Look Who’s Coming to Berklee college of music

Director of Admissions

Traditionally, Berklee’s entering classes are non-traditional. Over the past several years the demographics of our enrollees have been changing with entering students getting younger, more experienced, and more technologically savvy.

The first significant change has been in entering student ages. Of the 916 who enrolled last fall, 595 were 19 years old or younger. with only 15 of them over 30. The average age of entering students is now 19.8 years; formerly, it was 22. There are more women attending; they account for 28 percent of our enrollment. Berklee students are also more diverse racially, ethnically, geographically, and musically. We now have more African Americans, Asian Americans, and Latino students.

They hail from all across the United States, with 31 percent from New England, 26 percent from the middle states (from New York to Delaware), 13 percent from the Midwest, 12 percent from the South, 4 percent from the Southwest, and 14 percent from the West. We recruit from 70 countries, with the largest percentage number coming from Asia (54 percent).

One-third of our students have a strong interest in jazz, and the rest embrace a wide variety of contemporary music styles. Many of them formed  their own bands and have produced and recorded their music. They often play more than one instrument and almost all of them are technologically savvy. They are aware of global happenings and monitor new developments via the Internet.

Students come to Berklee with a plan to graduate. In fact, many stay for an extra year and complete a dual major. About 82 percent seek a degree; 18 percent pursue a diploma.

Academically, our entering class parallels other top undergraduate colleges with average GPAs topping 3.0. However, their high school backgrounds are more eclectic: they come from traditional large urban high schools, suburban schools, performing-arts schools, private and boarding schools, and home-school programs. All our students are strong performers but many come to Berklee to learn as much as they can about the music industry from our full menu of majors. Their interest in technology reflects changes in the industry as well as their home environment.

Personally, they’re outgoing and introspective, articulate through words and/or music, polite, inquisitive, and open to new ideas, sounds, and people. They judge their classmates and teachers by ability and passion rather than by superficialities. They’re harder working than the average college freshman, committed to their lessons, ensembles, and practicing as well as their academics. They value talent, experience and dedication. They’re uptight about their music and laid back about “whatever.” As different as they all are, though, they are all unified in their love of music.