How To Get Into Berklee College Of Music

Annual Costs

Undergraduate Tuition

Tuition for Berklee College of Music is $44,360 for the 2019/2020 academic year. This is 52% more expensive than the national average private non-profit four year college tuition of $29,191. The cost is 32% more expensive than the average Massachusetts tuition of $33,712 for 4 year colleges. Tuition ranks 58th in Massachusetts amongst 4 year colleges for affordability and is the 25th most expensive 4 year college in the state. Price does not vary by residence.

The school charges an additional fees of $1,300 in addition to tuition bringing the total effective in-state tuition to $45,660.

Housing Costs

On campus room and board is provided by the school at a cost of $18,640 per academic year. Students electing to live off campus elsewhere in Boston should budget at least this amount.

Books and Supplies

The estimated annual cost for books and supplies is $474.

Other Living Expenses

If living on-campus, students should budget for $2,170 in additional living expenses. Off-campus students should budget for $2,170 in other miscellaneous living expenses.

Total Costs

The annual tuition and living expense budget to go to Berklee School of Music was $66,944 for the 2019/2020 academic year. The cost is the same for all students regardless of Massachusetts residence status as there is no in-state discount.

Citation: Price data from the U.S. Department of Education's 2020 IPEDS survey response for Berklee College of Music and represent reported costs for the 2019-2020 academic year.

Costs and Tuition for Berklee College of Music
Estimated Budgets
Massachusetts Resident Total Budget	$66,944
In-State Tuition	$44,360
Other Fees	$1,300
Room and Board	$18,640
On-Campus Other Budget	$2,170
Books and Supplies	$474
Non-Resident Total Budget	$66,944
Out-of-State Tuition	$44,360
Other Fees	$1,300
Room and Board	$18,640
On-Campus Other Budget	$2,170
Books and Supplies	$474

Will you get in?

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What it Really Costs

Depending on many factors including student and parent income and assets, the total cost of attendance may be less than the $66,944 published price if scholarship or grant aid is made available to you.

Net Price

The net out-of-pocket total cost you end up paying or financing though student loans is known as the net price. The reported Berklee School of Music net price for in-state students is $43,744* for the 2018/2019 academic year. This net price includes housing and meal expenses.

Pell Grants and other Grant Aid

53% of Berklee College of Music students received grant aid in 2018/2019. The average total aid amount was $20,690. 13 percent of students received aid in the form of Pell Grants from the U.S. Federal Government. The average Pell Grant awarded for 2018/2019 was $4,639. To apply for a Pell Grant to attend Berklee College of Music, the first step is to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

Net Price and Financial Aid for Berklee College of Music
Financial Aid Summary
Average Annual Net Price	$43,744*
Percent of Students Receiving Grant Aid	53%
Average Total Grant Aid	$20,690
Percent of Students Receiving Pell Grants	13%
Average Amount of Pell Grant Aid	$4,639

Average Net Price by Family Income

The average net total cost of attendance for different levels of family income after federal, state or local government, institutional grant and scholarship aid are awarded. Data last published for the 2018/2019 academic year.

Family Income	Avg. Net Price
$0 to $30,000	$45,231
$30,001 to $48,000	$40,455
$48,001 to $75,000	$45,959
$75,001 to $110,000	$48,355
$110,000+	$54,276

Average Financial Aid Mix - $66,944 In-State Total Cost

CollegeCalc has estimated typical coverage of the annual in-state tuition and living expenses of $66,944. Breakdown is based on average grant aid and federal loan aid which will vary based on your family income.

Grants and Scholarships

32% - $20,690

Money granted to you by the U.S. Department of Education, Berklee College of Music or other organizations. These are not loans and do not need to be repaid.

Federal Loans

8% - $5,332

Low interest student loans funded by the U.S. Department of Education. This amount will need to be repaid.

Out of Pocket

60% - $38,752

Covered by family savings, work or private student loans which you will have to repay.

*Reported Average Annual Net Price for students receiving grant or scholarship aid reported to the U.S. Department of Education's Academic Year 2018/2019 IPEDS Survey. Financial aid is only available to those who qualify. Consult this school's net price calculator for further understanding of your potential net price.

Note that for colleges with no reported on-campus room and board, the average net price has been increased to account for living expenses. This number may not only reflect the net price paid to the school for tuition.

Tuition Comparison to Similar Private Colleges in the Region

School	Cost vs. Berklee College of Music
Polytechnic Institute of New York University	9.7% less expensive
Husson University	64.6% less expensive

Cost of a Degree

When considering ability to pay for college, the annual cost is often discussed but it's the "all in" multi-year degree cost which matters in the end. Let's take a look at what it could really cost for four years at Berklee College of Music.

Estimated 4 Year Cost at Published Tuition

At the current published rates, an estimated total tuition, fees and living expense price for a 4 year bachelor's degree at Berklee School of Music is $267,776 for students graduating in normal time. This methodology for estimating the 4 year cost is a straight multiple of the most recent reported annual total cost and does not factor in tuition increases during the time you're in school. It also assumes you receive no grant or scholarship aid and pay the full list price.

A potentially more accurate but less conservative estimate of a degree cost can be made by using the school's annual $38,814 in-state net price as the basis. Applying this cost over 4 would estimate the cost of a degree at $155,256**

If you end up on the "five year plan" and need an additional year to graduate, your five year cost could be as high as $334,720 or $194,070 using an average net price.

**Based on a 4 year multiple of Average Annual Net Price for students receiving grant or scholarship aid reported to the U.S. Department of Education's 2018/2019 IPEDS Survey. Financial aid is only available to those who qualify. Consult this school's net price calculator for further understanding of your potential net price.

Other Costs

Estimated Cost Per Semester

Most colleges don't charge students on an annual basis but instead require payment semester by semester. If you ever need to take an additional semester of classes to complete you degree you shouldn't have to pay for a full academic year. These our estimated costs for a semester at Berklee College of Music.

Massachusetts Resident Tuition Per Semester	$22,180
Massachusetts Resident Total Cost Per Semester	$33,472

Cost Per Credit Hour and Cost for a Class

Some schools offer the ability to take single classes by paying on a per credit hour basis. The reported price per credit hour and estimated cost for one class at Berklee College of Music are as follows. Per credit costs are for reference only as many schools will not allow students to pay by credit hour.

Cost per credit hour and per class at Berklee College of Music
Price per credit hour	$1,615
Cost for one class (3 credit hours)	$4,845
Cost for one class (4 credit hours)	$6,460

Student Loans and Debt

The second consideration after understanding the cost of college is determining how to finance it. Some students are fortunate enough to have some form of family financial assistance, but student loans end up financing a significant portion of higher education in the U.S. 38% of Berklee College of Music students receive U.S. Federal Student Loans with an average annual Federal Loan aid amount of $5,332.

Example Loan Payments and Costs

How much are student loan payments for Berklee College of Music? Obviously this varies based on a number of factors - offsetting financial aid you receive, percentage of fee you pay upfront while enrolled and the interest rate on your loans. We've modeled a sample student loan based on current Stafford loan rates to give you an approximate idea.

The following are the costs for a loan if you borrowed $155,256, 100% of the estimated average net price for a four year program and paid nothing while enrolled. The total of all payments including interest would sum $177,757.62. This could be your effective total out of pocket cost of an education at Berklee College of Music. Note that this calculation assumes you don't pay full list price tuition, are part of the reported 53% of students at this school who receive financial aid and you are paying an average annual net price of $38,814. If you do not financially qualify for a reduced net price, your student loan payments could be significantly higher than this example. Use our Berklee College of Music student loan calculator below to change loan assumptions and recalculate.

Student loans are not free money and must be repaid. You cannot dismiss student loans by via bankruptcy.

Berklee College of Music Student Loan Payments
Example Payments
Monthly Loan Payment	$1,481.31
Amount Borrowed	$155,256.00
Interest Rate	2.75%
Term	10 years
Number of Monthly Payments	120
Total Interest Cost	$22,501.62
Sum of All Payments over 10 years	$177,757.62

Affording Student Loan Payments and Post Graduation Salary

Can I afford to attend Berklee School of Music? In the end, the answer comes down a determination if you will earn enough to comfortably pay back a student loan with your post graduation salary. This is an extremely important point to consider. In order to afford student loan payments and still meet all your other costs of living, it is recommended not to borrow more than you can pay back using 10% of your monthly income earned after graduation. If you're considering attending Berklee College of Music, you need to carefully consider if it will be realistic to make the post graduation loan payments based on your expected salary.

Using the 10% of salary threshold, an annual income of $177,757.62 would be needed to afford a $1,481.31 monthly payment in the example $155,256.00 loan modeled above. You will need to determine if it is at all realistic that you will be earning this type of salary after graduation. This assumes a loan payback over 10 years. You can change the terms of this example loan using the student loan calculator below.

Estimated Future Cost and Expected Tuition Increase

What will it cost to send your child to Berklee College of Music in the future? In the past four years, this school's published in-state tuition and fee total rose from $37,800 to $44,360. This amounts to an average annual price increase of 3.5%. Nationally, university tuition prices are rising around 5% per year. Looking out five, ten, fifteen or eighteen years, these are CollegeCalc's estimates how much you could expect to pay for a 4 year degree assuming tuition increases at the national average rate. Estimated future prices are based on the current 4 year cost of $267,776.00. Use the college savings plan calculator below to perform a more comprehensive analysis on future costs and how much you will need to save for Berklee College of Music.

	Annual	4 Year Degree
Estimated Cost in 5 years for students enrolling in 2026	$92,064	$368,254
Estimated Cost in 10 years for students enrolling in 2031	$117,499	$469,996
Estimated Cost in 15 years for students enrolling in 2036	$149,962	$599,848
Estimated Cost in 18 years for students enrolling in 2039	$173,600	$694,399

Tuition History

What was tuition at Berklee School of Music five, ten, fifteen or twenty years ago? Hop into our time machine and take a look. Pay attention to how aggressive the school has been with price increases in the past as it provides indication as to how the school may raise tuition in the next few years. Historical tuition and fees for all available data years back to 1987 follows.

Year	Tuition	Annual Increase
2012	$33,460	6.9%
2011	$31,300	3.8%
2010	$30,150	5.8%
2009	$28,503	9.7%
2008	$25,990	8.3%
2007	$24,000	7.7%
2006	$22,290	7.1%
2005	$20,810	7.5%
2004	$19,365	5.6%
2003	$18,335	9.6%
2002	$16,725	0.6%
2001	$16,625	5%
2000	$15,835	5.9%
1999	$14,950	5.7%
1998	$14,150	6.5%
1997	$13,290	7.3%
1996	$12,390	7.3%
1995	$11,550	8%
1994	$10,690	7.4%
1993	$9,950	10.1%
1992	$9,040	8.4%
1991	$8,340	12.1%
1990	$7,440	13.9%
1989	$6,530	14%
1988	$5,730	11.7%
1987	$5,130

Calculators

Use the calculators below to formulate a college savings plan for Berklee College of Music or model a student loan.

College Savings Calculator

Plan and Save for College

Discover how much will you need to start saving now to afford Berklee College of Music in the future.

Student Loan Calculator

Estimate Loan Payments

Modify the loan assumptions to fit your financial situation and likely tuition price. Then calculate your payoff and loan payments for a Berklee College of Music student loan.

About Berklee College of Music

Berklee College of Music is a four year private college located in Boston, Massachusetts. Full time enrollment is 5,459 and part time is 1,504. Learn more about getting accepted at Berklee College of Music at CollegeSimply.

Only undergraduate degrees are offered at this school.

Address
Berklee College of Music
1140 Boylston St
Boston, Massachusetts
2215
http://www.berklee.edu

For Profit / Not For Profit Status

Berklee College of Music is a private not for profit institution.

Berklee College of Music cost and financial aid data source: U.S. Department of Education https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?id=164748 IPEDS survey data. Data last updated January 2021 and reflects academic year 2019/2020 costs reported by the school.