by our College Data Analytics TeamHere you will find what students actually borrow to attend Berklee College of Music— how much they borrow, how that debt is spread across the student body, and what it costs to pay back. All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education and IPEDS.
Among first-year students at Berklee College of Music, 36% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, borrowing on average $14,193 each, across private and federal loan sources.
Federal loans alone average $5,379, representing 97.8% of the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing limit for a typical dependent freshman. Keep in mind the all-undergraduate averages further down count federal loans only, unlike this private-plus-federal freshman figure.
For undergraduates overall at Berklee College of Music, 34% borrow through federal student loan programs, for a typical $6,851 in federal loans per year. This works out to 27.4% higher than the $5,379 typical freshmen borrow.
Borrowing at that rate every year works out to about $13,702 across two years and $27,404 over four years. The estimate holds federal borrowing constant and does not count private or Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 34% |
| Average federal loan per year | $6,851 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 2,581 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $17,681,155 |
The median student at Berklee College of Music borrows $15,750 of cumulative federal debt.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $15,750 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $25,000 |
| Students who withdrew | $11,000 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for 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 |
The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is the clearest single measure of how widely borrowing varies at Berklee College of Music.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for Berklee College of Music.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 832 | $60,000 |
| Completed (graduates) | 410 | $87,996 |
| Did not complete | 422 | $40,602 |
For students who completed, the median total debt including PLUS loans works out to a standard 10-year payment of about $1046.37/mo.
Federal data lets us separate Stafford borrowers from the rest at Berklee College of Music.
Borrowers With Any Stafford Loan
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 815 | — |
| No Stafford loan | 17 | — |
Stafford This Year vs Not
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 783 | $63,000 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 49 | $21,970 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at Berklee College of Music.
Defaulting means failing to repay a federal student loan, which carries serious credit consequences. Two-year cohort default-rate data for Berklee College of Music appears below.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 10.3% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 828 |
The cohort default rate tracks borrowers who entered repayment in a given year and defaulted within the two-year measurement window.
The breakdowns below show median federal debt by income, first-generation status, and dependency.
By Family Income
| 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 Borrowers
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $15,000 |
| Independent students | $17,501 |
The Department of Education computes gap indicators that show how borrowing differs between student groups at Berklee College of Music.
Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans
With an unsubsidized loan, interest starts adding up the day the loan is disbursed, including during school. Subsidized loans, by contrast, do not accrue interest while you are enrolled at least half-time, which makes them the less expensive option when you qualify.
Worth Knowing
Federal student loans are not discharged in bankruptcy in all but the rarest cases, and the government can withhold part of your income or tax refund if you default.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.