Berklee vs The Colburn Conservatory of Music

Berklee College of Music and The Colburn Conservatory of Music stand as two prominent institutions in the realm of music education, each offering unique opportunities and experiences to aspiring musicians. Berklee, renowned for its contemporary music programs, boasts an acceptance rate of 36%, while Colburn, known for its classical music focus, maintains a highly selective acceptance rate of 18%. While Berklee's student body is predominantly undergraduate (92%), Colburn's is more evenly distributed between undergraduate and graduate programs. Both institutions offer a diverse range of majors, with Berklee excelling in contemporary music genres like jazz, rock, and electronic music, and Colburn specializing in classical performance and composition. Discover the nuances that set these institutions apart by delving into the comprehensive comparison table provided, and find the perfect fit for your musical aspirations.

	Berklee College of Music	The Colburn Conservatory of Music
Overview
Location	Boston, Massachusetts	Los Angeles, California
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	55.2%	6.3%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $150 Graduate: $150	Undergraduate: $140 Graduate: $140
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	287
Total number of admissions given out	4,009	18
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,707	18
Yield rate	42.6%	100.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A
High school GPA	Required	N/A
Recommendation letters	Required	N/A
High school transcript	Not required	N/A
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	N/A

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$63,970	$76,427
Average net price	$48,055
Tuition	$45,468	$47,741
Room & board	$18,828	Room/dormitory: $12,731 Meal plan: $6,055
Available payment plans	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	7,177 Men 58.1% Women 41.9%
Graduate students	766 Men 53.8% Women 46.2%	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	N/A
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	25.8%	N/A
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,417	N/A
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	N/A
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	N/A

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

Outcome
Graduation rate	67.0%	N/A
Dropout rate	21.6%	N/A
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	N/A

Berklee College of Music

The Colburn Conservatory of Music

Overview

Location

Boston, Massachusetts

Los Angeles, California

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

55.2%

6.3%

Application fees

Undergraduate: $150

Graduate: $150

Undergraduate: $140

Graduate: $140

SAT range

N/A

ACT range

N/A

Students submitting SAT score

Students submitting ACT score

Total number of applicants

7,266

287

Total number of admissions given out

4,009

Admitted students who chose to enroll

1,707

Yield rate

42.6%

100.0%

Test scores (SAT/ACT)

N/A

High school GPA

Required

N/A

Recommendation letters

Required

N/A

High school transcript

Not required

N/A

English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)

Required

N/A

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price

$63,970

$76,427

Average net price

$48,055

Tuition

$45,468

$47,741

Room & board

$18,828

Room/dormitory: $12,731

Meal plan: $6,055

Available payment plans

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

7,177

Men 58.1% Women 41.9%

Graduate students

766

Men 53.8% Women 46.2%

N/A

Racial/ethnic diversity

Moderate

N/A

Out-of-state students

N/A

International students

25.8%

N/A

Campus local/setting

City: Large

Dormitory capacity

1,417

N/A

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
Engineering Technologies
Computer and Information Science
Health Professions
Education

Students to faculty ratio

10:1

N/A

Institutional accreditation

New England Commission on Higher Education

N/A

Outcome

Graduation rate

67.0%

N/A

Dropout rate

21.6%

N/A

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

N/A

Berklee vs The Colburn Conservatory of Music

Berklee College of Music

The Colburn Conservatory of Music

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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