by our College Data Analytics TeamA large number of students will never be charged the complete price tag of a school. Rather, they are presented a financial aid deal that includes a mix of loans, grants, scholarships, and possibly work-study opportunities. The sum total of attendance at Berklee College of Music can sound overwhelming, but bear in mind that many students get some type of financial aid.
What financing options does Berklee College of Music offer, and what will you qualify for? Keep scrolling for more information. Keep scrolling to find out just how much financial aid will be open to you.
Eligibility for aid and scholarships is driven mostly by your household’s income and need. Use the information below to understand how much financial assistance you may get from Berklee College of Music.
Colleges use loans, grants, scholarships and work-study to minimize what students actually pay out of pocket. However, some types of aid are more desirable than others, and some students will receive more than others.
At Berklee College of Music, 81% of first-time, full-time freshmen received some form of financial aid approximately 1135 incoming students).
| Type of Aid | % of Freshmen Receiving | Average Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Grant or scholarship aid (all sources) | 77% | $23,346 |
| Institutional grants & scholarships | 71% | $24,063 |
| Federal Pell grants | 14% | $5,419 |
| State/local grants | 2% | $2,706 |
| Federal student loans | 34% | $5,379 |
The best aid is gift aid: grants and scholarships that carry no repayment obligation. At Berklee College of Music, about 66% of undergrads got grants or scholarships worth on average $24,949 (among about 5001 undergraduates).
| Award | % of Undergrads Receiving | Average Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Grant or scholarship aid (all sources) | 66% | $24,949 |
| Federal Pell grants | 16% | $4,922 |
| Federal student loans | 34% | $6,851 |
Title-IV recipients living on campus saw average grant aid of $23,235.
Need-based aid means lower-income families typically pay far less than the sticker price suggests.
| Family Income | Average Net Price |
|---|---|
| $0 – $48,000 | $38,799 |
| $30,001 – $75,000 | $43,596 |
| Over $75,000 | $55,131 |
Each figure is the net price after grants and scholarships, not the published sticker price.
Net price is the cost remaining after grant and scholarship aid is subtracted from the sticker price, and it is the most useful single number for estimating real cost.
| Cohort | Average Net Price |
|---|---|
| On-campus title-IV students | $49,465 |
| Off-campus title-IV students | $50,404 |
For a personalized estimate based on your family’s financial situation, use Berklee College of Music’s official net price calculator: www.berklee.edu/paying-for-your-education/net-price-calculator.
The median federal debt load at Berklee College of Music comes to $15,750 of federal student loans.
| Metric | Amount |
|---|---|
| Median federal debt (all student-aid borrowers) | $15,750 |
| Median federal debt (graduates only) | $25,000 |
| Typical 10-year monthly payment (graduates) | $265.04/mo |
That monthly figure reflects the median graduate debt repaid on a standard 10-year federal schedule.
Looking only at the median can be misleading because it hides the spread. The four reference points below map the debt distribution at Berklee College of Music.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,166 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $25,950 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $31,000 |
Debt outcomes are not uniform — they shift with income, first-generation status, and dependency.
Debt by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $16,036 |
| Middle income | $15,750 |
| High income | $15,250 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $15,992 |
| Continuing-generation students | $15,250 |
Dependent vs Independent Students
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $15,000 |
| Independent students | $17,501 |
A handful of calculated indicators summarize the debt outlook at Berklee College of Music.
The Stafford loan program is the largest source of federal direct loans to undergraduates. The totals below capture Stafford lending at Berklee College of Music:
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Stafford loan recipients | 16178 |
| Total Stafford loan amount | $311,243,523 |
GI Bill and DoD Tuition Assistance are the two federal aid programs targeted at military-affiliated students.
Post-9/11 GI Bill recipients
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| GI Bill recipients | 214 |
| Total GI Bill amount | $2,521,529 |
| Average GI Bill amount per recipient | $11,783 |
DoD Tuition Assistance activity
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| DoD Tuition Assistance recipients | 54 |
| Total DoD amount | $180,193 |
| Average DoD amount per recipient | $3,337 |
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.