Private nonprofit · Conservatory

San Francisco Conservatory of Music

San Francisco, California · Large city

54.9%
Admit rate
$42,607
Avg net price
74%
Graduation rate
Median earnings

San Francisco Conservatory of Music is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in San Francisco, California (large city setting), enrolling 226 undergraduates.

Private nonprofitSmall · 226 undergradsLarge citySelective · 55% admitNear the coast

About San Francisco, California

San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the fourth-most populous city in California and the 17th-most populous in the United States. The earliest archeological evidence of human habitation in the area dates to 3000 BCE. The Ohlone name for San Francisco was Ahwaste, meaning "place at the bay". Although the Financial District, Union Square, and Fisherman's Wharf are well known around the world, San Francisco is also characterized by its numerous culturally rich streetscapes featuring mixed-use neighborhoods anchored around central commercial corridors to which residents and visitors alike can walk. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
San Francisco, CA
To the ocean
2 miles
Nearest airport
11 miles to San Francisco (SFO) · major hub

How San Francisco Conservatory of Music compares

Selectivity54.9%

More selective than 81% · #37 most selective of 107 in California

Graduation rate74%

Higher than 83% · #39 of 122 in California

First-year retention93%

Higher than 90%

Average net price$42,607

Cheaper than 3% · #101 cheapest of 118 in California

Median debt at graduation$27,000

Lower than 11%

Student–faculty ratio5 : 1

Lower than 96%

Undergraduate enrollment226

Larger than 13%

Percentiles compare San Francisco Conservatory of Music with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in California.

San Francisco Conservatory of Music campus

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

438students
  • Undergraduate22652%
  • Graduate21248%

Undergraduates by gender

226undergrads
  • Women8437%
  • Men14263%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White22%
  • Black1.8%
  • Hispanic8.8%
  • Asian8.4%
  • Other or multiracial59%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
226
Graduate enrollment
212
Student–faculty ratio
5 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
17%
First-generation students
Students over 25
6%
Median family income
$49,656
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$136,899
Endowment
$65,183,000

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

Admissions

Admission rate
54.9%
Test scores
Not considered
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite

Cost

In-state tuition
$56,150
Room & board
$22,930
Books & supplies
$1,000
Total cost of attendance
$78,781
Average net price
$42,607

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)
74%
Graduated on time (4 years)
44%
First-year retention
93%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$23,988
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
Median debt at graduation
$27,000
Students with federal loans
39%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
51%

About 30% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
227
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
100%
Housing charge (year)
$13,900
Meal plan (year)
$6,300
Application fee
$110

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
A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.0 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
0
Property offenses (2022–2024)
0

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (439 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.

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
$55,704
$30–48k
$33,386
$48–75k
$24,504
$75–110k
$36,802
$110k+
$45,245

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
$112,892

$24,504/year × about 4.6 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.

100%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$33,161
average award, among those who get one

San Francisco Conservatory of Music discounts heavily: 100% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $33,161. 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 46 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Campus climate

Summer high
70°F
Winter low
47°F
Annual rain
22.9″

Average temperature

HighLow
40°60°80°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.44.8JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, San Francisco Dwtn, CA US station (0.5 mi from campus).

What San Francisco Conservatory 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 San Francisco Conservatory of Music

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

Colleges near San Francisco Conservatory 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.