | Master's | 189 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $120,083 |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Media ManagementBachelor's | Bachelor's | 154 | $25,543 | $40,324 | $59,703 | $48,240 |
| MusicMaster's | Master's | 145 | $41,000 | $25,163 | $55,467 | $48,285 |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Media ManagementMaster's | Master's | 89 | $38,951 | $37,439 | Withheld | - |
| Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians, OtherMaster's | Master's | 72 | $27,000 | $23,331 | Withheld | $101,422 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and StagecraftBachelor's | Bachelor's | 69 | $27,000 | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic ProfessionsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 46 | $23,750 | $36,349 | Withheld | $55,792 |
| DanceBachelor's | Bachelor's | 36 | $27,000 | $22,993 | $35,702 | $39,980 |
| MusicCertificate | Certificate | 23 | Withheld | Withheld | $34,014 | $33,318 |
| MusicGraduate certificate | Graduate certificate | 15 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $40,504 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject AreasBachelor's | Bachelor's | 12 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $51,389 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject AreasMaster's | Master's | 10 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $63,707 |
| Computer Software and Media ApplicationsCertificate | Certificate | 6 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $41,400 |
| Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians, OtherCertificate | Certificate | 5 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $55,931 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject AreasGraduate certificate | Graduate certificate | 1 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and StagecraftMaster's | Master's | 0 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic ProfessionsMaster's | Master's | 0 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $71,416 |
| Visual and Performing Arts, OtherBachelor's | Bachelor's | - | $27,000 | $13,771 | $37,117 | $47,629 |
| Visual and Performing Arts, OtherMaster's | Master's | - | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $56,099 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Boston and Massachusetts on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in Massachusetts
- Homes: Homes for sale in Massachusetts
Questions and answers
How much does Berklee College of Music cost?
$49,465 a year is the average net price at Berklee College of Music after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $52,040, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $72,700. Families earning under $30,000 pay $42,734 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Berklee College of Music?
44% of applicants are admitted to Berklee College of Music. The median admission rate of colleges in Massachusetts is 71%.
How much do Berklee College of Music graduates earn?
$33,647 a year is the median pay of former Berklee College of Music students who work, 10 years after they started ($26,462 after 6 years). That ranks 3,634 of 5,094 US colleges and 98 of 106 in Massachusetts. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management (Bachelor's) at $40,324.
How much student debt do Berklee College of Music graduates have?
$25,000 is the median federal student loan debt of Berklee College of Music graduates, about $265 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 34% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Berklee College of Music?
67% of first-time, full-time students at Berklee College of Music finish within 6 years. 89% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of private nonprofit 4-year colleges is 57%.
What are the most popular majors at Berklee College of Music?
Music (625 bachelor's graduates), Computer Software and Media Applications (440 bachelor's graduates), Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians, Other (215 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 22 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.