Scholarships for Graduate Programs

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

If you submit your program application for early action (November 1), the scholarship deadline is: November 15, 2024
If you submit your program application for regular action (January 15), the scholarship deadline is: February 1, 2025
Note: Scholarship applications submitted or received after the above deadlines may not be considered.

In addition to applying for a scholarship from Berklee, we encourage all U.S. citizens and permanent US 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: MM 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 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 Global Partners Scholarship

Eligibility: Student, alumnus/a, or faculty from a Berklee Global Partner school
Award Amount: $18,000

Awarded to an outstanding student, alumnus/a, or faculty member from a Berklee Global Partners school.

Berklee Valencia Diversity Scholarship

Berklee Valencia’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion three-year strategy (2022–2025) is divided into four different impact areas: curriculum and pedagogy, structural and demographic diversity, student engagement and community building, and admissions practices.

The admissions practices impact area includes a goal for the Berklee Valencia Admissions and Scholarship office to offer the first-ever Berklee Valencia Diversity scholarship. This scholarship is aimed at students with the greatest potential for leading and creating a diverse community in our graduate programs.

Eligibility Requirements

Demonstrated leadership or support for historically underrepresented or culturally diverse communities, including first-generation college students
Acceptance to one of the graduate programs at Berklee Valencia

Award Description

Up to four awardees per academic year
The award works as an addition to their general scholarship (if applicable);
Up to 50% of the tuition (the total amount of all Berklee scholarship awards cannot exceed 90% of the tuition)
Priority will go to students with demonstrated financial need

Application deadline: February 1

Awardees announced: March 25

Eligible candidates should submit a short video (up to three minutes) or a written personal statement (maximum 500 words) talking about their life story, providing evidence of their support for or leadership of historically underrepresented or diverse communities, and describing how their background, experiences, and initiatives can enrich Berklee Valencia’s community.

To be considered for this scholarship, candidates must complete the Berklee Valencia scholarship form found in the Next Steps section of the application portal. The link to the video or essay must be sent to scholarshipsvalencia@berklee.edu by the deadline.

Berklee Outstanding Women Scholarships with 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.

MA in Global Entertainment and Music Business - Yvette Noel-Schure

Eligibility: MA in Global Entertainment and Music Business
Award Amount: up to 70% of tuition fees, plus mentorship session with Yvette Noel-Schure

Awarded to one gifted individual who supports the musicianship and leadership of women in the music industry and who is accepted to the MA in Global Entertainment and Music Business.

MM in Scoring for Film, Television, and Video Games - Vanessa Garde

Eligibility: MM in Scoring for Film, Television, and Video Games
Award Amount: up to 70% of tuition fees, plus mentorship session with Vanessa Garde

Awarded to one gifted individual who supports the musicianship and leadership of women in the music industry and who is accepted to the MM in Scoring for Film, Television, and Video Games.

MM in Music Production, Technology, and Innovation - Susan Rogers

Eligibility: MM in Music Production, Technology, and Innovation
Award Amount: up to 70% of tuition fees, plus mentorship session with Susan Rogers

Awarded to one gifted individual who supports the musicianship and leadership of women in the music industry and who is accepted to the MM in Music Production, Technology, and Innovation.

MM in Contemporary Performance (Production Concentration) - Friederike Darius

Eligibility: MM in Contemporary Performance (Production Concentration)
Award Amount: up to 70% of tuition fees, plus mentorship session with Friederike Darius

Awarded to one gifted individual who supports the musicianship and leadership of women in the music industry and who is accepted to the MM in Contemporary Performance (Production Concentration).

Berklee CACSA - Palau de les Arts Scholarships

Berklee, in compliance with its agreement with the Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències (CACSA) dated July 1, 2020, has an annual scholarship program aimed at Valencian students who have been admitted to any of its master's degree programs. In addition, the fundació Palau de les Arts joined this agreement through its monitoring commission. Scholarship funds are allocated based on artistic, academic, and professional accomplishments as well as the financial resources of the candidates. The conditions and requirements to apply for these scholarships are specified in the terms of the agreement.

Terms of the agreement - Berklee-CAC-Les-Arts-2025-2026 (449.84 KB)

Please submit all of the required documents by April 1, 2025. Decisions will be communicated by April 15, 2025. Only accepted students from the region of Valencia, Spain, will be considered for the Berklee CACSA - Palau de les Arts Scholarships.

Download your CACSA Checklist (73.57 KB)

Donor Scholarships and Endowed Funds

We have several scholarships funded by specific donors. These awards are sometimes automatically granted during the admissions process, and during the academic year some students may have a portion of their standard scholarship replaced by a donor or endowed fund. Students will be notified via email if they are recipients of these select awards; no application or request for consideration is necessary.

Thanks to the enthusiastic generosity of alumni, parents, friends, corporations, and foundations, Berklee is able to mirror the diverse and ever-evolving landscape of the music industry. As a result of your philanthropic gifts, we come closer to fulfilling our mission, which is to educate, train, and develop students to excel in music as a career.

To support our students, please send an email to Manuel Costa, Senior Director of Operations and External Affairs, at mcostaruiz@berklee.edu.

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