Dependent Tuition Waivers and Discounts

Berklee offers partial or full waivers and significant discounts for tuition for your spouse or eligible children. For study at Berklee, your spouse or eligible children must satisfy all applicable degree, program, or course acceptance requirements or prerequisites. Fees, housing costs, and other nontuition expenses are not covered by this benefit plan.

Tuition waivers and discounts are not available for Berklee's master’s degree tuition at the Boston campus.

Tuition waivers and discounts may be based on your length of service and may be subject to limits.

Eligibility

Your spouse and eligible children are eligible for a tuition waiver or discount if you are one of the following:

  • Faculty: full time, or part time and eligible in accordance with the faculty union agreement
  • Staff: full-time, regular staff, including directors, chairs, and members of the President’s Council after six months of full-time service

Your “spouse” is the person to whom you are legally married. “Eligible children” for staff means your children who are eligible for Berklee medical insurance. Generally, this means your children must be under age 26.

Amount of Tuition Waiver and Discounts

Category I: Boston Campus–Based Undergraduate Degree or Certificate

Tuition waivers or discounts apply to fall and spring terms, as well as to 12-week and five-week summer sessions.

Completed Years of Full-Time Service at Time Class BeginsTuition Waiver/Discount
One year10 percent
Two years20 percent
Three years30 percent
Four years40 percent
Five or more years100 percent; full-tuition waiver

Category II: Berklee Summer Programs  

How It Works

Step 1: Identify your desired Summer Program (Opens in a new window).

Step 2: Submit the Dependent Tuition Discount & Waiver Form to Human Resources. (Faculty submit forms to Academic Affairs (Opens in a new window).)

Step 3: Once the form has been processed, the Summer Programs staff will send instructions for completing your student’s registration to your Berklee email address.*

*Registrations can only be processed for programs that are not at capacity.

Category III: Berklee Online 

Undergraduate Courses/Degree

  • Option 1 is a tuition discount. Your spouse or eligible child pays 80 percent of the normal Berklee Online tuition rate. The normal course registration process applies. A seat is guaranteed in the class.
  • Option 2 is a 100-percent tuition waiver. Your spouse or eligible child enters the course at the beginning of week two, if space is available.

Graduate Courses/Degree

  • There is a 20 percent tuition discount. A seat is guaranteed in the class. However, you must first apply and be accepted into the degree program.
  • Under federal law, tuition waivers granted for graduate-level courses are subject to taxation when the annual (calendar year) waiver amount exceeds $5,250.

Category IV: Southern New Hampshire University Online Courses

Your spouse or eligible child pays 80 percent of the normal tuition rate. The normal course registration process applies. A seat is guaranteed in the class.

  • There are no limits on the number of classes per student per term.
  • There is no discount for doctoral program tuition.

Tuition Waivers

Boston Campus-Based Courses 

For Boston campus–based courses, please select the Dependent Tuition Discount Waiver Form. 

Berklee Online Courses

For Berklee Online courses, please select the Course Request Form.

Southern New Hampshire University Online Courses

Call (800) 668-1249 for more information.