Berklee College of Music

Private · Selective · MA

School data & stats

TypePrivate

LocationMA · Northeast

SettingUrban

Undergrads7,468

Student:faculty9:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate50.3%

6-yr grad rate67.3%

Drop-out rate11.4%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$52k

Out-of-state tuition$52k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity62.9%

Gender diversity45%

International31.9%

Identity—

Overview

Berklee is a private college in Boston devoted almost entirely to contemporary and popular music rather than the classical repertoire most conservatories teach, founded in the 1940s when jazz and popular styles were still dismissed by traditional conservatories as unworthy of formal study. It functions less like a liberal arts school and more like a professional training ground for working musicians, producers, and industry professionals, and its global reputation rests heavily on the sheer number of Grammy winners who passed through its practice rooms. In 2016 it merged with the Boston Conservatory, so "Berklee" today is technically the parent of two distinct institutions — contemporary music on one side, classical music, dance, and theater on the other.

Academics

Programs run heavy on performance, songwriting, music production and engineering, film scoring, and music business, often taught by faculty who are still active performers or producers rather than career academics. Curriculum is applied and studio-based rather than lecture-heavy: ensembles, labs, ear-training, and one-on-one instrument study dominate the schedule, and students are expected to arrive already serious about their instrument or craft. Berklee also runs a campus in Valencia, Spain, offering specialized graduate-level work in areas like scoring and global music business, and its summer programs function as an early pipeline for high schoolers testing whether the conservatory-style pace suits them.

Campus & student life

The campus is woven into Boston's Back Bay along Massachusetts Avenue, so student life spills into the city's clubs, studios, and venues rather than staying contained on a traditional quad. Culture centers on collaboration across genres and disciplines, with informal jam sessions, hallway rehearsals, and student-run recording projects functioning as much of the social scene as any club or organization. Practice rooms run at all hours, and it's common for students to gig around Boston's club circuit on nights and weekends as an extension of their coursework rather than a separate pursuit.

Getting in

Admission leans heavily on an audition or portfolio review alongside academic credentials, since demonstrated musical ability and preparation matter more than a formula of grades and scores. Auditions can be done live or by recorded video, and interviews give the school a chance to assess seriousness and fit with its performance-first culture. A student who is a strong all-around applicant but hasn't yet put in serious hours on an instrument or in a studio is a poor match for what the audition is actually testing.

After graduation

Graduates move into performing, producing, composing, engineering, and music-business careers, and the alumni network is unusually visible in the industry itself — working musicians and producers, from film composers to studio engineers, who still credit their Berklee training in interviews and liner notes. The school's name carries real weight in entertainment-industry hiring, particularly in Los Angeles, Nashville, and Boston's own recording and live-music scenes.

Worth knowing

Because the entire institution is organized around contemporary music, students without a serious pre-existing commitment to performance or production can find the culture intense and specialized rather than a place to explore music casually. Off-campus gigging and industry networking are treated as a normal part of the education, not an extracurricular add-on. Prospective students should also understand the 2016 Boston Conservatory merger: the classical, dance, and theater training now under the Berklee name is a genuinely separate program culture from the contemporary-music campus most people mean when they say "Berklee."

berklee.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate43.5%

Enrolled mid-50%—

Test policynot used

Rec letters0

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

Early actionNov 1

Regular decisionJan 15

Verified from the school’s admissions page ↗

Applying (2026-27 cycle)

Apply through Own application.

Early Action is non-binding and comes with a discounted application fee; financial aid and scholarship awards are issued alongside the admission decision.

Interviews: A live audition and interview are required for Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Arts in Black Music and Culture applicants, weighted the same whether completed in person or online; Bachelor of Arts in Music Industry Leadership and Innovation applicants complete an online interview only, with no audition required.

Verified from the school’s admissions pages ↗