Berklee Announces 2016–17 Tuition and Fees
The Berklee Board of Trustees has approved a 3.25 percent increase in undergraduate tuition and fees and a 2.5 percent increase in room and board fees for the 2016–17 academic year.
“Our board is committed to enhancing facilities and curriculum while doing everything it can to make a Berklee education as affordable as possible,” said President Roger H. Brown, citing the opening of a new building last year while continuing to provide several cost-reducing options for students and families, including credit-transfer agreements with other institutions, credit by exam, online Berklee courses and degrees, and the continuation of the Berklee Achievement Grants program, designed to diminish the impact of increased education expenses for qualified students with financial need.
“We work hard to ensure that Berklee’s tuition—as well as rate of increase—remains lower than at most other leading music colleges,” Brown said. Berklee’s tuition increase for the 2014–15 academic year was 0.6 percentage points lower than the 3.6 percent average increase for private colleges reported by the College Board. Comparative information for the coming academic year is not yet available.
Undergraduate tuition for the 2016–17 academic year will be $40,220. Total tuition, room and board, and mandatory fees next year will increase to $58,809, a 3.1 percent increase over the current year.
Board members also reaffirmed a key component of the college’s multi-year strategy to address affordability through new commitments to financial aid. For the 2017 fiscal year, Berklee created a $45 million target for scholarships and financial aid, an increase of more than 74 percent over the college’s fiscal 2010 level ($25.9 million).
“We are pleased to be able to increase scholarship support next year, and we are steadfast in our effort to continue to expand this support in future years,” said Brown. “Our $100 million Soundbreaking campaign launched last year is targeting half of all funds raised for increasing scholarships and financial aid.”
While Berklee continues to achieve lower-than-average tuition increases, the college has made sweeping improvements to the Boston campus, including its first purpose-built structure, the 160 Massachusetts Avenue tower, housing hundreds of students and several industry-leading recording studios. A comprehensive renovation is underway at 150 Massachusetts Avenue and will lead to new technology spaces, renovated classrooms and ensemble rooms, and new spaces for student life and activities. Berklee’s efforts to prepare students for careers in music recently earned Berklee the No. 2 music school in the world ranking from The Hollywood Reporter.
Increases in tuition for graduate programs in Boston and Valencia, Spain, and for the Berklee Online degree programs will range from 1.0 percent to 3.25 percent.
