Berklee College of Music

Berklee College of Music logo
#541 / #166
Global Influence / U.S. Influence
#126
Most Desirable School
Independent college of contemporary music in Boston, Massachusetts, United States

Berklee College of Music at a Glance

U.S. influence rank
#166
Acceptance rate (fall 2024)
44%
Tuition and fees (2025–26)
$54,000
Graduation rate
73%
Undergraduates (fall 2024)
7,468

Reviewed by , Vice President and Academic Editor. Influence ranks come from our InfluenceRanking™ methodology; other figures come from federal data, with the year shown under each section. Report an error

About Berklee College of Music

According to Wikipedia, Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level courses in a wide range of contemporary and historic styles, including rock, hip hop, reggae, salsa, heavy metal and bluegrass.

Berklee College of Music Admissions, Retention, and Graduation Information

Annual ApplicationsAcceptanceRetention RateGraduation Rate
7,16744%89%73%

Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); acceptance rate for fall 2024; test scores for fall 2024; applications and enrollment for fall 2023; retention for students who started in fall 2023; graduation rate within six years for students who started in 2019.

How Much Does Berklee College of Music Cost To Attend?

Tuition and fees (in-state)
$54,000
Average Net Price by Family Income (2021–22)
IncomeAverage Net Cost
0 - 30K$42,991
30K - 48K$34,945
48K - 75K$32,977
75K - 110K$45,303
110K+$55,038

Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); tuition and fees for 2025–26; net price for 2024–25, for first-time, full-time students receiving financial aid.

How Much Do Berklee College of Music Graduates Make?

Ten years after starting college, former Berklee College of Music students who received federal financial aid earn a median of $43,451 a year, and 87% of those not still in school are working.

Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard; students who started college in 2011–12 or 2012–13, measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars.

Berklee College of Music's Demographics

Students enrolled at any time during the 2023–24 school year, including part-time and online students.

Student BodyUnder-GradsGraduates
9,7058,6971,008

Source: National Center for Education Statistics; 12-month enrollment for 2023–24.

Where is Berklee College of Music?

Berklee College of Music is located at 1140 Boylston St, Boston, MA 02215.

How Safe is Berklee College of Music?

Relative to its enrollment, Berklee College of Music has a violent crime rate of 0.07% and a property crime rate of 0.11%. Boston has a violent crime rate of 0.63% and a property crime rate of 2.03%. Sources: campus: U.S. Department of Education Campus Safety and Security data, on-campus offenses in 2024 (violent: murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault; property: burglary, motor vehicle theft and arson, which excludes ordinary theft); city: FBI Crime Data Explorer, offenses reported to the city police in 2024.

What Is Berklee College of Music Known For?

Berklee College of Music is known for its academic work in the following disciplines:

Berklee College of Music's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered

Each rank compares how much Berklee College of Music's faculty and alumni have shaped a field with other schools, using Wikipedia, Wikidata and scholarly citation databases such as Crossref and Semantic Scholar. World and U.S. ranks reflect modern influence; the historical rank counts influence across all time. How we rank influence

Education
#371
World Rank
#378
Historical Rank
#110
USA Rank

Berklee College of Music ranks #110 in the U.S. and #371 worldwide for influence in Education.

education Degrees
Computer Science
#571
World Rank
#574
Historical Rank
#152
USA Rank

Berklee College of Music ranks #152 in the U.S. and #571 worldwide for influence in Computer Science.

computer-science Degrees
Medical
#806
World Rank
#811
Historical Rank
#228
USA Rank

Berklee College of Music ranks #228 in the U.S. and #806 worldwide for influence in Medical.

medicine Degrees

Who Are Berklee College of Music's Most Influential Alumni?

Berklee College of Music's most influential alumni include professors and professionals in the fields of Social Work, Business, and Communications. Here are some of Berklee College of Music's most famous alumni:

Robert Moog
Robert Moog
An Electronic music pioneer and inventor from the United States .
Quincy Jones
An American record producer and composer.
Daniel Levitin
Daniel Levitin
An American psychologist.
Tony Maserati
Tony Maserati
An American record producer.
Neil Stubenhaus
An American bass guitarist.
Chaka Khan
An American singer .
Wyclef Jean
A Haitian rapper.
Eric Darken
An American percussionist.
John Mayer
An American musician.
DJ Khaled
An American DJ and music producer.
Brian Mansfield
An American writer, music critic, journalist.
Andrew Dawson
An American music producer.

Who Are Berklee College of Music's Most Influential Faculty?

Berklee College of Music's most influential faculty include professors in the fields of Social Work, Business, and Communications. Here are some of Berklee College of Music's most famous faculty:

Eric Darken
An American percussionist.
Kara DioGuardi
Kara DioGuardi
An American music producer, composer and pop singer.
Esperanza Spalding
Esperanza Spalding
An American jazz bassist and singer.
Oneohtrix Point Never
An American musician.
Dafnis Prieto
Dafnis Prieto
A Cuban composer, educator and jazz drummer.
Dave Martone
A Canadian guitarist.
Brandee Younger
An American harpist.
Grace Kelly
Grace Kelly
An American jazz musician.
Ben Street
Ben Street
An American jazz double bassist.
Chihiro Yamanaka
A Japanese jazz pianist.
Jason Anick
An American musician.
Warren Wolf
Warren Wolf
A Jazz musician.