Private nonprofit · School

Manhattan School of Music

New York, New York · Large city

40.8%
Admit rate
$51,754
Avg net price
78%
Graduation rate
$26,878
Median earnings

Manhattan School of Music is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in New York, New York (large city setting), enrolling 539 undergraduates.

Private nonprofitSmall · 539 undergradsLarge citySelective · 41% admitCold wintersNear the coast

About New York, New York

New York, often called New York City, is the most populous city in the United States. In the pre-Columbian era, the area of present-day New York City was inhabited by Algonquians, including Munsee-speaking Lenape. New York City is frequently the setting for novels, movies, and television programs and has been described as the cultural capital of the world. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
7 miles to New York, NY
To the ocean
< 1 mile
Nearest airport
5 miles to LaGuardia (LGA) · major hub

How Manhattan School of Music compares

Selectivity40.8%

More selective than 89% · #20 most selective of 137 in New York

Graduation rate78%

Higher than 88% · #28 of 159 in New York

First-year retention93%

Higher than 91%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$26,878

Higher than 2% · #129 of 133 in New York

Average net price$51,754

Cheaper than 1% · #149 cheapest of 153 in New York

Median debt at graduation$26,994

Lower than 17%

Student–faculty ratio6 : 1

Lower than 94%

Undergraduate enrollment539

Larger than 23%

Percentiles compare Manhattan School of Music with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in New York.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

1,071students
  • Undergraduate53950%
  • Graduate53250%

Undergraduates by gender

539undergrads
  • Women24545%
  • Men29455%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White37%
  • Black3.5%
  • Hispanic11%
  • Asian8.0%
  • Other or multiracial40%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
539
Graduate enrollment
532
Student–faculty ratio
6 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
12%
First-generation students
Students over 25
3%
Median family income
$87,262
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$70,128
Endowment
$41,205,628

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Where students come from

Home state of the 142 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From New York20%
  • Other U.S. states80%

A national draw — only 13% of first-years come from New York; 50% arrive from other states.

Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Admissions

Admission rate
40.8%
Test scores
Not considered
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite

Cost

In-state tuition
$57,050
Room & board
$18,050
Books & supplies
$1,500
Total cost of attendance
$77,703
Average net price
$51,754

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
78%
Graduated on time (4 years)
67%
First-year retention
93%
Transferred to another college
5%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$18,815
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$26,878
Median debt at graduation
$26,994
Students with federal loans
33%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
65%

About 11% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
67%
Low-income (Pell)
45%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
600
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
100%+
Housing charge (year)
$11,400
Meal plan (year)
$5,950
Application fee
$125

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
1.5 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
4
Property offenses (2022–2024)
1

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (1,084 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

1.7reported offenses a year
1.3 violent a year0.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
0.7
Fondling
0.7
Burglary
0.3

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$31,392
$30–48k
$38,143
$48–75k
$46,638
$75–110k
$48,042
$110k+
$56,540

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$196,547

$46,638/year × about 4.2 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

85%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$21,947
average award, among those who get one

Manhattan School of Music discounts heavily: 85% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $21,947. For many families the real price lands well below sticker.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 154 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$26,878
Typical debt at graduation
$26,994
Debt vs. one year's pay
100%
Out-earn a HS grad
34%

Typical debt would take roughly 10.0 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Weigh it value

The payoff is less clear-cut here — weigh the debt against the earnings and your intended field before borrowing heavily.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

Campus climate

Summer high
85°F
Winter low
28°F
Annual rain
49.5″
Annual snow
29.8″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.34.6JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, New York Cntrl PK Twr, NY US station (2.3 mi from campus).

What Manhattan School of Music graduates study — and earn

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Manhattan School of Music

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Manhattan School of Music side by side →

Colleges near Manhattan School of Music

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.