Scholarships
Berklee College of Music, the world’s premier college of contemporary music, offers $1.5 million in merit- and need-based scholarships to prospective graduate students on Berklee’s campus in Valencia, Spain, so that the most gifted musicians from all over the world have the means to attend.
Scholarship Eligibility
All applicants are eligible to apply for a Berklee General Scholarship. Some scholarships have specific eligibility requirements, which you can review in the list below.
How to Apply
In order to apply for a Berklee scholarship, students must submit the Berklee Graduate Scholarship Application by the deadline. The Berklee Graduate Scholarship Application will appear in the Next Steps section of your online portal once you submit your program application.
Scholarship Application Deadlines
- Early action deadline: November 15, 2020
- Regular action deadline: February 1, 2021
- Extended action deadline: March 30, 2021
In addition to applying for a scholarship from Berklee, we encourage all U.S. citizens and permanent U.S. residents to submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Read more about applying for financial aid.
Award Decisions
Berklee takes each applicant as a whole into consideration in making both merit- and need-based scholarship decisions. In order to consider you for all the scholarships you are eligible for, we review the information provided on your scholarship application along with your supporting materials and audition and/or interview results. We also may request additional documentation to verify the information provided.
Applicants receive a scholarship decision after acceptance into a master's degree program. Applicants not accepted to the program will not receive a scholarship decision.
Award Distribution
The scholarships awarded vary in amount and are awarded to candidates demonstrating the highest musical and/or academic merit together with financial need.
Students who are accepted and enroll in the program and have received a scholarship will have their award divided equally into three parts and applied directly to each semester's tuition bill. Please note that scholarship awards may not be used to pay the tuition deposit or any other non–tuition-related costs.
Students who receive scholarships are required to meet a series of terms and conditions relating to attendance, academics, and conduct in order to keep their award during the academic year.
Available Berklee Scholarships
All applicants who apply for a scholarship will automatically be considered for all scholarships listed below, depending on eligibility.
Berklee General Scholarship- Eligibility: All master's degree applicants
- Award Amount: Amount Varies, Multiple Awards
Awarded to outstanding applicants accepted to any master's degree program on the Valencia campus.
Berklee Groove Scholarship- Eligibility: M.M in Contemporary Performance (Production Concentration) for applicants whose principal instruments are drums, bass, general rhythm section, traditional/folk/non-traditional
- Award Amount: up to 90% of tuition fees
Awarded to gifted musicians whose principal instrument is listed above and who are accepted to the Master's in Contemporary Performance (Production Concentration) at Berklee's Valencia campus. They will have the opportunity to learn from faculty members such as bass legend Gary Willis, vibraphonist Victor Mendoza and percussionist Yoel Paez.
Berklee Groove Scholarship: Female Instrumentalists- Eligibility: M.M in Contemporary Performance (Production Concentration) for female instrumentalists
- Award Amount: up to 90% of tuition fees
Awarded to female instrumentalists who are accepted to the Master's in Contemporary Performance (Production Concentration) at Berklee's Valencia campus. They will have the opportunity to learn from faculty members such as bass legend Gary Willis, vibraphonist Victor Mendoza and percussionist Yoel Paez.
Berklee Alumni Scholarship- Eligibility: Berklee alumni
- Award Amount: $18,000
Awarded to an outstanding Berklee undergraduate alumnus/a who has demonstrated excellence, exceptional talent, and outstanding achievement throughout their undergraduate studies.
Berklee Outstanding Women Scholarship and Mentorship
We strive to support musicianship and leadership of women in the music industry and by awarding this scholarship, we aim to support outstanding candidates to thrive and contribute with their talent.
Outside Scholarships
We realize the search for outside scholarships can be overwhelming. To help you with this process, our Boston campus has compiled a list of different opportunities and search engines outside of what Berklee offers. This is not a comprehensive list and we encourage each student to continue the search on his or her own.
Note that domestic means that you are from the United States, and international means you are from outside the United States.
See Outside Graduate Scholarships List
Tuition insurance
As a supplement to the University Refund Policy, we also offer a Tuition Insurance program through Liberty Mutual Insurance which provides 100% reimbursement of all insured tuition, room and board, and some fees. Coverage includes withdrawal due to illness, injury, mental health issues and other reasons. Visit the Tuition Insurance page to learn more.
Financial Aid
Financial Aid for U.S. Citizens and Permanent U.S. Residents
Students who are U.S citizens or permanent U.S. residents may apply for Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford loans through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
Graduate students may borrow up to $20,500 under the Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan program. The $20,500 will be divided and distributed evenly across all three semesters. Interest will begin to accrue upon disbursement and the interest rate is fixed at 5.31 percent. The loan also has a 1 percent origination fee that is deducted proportionately each time that a loan disbursement is made. Interest rates and loan amounts are subject to change. Please check Federal Student Aid for the latest information.
How to Apply for Financial Aid
U.S. Citizens or Permanent Residents can complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online. Be sure to list Berklee College of Music and Federal School Code 002126. If you provide your email address when completing your FAFSA, you will receive information about your application within a few days of processing. Please check the information for accuracy and follow any special instructions.
Cost of Attendance
The cost of attendance is comprised of direct costs and indirect costs. Direct Costs are part of the tuition bill and are paid to Berklee. Indirect Costs are not billed to students by Berklee, but are inherent with attending the program. Indirect costs are only an estimate and may vary.
For students who are U.S. Citizens or Permanent Residents receiving federal financial aid, the total cost of attendance reflects the maximum amount a student may receive for the length of the program. This includes all scholarships, federal loans, and private loans.
Tuition costs for the 2020/2021 academic year can be found on the Tuition Fees and Payment section.
If you have any questions regarding the financial aid application process, your awards or our policies, please contact us at financialaid@berklee.edu or at 1 800 BERKLEE, option #1.
