Berklee vs Columbia College

Berklee College of Music and Columbia College Chicago, two esteemed institutions with distinct identities, offer prospective students a wealth of opportunities to pursue their passions in the arts. Berklee, renowned for its exceptional music programs, boasts an acceptance rate of 36%, while Columbia, known for its diverse range of arts disciplines, welcomes a larger proportion of applicants with an acceptance rate of 80%. While both colleges attract a talented and diverse student body, Berklee's student population leans heavily towards music majors, whereas Columbia's student body encompasses a broader spectrum of artistic interests. With graduation rates of 73% and 68% respectively, both institutions demonstrate a strong commitment to student success. To help you make an informed decision about your higher education journey, we present a comprehensive comparison of these two institutions, highlighting key differences in acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation outcomes.

	Berklee College of Music	Columbia College Chicago
Overview
Location	Boston, Massachusetts	Chicago, Illinois
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%	62.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	55.2%	95.6%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $150 Graduate: $150	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $60
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	7,218
Total number of admissions given out	4,009	6,903
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,707	1,696
Yield rate	42.6%	24.6%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Not required
Recommendation letters	Required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$63,970	$48,698
Average net price	$48,055	$25,262
Tuition	$45,468	$26,610
Room & board	$18,828	$16,456
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	94.0% Average amount $17,013	99.0% Average amount $20,992
Students receiving federal student loan	36.0% Average amount $5,220	94.0% Average amount $6,068
Students taking out private loans	12.0% Average amount $27,360	6.0% Average amount $19,315

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	7,177 Men 58.1% Women 41.9%	6,493 Men 40.0% Women 60.0%
Graduate students	766 Men 53.8% Women 46.2%	243 Men 38.7% Women 61.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	46.1%
International students	25.8%	4.0%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,417	2,158
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Illinois Indiana Michigan Minnesota Ohio

Academics
Popular study areas	Visual & Performing Arts Engineering Technologies Computer and Information Science Health Professions Education	Visual & Performing Arts Communications Technology Communication and Journalism English Language and Literature Business
Students to faculty ratio	10:1	14:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	67.0%	50.9%
Dropout rate	21.6%	48.5%
Transferred out	9.9%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	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	Arts, Entertainment,and Media Management (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $37,418 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $48,304 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,500 Year 2: $36,124 Year 3: $46,919 Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $32,614 Year 2: $41,789 Year 3: $41,739 Movement and Mind-Body Therapies and Education (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $42,521 Year 2: $41,565 Year 3: $41,719 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,175 Year 2: $40,355 Year 3: $41,194 Graphic Communications (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $22,857 Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: $40,498 American Sign Language (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,692 Year 2: $35,330 Year 3: $38,260 Journalism (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,841 Year 2: $30,635 Year 3: $37,241 Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,669 Year 2: $31,133 Year 3: $37,111 Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $29,065 Year 2: $29,737 Year 3: $36,271

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Berklee

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