Berklee vs American Conservatory Theater

Berklee College of Music and American Conservatory Theater (ACT) stand as two prominent institutions offering specialized education in the performing arts. Berklee, renowned for its contemporary music programs, boasts an acceptance rate of 36%, while ACT, known for its classical theater training, maintains a highly selective acceptance rate of 10%. Both institutions attract a diverse student body, with Berklee's student population comprising 43% international students and ACT's student body reflecting a 50% female-to-male ratio. While Berklee's popular majors include Music Production and Engineering, Songwriting, and Music Business, ACT's focus on theater arts is reflected in its popular majors of Acting, Directing, and Stage Management. With graduation rates of 73% and 85% respectively, both institutions demonstrate a commitment to student success. To help you make an informed decision about your education, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison table highlighting key differences between Berklee and

	American Conservatory Theater	Berklee College of Music
Overview
Location	San Francisco, California	Boston, Massachusetts
Campus setting	City: Large	City: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate		82.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	N/A	55.2%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $90 Graduate: $90	Undergraduate: $150 Graduate: $150
SAT range	N/A	N/A
ACT range	N/A	N/A
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants		7,266
Total number of admissions given out		4,009
Admitted students who chose to enroll		1,707
Yield rate		42.6%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$51,676	$63,970
Average net price		$48,055
Tuition	$30,235	$45,468
Room & board		$18,828
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)		94.0% Average amount $17,013
Students receiving federal student loan		36.0% Average amount $5,220
Students taking out private loans		12.0% Average amount $27,360

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	11 Men 45.5% Women 54.5%	7,177 Men 58.1% Women 41.9%
Graduate students	13 Men 46.2% Women 53.8%	766 Men 53.8% Women 46.2%
Racial/ethnic diversity	N/A	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	N/A	25.8%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	N/A	1,417
First year students are required to live on campus?	N/A	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Visual & Performing Arts	Visual & Performing Arts Engineering Technologies Computer and Information Science Health Professions Education
Students to faculty ratio	6:1	10:1
Institutional accreditation	N/A	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	100.0%	67.0%
Dropout rate	N/A	21.6%
Transferred out	N/A	9.9%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $18,087 Year 3: $27,588	Visual and Performing Arts, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $34,704 Year 3: $45,051 Arts, Entertainment,and Media Management (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,786 Year 2: $31,914 Year 3: $40,006 Music (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $26,503 Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: $28,820 Visual and Performing Arts, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,397 Year 2: $16,786 Year 3: $26,596 Music (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,512 Year 2: $22,162 Year 3: $23,540 Dance (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $21,964 Year 3: $19,273 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: N/A Music (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $20,239 Year 2: $16,478 Year 3: N/A Music (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: $23,206 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A

American Conservatory Theater

Berklee College of Music

Overview

Location

San Francisco, California

Boston, Massachusetts

Campus setting

City: Large

College type

4 year

Control/business model

Private (Non Profit)

Calendar system

Semester

Degrees offered

Undergraduate and Graduate

Students retention rate

82.0%

Common app member

Religious affiliation

Admission

Acceptance rate

N/A

55.2%

Application fees

Undergraduate: $90

Graduate: $90

Undergraduate: $150

Graduate: $150

SAT range

N/A

ACT range

N/A

Students submitting SAT score

Students submitting ACT score

Total number of applicants

7,266

Total number of admissions given out

4,009

Admitted students who chose to enroll

1,707

Yield rate

42.6%

Test scores (SAT/ACT)

N/A

High school GPA

Not required

Required

Recommendation letters

Required

High school transcript

Not required

English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)

Not required

Required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price

$51,676

$63,970

Average net price

$48,055

Tuition

$30,235

$45,468

Room & board

$18,828

Available payment plans

Tuition payment plan

Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

94.0%

Average amount $17,013

Students receiving federal student loan

36.0%

Average amount $5,220

Students taking out private loans

12.0%

Average amount $27,360

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students

Men 45.5% Women 54.5%

7,177

Men 58.1% Women 41.9%

Graduate students

Men 46.2% Women 53.8%

766

Men 53.8% Women 46.2%

Racial/ethnic diversity

N/A

Moderate

Out-of-state students

N/A

International students

N/A

25.8%

Campus local/setting

City: Large

Dormitory capacity

N/A

1,417

First year students are required to live on campus?

N/A

Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from

N/A

Academics

Popular study areas

Visual & Performing Arts

Visual & Performing Arts
Engineering Technologies
Computer and Information Science
Health Professions
Education

Students to faculty ratio

6:1

10:1

Institutional accreditation

N/A

New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome

Graduation rate

100.0%

67.0%

Dropout rate

N/A

21.6%

Transferred out

N/A

9.9%

Alumni salary by major (Top 10)

Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (Master's Degrees)

Year 1: N/A
Year 2: $18,087
Year 3: $27,588

Visual and Performing Arts, Other (Master's Degrees)

Year 1: N/A
Year 2: $34,704
Year 3: $45,051

Arts, Entertainment,and Media Management (Bachelor's Degrees)

Year 1: $20,786
Year 2: $31,914
Year 3: $40,006

Music (Master's Degrees)

Year 1: $26,503
Year 2: $25,194
Year 3: $28,820

Visual and Performing Arts, Other (Bachelor's Degrees)

Year 1: $20,397
Year 2: $16,786
Year 3: $26,596

Music (Bachelor's Degrees)

Year 1: $20,512
Year 2: $22,162
Year 3: $23,540

Dance (Bachelor's Degrees)

Year 1: N/A
Year 2: $21,964
Year 3: $19,273

Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees)

Year 1: N/A
Year 2: $29,685
Year 3: N/A

Music (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas)

Year 1: $20,239
Year 2: $16,478
Year 3: N/A

Music (Graduate/Professional Certificates)

Year 1: $23,206
Year 2: N/A
Year 3: N/A

Berklee vs American Conservatory Theater

American Conservatory Theater

Berklee College of Music

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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