What a friend would tell you
What Berklee is looking for
The audition and interview determine admission, not your GPA. Berklee wants to hear musicianship, versatility, and evidence that you understand where you fit in the music industry. Come prepared to discuss your musical goals in specific terms: performance, production, film scoring, music therapy. Show that you've already been making music outside school, whether gigging, recording, or producing. Genre doesn't matter; seriousness does.
What students wish they'd known
Berklee's 68% four-year graduation rate reflects reality: many students leave to pursue music careers before finishing, and others run out of money. Tuition is high with inconsistent financial aid. The academic side (non-music courses) is an afterthought. The competitive environment can breed anxiety, and not every graduate builds a sustainable music career. Boston is expensive, and Berklee housing is limited and pricey.
Berklee might be a fit if...
- You want a vocational music education in contemporary genres (jazz, pop, electronic, film scoring) rather than a classical conservatory
- You're already performing, producing, or composing and want industry connections and peers at your level
- You want Boston's music scene and cross-registration with other Boston schools while focusing primarily on your craft
Berklee Admissions Strategy
Application Info
Plans: EA, RD
Deadlines: EA November 1 · RD January 15
Deadlines: EA November 1 · RD January 15
Test Policy
Test-optional (audition more important than standardized tests)
About 80% of admitted students submitted test scores. A strong score still helps your case; a weak one is better left off.
Demonstrated Interest
Not Tracked
Not tracked. Skip the info-session circuit and put those hours into the application itself.
Interview
Audition required (in-person or recorded)
Yield Rate
44%
44% of admits enroll, which is typical for a selective school. Waitlists here move every year.
Want the strongest possible application to Berklee, plus better odds and merit offers everywhere else you apply?
Join the free one-hour workshop from two Harvard grads who have helped 3,000+ students get in. Parents welcome.
Cost & Financial Aid at Berklee
$70,000
Sticker Price
$18,000
Avg Merit Aid
Need-aware admissions. Meets need: Partial. 72% receive financial aid.
What you get for it: Berklee spends about $32,000 per student per year on instruction and student resources, roughly 2x the $15K national average. You see it in class sizes, faculty access, and research budgets.
What Berklee Graduates Get
$42,000
Avg Starting Salary
82%
Employed or in Grad School
50%
Graduate in 4 Years
The 4-year number is the on-time rate; the 6-year rate (67%) is the one schools usually advertise. A wide gap means many students pay for extra semesters.
Berklee Campus & Culture
The Campus
Berklee's campus stretches along Boylston Street and Massachusetts Avenue in Boston's Back Bay and Fenway neighborhoods, occupying a collection of converted brownstones, office buildings, and purpose-built facilities. The 130 Mass Ave building (a former hotel) serves as the main hub. Studios, practice rooms, and performance spaces are packed into urban buildings without a traditional quad or green space. Symphony Hall and the Hynes Convention Center are neighbors.
The Social Scene
Music/arts-focused; Boston cultural scene; jam sessions/performances; commuter-friendly
Berklee Traditions & Trivia
1,500 Concerts a Year
More than 1,500 live performances happen on campus and around Boston each year, so on any given afternoon a student might catch a free set in a hallway, a practice room stairwell, or a side street outside a dorm.
Daily Recitals
Senior recitals and student-organized concerts fill the calendar every single day; attending a stranger's set is considered part of the education here.
Academics at Berklee
What Berklee is known for
Elite music conservatory; world-renowned faculty; Boston location; Grammy-winning alumni network
Most popular majors at Berklee
Standout programs
Music Performance, Composition, Production, Jazz, Film Scoring
How the curriculum works
Conservatory model; 50%+ music courses; ensemble/performance integration
Recommended high school courses
Music lessons/performance experience more important than academic tests
Notable Berklee Alumni
John Mayer
Dropped out after two semesters, became a Grammy-winning guitarist and songwriter
Quincy Jones
Honorary Berklee degree, though he shaped the school's identity as a trustee
Esperanza Spalding
Grammy-winning bassist (also NEC faculty)
Aimee Mann
Singer-songwriter, Berklee dropout who built an acclaimed solo career
St. Vincent
Annie Clark attended Berklee before becoming one of rock's most inventive guitarists
Branford Marsalis
Jazz saxophonist, Berklee before transferring to Juilliard
If you like Berklee, also consider
Frost School of Music at Miami
Strong contemporary music programs in Miami
New England Conservatory
Most rigorous conservatory across the river from Berklee
Belmont University
Nashville location, strong music industry program
NYU Tisch
Acting/theater pipeline with NYC industry access
UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music
West Coast option with film scoring strength