College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

Cleveland Institute of Music: Rankings, Admissions, Cost & Majors

Fair Price Value for Your Money
47% Acceptance Rate
2% Student Loan Default Rate

Cleveland Institute of Music is a private not-for-profit institution in Cleveland, Ohio enrolling 159 undergraduates. It accepts 47% of applicants and has an on-time graduation rate of 72%, above the national average of 33%. College Factual ranks it #2,135 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in its 2027 Best Colleges ranking (top 41%), and its Value for Your Money analysis rates it a Fair Price.

Source: IPEDS 2025; College Scorecard July 2026; College Factual rankings 2027. Data as of: July 2026.

How Is Cleveland Institute of Music Ranked?

Cleveland Institute of Music ranks #2,135 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in College Factual’s 2027 Best Colleges ranking, placing it in the top 41%.

#2,135 Best Colleges in Nation
#86 Best Colleges in OH
Cleveland Institute of Music ranking badge

2027 Rankings

College Factual analyzes over 2,000 colleges and universities in its annual rankings and ranks them in a variety of ways, including most diverse, best overall quality, best for non-traditional students, and much more.

Overall Quality

CIM is ranked #2,135 out of 5,159 schools in the nation for overall quality on College Factual’s 2027 Best Colleges list.

Within the state, CIM holds the #86 spot on the Best Colleges in Ohio ranking.

See all of the rankings for Cleveland Institute of Music.

Is It Hard to Get Into Cleveland Institute of Music?

47% Acceptance Rate
45% Of Accepted Are Women

Acceptance Rate

The acceptance rate at Cleveland Institute of Music is a competitive 47%, so make sure you take your application seriously when putting it together. Even leaving out a minor detail could be a reason to move you to the rejection pile.

Learn more about Cleveland Institute of Music admissions.

What Is the Student-to-Faculty Ratio at Cleveland Institute of Music?

6 to 1 Student to Faculty
28% Full Time Teachers

Student to Faculty Ratio

The student to faculty ratio at CIM is an impressive 6 to 1. That’s quite good when you compare it to the national average of 15 to 1. This is a good sign that students at the school will have more opportunities for one-on-one interactions with their professors.

Percent of Full-Time Faculty

In addition to the student to faculty ratio, some people look at what percentage of faculty members are full-time as a sign of how much time professors will be able to spend with their students. This is because part-time teachers may not be on campus as much as their full-time counterparts.

The full-time faculty percentage at Cleveland Institute of Music is 28%. This is lower than the national average of 47%.

Full-Time Faculty Percent  28 out of 100
0
100

What Are the Graduation and Retention Rates at Cleveland Institute of Music?

90% Freshmen Retention
72% On-Time Graduation Rate

Freshmen Retention Rate

The freshmen retention rate of 90% tells us that most first-year, full-time students like Cleveland Institute of Music enough to come back for another year. This is a fair bit higher than the national average of 68%. That’s certainly something to check off in the good column about the school.

Freshmen Retention Rate  90 out of 100
0
100

Graduation Rate

Students are considered to have graduated on time if they finish their studies within four years. At CIM the on-time graduation rate of first-time, full-time students is 72%. That is great when compared to the national average of 33.3%.

On-Time Graduation Rate  72 out of 100
0
100

Find out more about the retention and graduation rates at Cleveland Institute of Music.

How Diverse Is Cleveland Institute of Music?

159 Undergraduate Students
32.0% Racial-Ethnic Minorities*
51.2% Percent Women

During the most recent academic year, there were 159 undergraduates at CIM.

Get more detailed information on the diversity at Cleveland Institute of Music.

How Much Does Cleveland Institute of Music Cost?

$17,140 Net Price
32% Take Out Loans
$23,716 Total Student Loans

The average net price of CIM is $17,140. The affordability of the school largely depends on your financial need since net price varies by income group. See the table below for the net price for different income groups.

Net Price by Income Group for CIM

$0-30 K $30K-48K $48-75 $75-110K $110K +
$23,782 $29,767 $16,884 $21,212 $32,629

The net price is calculated by adding tuition, room, board and other costs and subtracting financial aid. Note that the net price is typically less than the published price for a school. For more information on the sticker price of CIM, see our tuition and fees and room and board pages.

Student Loan Debt

Almost 66% of college students who graduated with the class of 2018 took out student loans, but that percentage varies from school to school. At CIM, approximately 32% of students took out student loans averaging $5,929 a year. That adds up to $23,716 over four years for those students. The student loan default rate is 2.2%. This is significantly lower than the national default rate of 10.1%, which is a good sign that you’ll be able to pay back your student loans. Get more details about paying for Cleveland Institute of Music.

How Much Do Cleveland Institute of Music Graduates Earn?

$32,641 Avg Salary of Grads
Low Earnings Boost

Yearly salaries vary depending on what you major in, but on average, bachelor’s degree recipients from Cleveland Institute of Music make around $32,641 per year during the early years of their employment. This is about 34% less than the average pay for college graduates overall. However, graduates with your major may make more. Average Salary for Cleveland Institute of Music Graduates

See which majors at Cleveland Institute of Music make the most money.

Where Is Cleveland Institute of Music Located?

Ohio State
159 Undergraduate Students
Large City Campus Setting

Cleveland Institute of Music is an private not-for-profit institution found in Cleveland, Ohio. The surrounding area of the school is a good match for students who enjoy city life. Get more details about the location of Cleveland Institute of Music.

Location of Cleveland Institute of Music

Contact information for Cleveland Institute of Music are given below.

Contact Details
Address: 11021 East Blvd, Cleveland, OH 44106-1776
Phone: 2167915000
Website: www.cim.edu
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ClevelandInstituteofMusic
Twitter: twitter.com/cim_edu

What Majors Does Cleveland Institute of Music Offer?

2 Majors With Completions
194 Undergraduate Degrees

During the most recent year for which we have data, students from 2 majors graduated from Cleveland Institute of Music. The following table lists the most popular undergraduate majors along with the average salary graduates from those majors make.

Most Popular Majors Completions Average Salary of Graduates
Music 97 $19,171
Multi-Disciplinary Studies 97 NA

Learn more about the majors offered at Cleveland Institute of Music along with which ones have the highest average starting salaries.

Does CIM Offer Online Classes?

44% Take At Least One Class Online

70 students took at least one online class at Cleveland Institute of Music.

Online learning options are becoming more and more popular at American colleges and universities. Online classes are great for students who have busy schedules or for those who just want to study on their own time.

Learn more about online learning at Cleveland Institute of Music.

Interested in comparing CIM? Pit them head to head with College Combat, our free interactive tool that lets you compare colleges on the features that matter most to you.

Notes and References

Footnotes

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

References

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options