Private nonprofit · Conservatory
The New England Conservatory of Music
Boston, Massachusetts · Large city
- 41.1%
- Admit rate
- $46,754
- Avg net price
- 73%
- Graduation rate
- $34,483
- Median earnings
The New England Conservatory of Music is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Boston, Massachusetts (large city setting), enrolling 393 undergraduates.
About Boston, Massachusetts
Boston is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. In 1630, settlers led by John Winthrop arrived, and found Shawmut Peninsula nearly empty of Native people. Most had died of European diseases borne by earlier settlers and traders. Boston shares many cultural roots with greater New England, including a dialect of the non-rhotic Eastern New England accent known as the Boston accent and a regional cuisine with a large emphasis on seafood, salt, and dairy products. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Large city
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 2 miles to Boston, MA
- To the ocean
- 2 miles
- Nearest airport
- 4 miles to Boston Logan (BOS) · major hub
How The New England Conservatory of Music compares
More selective than 89% · #17 most selective of 63 in Massachusetts
Higher than 83% · #27 of 66 in Massachusetts
Higher than 83%
Higher than 6% · #64 of 67 in Massachusetts
Cheaper than 1% · #63 cheapest of 65 in Massachusetts
Lower than 11%
Lower than 96%
Larger than 18%
Percentiles compare The New England Conservatory of Music with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Massachusetts.
Student body
Undergraduate vs. graduate
- Undergraduate39348%
- Graduate43252%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women16642%
- Men22758%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White33%
- Black1.5%
- Hispanic6.1%
- Asian9.2%
- Other or multiracial50%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 393
- Graduate enrollment
- 432
- Student–faculty ratio
- 5 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 7%
- First-generation students
- —
- Students over 25
- 3%
- Median family income
- $90,092
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $71,433
- Endowment
- $164,487,681
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Admissions
- Admission rate
- 41.1%
- Test scores
- Not considered
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- —
- SAT average
- —
- SAT reading
- —
- SAT math
- —
- ACT composite
- —
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $60,750
- Room & board
- $20,010
- Books & supplies
- $500
- Total cost of attendance
- $81,277
- Average net price
- $46,754
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)
- 73%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 47%
- First-year retention
- 88%
- Transferred to another college
- 0%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $18,830
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $34,483
- Median debt at graduation
- $27,000
- Students with federal loans
- 23%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 69%
About 27% 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
- 256
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 65%
- Housing charge (year)
- $12,850
- Meal plan (year)
- $6,437
- 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
- C
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 2.7 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 2
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 5
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (853 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.
By offense type, per year
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.
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.
$45,625/year × about 4.5 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.
The New England Conservatory of Music discounts heavily: 85% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $27,317. 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 48 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)
- $34,483
- Typical debt at graduation
- $27,000
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 78%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 48%
Typical debt would take roughly 7.8 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
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.
The pay gap here
Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.
Women out-earn men by $10,253 (34%) a decade out.
Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.
Campus climate
- Summer high
- 85°F
- Winter low
- 19°F
- Annual rain
- 49.4″
- Annual snow
- 49.2″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Jamaica Plain, MA US station (3.3 mi from campus).
What The New England 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 The New England Conservatory of Music
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare The New England Conservatory of Music side by side →
Beacon College
Leesburg, Florida · Midsize suburb · 35 mi to Orlando
- Students
- 506
- Admission
- 43%
- Net price
- $54k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $29k
Art Academy of Cincinnati
Cincinnati, Ohio · Large city · < 1 mi to Cincinnati
- Students
- 205
- Admission
- 34%
- Net price
- $34k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $34k
Moore College of Art and Design
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania · Large city · < 1 mi to Philadelphia
- Students
- 535
- Admission
- 56%
- Net price
- $43k
- SAT
- 1282
- GPA
- 3.6
- Earnings
- $38k
Bennington College
Bennington, Vermont · Distant town · 32 mi to Albany
- Students
- 780
- Admission
- 45%
- Net price
- $31k
- SAT
- 1364
- GPA
- 3.8
- Earnings
- $38k
California Institute of the Arts
Valencia, California · Large suburb · 30 mi to Los Angeles
- Students
- 860
- Admission
- 32%
- Net price
- $46k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $41k
Manhattan School of Music
New York, New York · Large city · 7 mi to New York
- Students
- 539
- Admission
- 41%
- Net price
- $52k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $27k
Colleges near The New England Conservatory of Music
Northeastern University
Boston, MA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 17,326 students
Northeastern University Professional Programs
Boston, MA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,802 students
Berklee College of Music
Boston, MA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 7,468 students
Boston Architectural College
Boston, MA · Private nonprofit · Certificate · 280 students
Wentworth Institute of Technology
Boston, MA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 3,747 students
Simmons University
Boston, MA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,670 students
Massachusetts College of Art and Design
Boston, MA · Public · Bachelor's · 1,831 students
New England College of Optometry
Boston, MA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's
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.











