Berklee College of Music Scholarships

Berklee College of Music Scholarships

Massachusetts Scholarships

Being a well-known institution that is known for music and performing arts, the Berklee College of Music is a university of any musician’s dreams. Located in Massachusetts, Boston; and Valencia, Spain, this college is also known for its online music programs.

Not only is education important, but the result is equally important as well. Many of Berklee’s students, faculty, and alumni have been recognized in their field by being awarded prestigious music awards such as Grammy, Tony, Oscar, and Emmy awards.

Types of Scholarships Offered at Berklee College of Music

The total amount of scholarship money that Berklee awards are about $40 million and increasing year by year. Also, the application process at Berklee is a little bit different than what other universities practice.

Instead of submitting the admissions application and waiting for admissions result, Berklee College of Music requires a first-hand audition and an interview as part of the admissions process.

After submitting your application, you need to schedule the interview and audition at an assigned place. After getting the scheduling finalized, you will complete the audition and interview and also be automatically considered for scholarships for incoming freshmen down below.

For more information about the undergraduate process, please view How to Apply for Berklee College of Music.


1. Scholarships for Incoming Freshmen

Most scholarships offered by Berklee are merit-based since these scholarships are awarded based on your audition and interview.


A. Berklee Admissions Scholarships

Eligibility Requirement:

  • Be applying for a full-time undergraduate degree or program
  • Completed the audition and interview*
  • Submit the application for Berklee admissions**

Scholarship Value: Most Partial Tuition, Few Full Tuition

*Berklee College of Music conducts auditions and interviews in Boston, Massachusetts and around the world. Available to any student who are interested in pursuing his studies at Berklee, these auditions and interviews need to be scheduled beforehand.

**In the Berklee admissions, students can submit their portfolios to increase their chances of being admitted to Berklee and also to increase their scholarship award.

For further information, view Berklee Admissions Scholarship.


B. Berklee Presidential Scholarships

To be considered for this scholarship, the prospective musician needs to show great musical talents plus demonstrated financial need. To see your musical talents, the Berklee Scholarship Committee will probably look at your admissions application, and they will look at your FAFSA for demonstrated financial need.

Scholarship Value: Full Tuition, Room & Board, and Laptop

For further information, view Berklee Presidential Scholarship.


C. Slaight Family Scholarship

Awarded only to one Canadian musician each year, the Slaight Family Scholarship awards full-ride scholarship (Covering Full Tuition, Room & Board, and Laptop) to a student that shows great musical talents with demonstrated financial need.

To be considered, the prospective Canadian student must attend one of many live auditions that are held in Canada or in Boston, and the qualified applicants will be asked to fill out the application for need-based financial aid.

For further information, view Canada Scholars.


D. Berklee Lollapalooza Endowed Scholarships

Eligibility Requirements:

  • Be a talented rock musician from the United States
  • Submitted the admissions application for Berklee
  • Participated in Berklee’s live auditions and interviews
  • Filed the FAFSA

Scholarship Value: Full Tuition


E. Jimmy Lyons Scholarship

Awarded to an outstanding jazz player from the West Coast of United States, the Jimmy Lyons Scholarship is a full-ride scholarship that covers full tuition at Berklee College of Music.

For more information, view Jimmy Lyons Scholarship.


F. City Music College Scholarships

Hosted by Berklee City Music, Aspire: Five-Week Music Performance is an intensive summer music program that offers great learning experiences for professionals and beginners alike. Students in the Berklee City Music have the opportunity to attend this worldwide scholarship program for free by meeting the eligibility requirements listed in the link down below!

After clicking on the link, you can scroll down to see an additional opportunity for full or part tuition scholarships for prospective music students.

For further information, view City Music Scholarships.


G. Berklee on the Road (BOR)

In order to spread its method of education and music training, the Berklee College of Music has set up several programs that begin in foreign countries. Residents in many countries such as Puerto Rico, Italy, Mexico, Columbia, India, and Ireland can attend one of the Berklee programs to know more about its training methods.

For further information, view Berklee on the Road to see if your country is listed here!

To view all merit-based scholarships offered by Berklee, view Berklee College Merit-Based Scholarships.


2. Scholarships for Current or Returning Students

There is a small chance for current Berklee students to visit this post; however, we did not forget about you. For current or returning Berklee students, visit the link down below to see all the available scholarships sources for you.

For further information, view Scholarships for Continuing Students.


3. Donor-Funded Scholarships

This section of scholarships is offered by private organizations and generous donors. Most of these scholarships are competitive based, which definitely requires a live audition to showcase your musical talents.


A. Michel Camilo Scholarship

Awarded only to one student of either Dominican born or of Dominican descent, this scholarship covers full tuition and room & board. To be considered for this scholarship, the applicant must meet the following requirements:

  • Be a talented musician accepted into Berklee College of Music
  • Be a Dominican citizen or of Dominican descent

For further information, view Michel Camilo Scholarship.


B. CJ Cultural Foundation Scholarships

Funded by the CJ Cultural Foundation in South Korea, this scholarship is awarded to talented musicians from the country of Korea. There are multiple scholarships awarded by CJ Foundation, so make sure you visit the link down below if you are a Korean citizen. To be considered for the CJ Presidential Scholarship, the applicant must meet the following requirements:

  • Be accepted into Berklee College of Music
  • Be a Korean national
  • Be a talented musician
  • Show demonstrated financial need

Scholarship Value: Full Tuition, Room & Board, and Laptop

For further information, view CJ Cultural Foundation Scholarships.


C. Wang Leehom Scholarships

Founded by a Chinese-American songwriter and a graduate of Berklee College of Music, the Wang Leehom Scholarship is awarded to a student that meets the following requirements:

  • Be a talented musician accepted into Berklee College of Music
  • Be a citizen from mainland China

Scholarship Value: Full Tuition

For further information, view Wang Leehom Scholarship.


D. Lee Ritenour’s Six String Theory Competition

This is a private scholarship that is not offered by Berklee College of Music. Based on your musical skills on the competitive stage, this full-ride scholarship is awarded to winners of Lee Ritenour’s Six String Theory Competition.

For more information, view Six String Theory Competition.

To view all donor-funded scholarships of Berklee College of Music, visit Berklee Donor Scholarships.


4. External Scholarships

In addition to scholarships offered at Berklee College of Music, students are encouraged to apply for scholarships that are offered outside of Berklee College of Music. Since there is no limit on how many scholarship applications you make, apply as many as you can and as early as you can!

Also, make sure you read the guideline in Berklee’s homepage before clicking on any links provided by Berklee College of Music.

For further information, view Outside Scholarships.


Conclusion: Make It Count!

Berklee College of Music offers great opportunities for aspiring musicians by giving out many full-ride scholarships as listed above. Before you are eligible for any scholarships, the applicant needs to have a great application and portfolio that impresses the Berklee’s Admissions Committee.

So make sure now that you do your best, so that you will get accepted in the first place. After admissions, you can truly make your talents shine by performing in the audition and attending the interview.

Hope this helps, and I will see you again in Authority Scholarships.