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.

Private nonprofitSmall · 393 undergradsLarge citySelective · 41% admitCold wintersSnowyNear the coast

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

Selectivity41.1%

More selective than 89% · #17 most selective of 63 in Massachusetts

Graduation rate73%

Higher than 83% · #27 of 66 in Massachusetts

First-year retention88%

Higher than 83%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$34,483

Higher than 6% · #64 of 67 in Massachusetts

Average net price$46,754

Cheaper than 1% · #63 cheapest of 65 in Massachusetts

Median debt at graduation$27,000

Lower than 11%

Student–faculty ratio5 : 1

Lower than 96%

Undergraduate enrollment393

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

825students
  • Undergraduate39348%
  • Graduate43252%

Undergraduates by gender

393undergrads
  • 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.

2.3reported offenses a year
0.7 violent a year1.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
1.7
Rape
0.3
Fondling
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
$47,882
$30–48k
$44,882
$48–75k
$45,625
$75–110k
$45,608
$110k+
$47,387

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
$207,305

$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.

85%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$27,317
average award, among those who get one

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.

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.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$40,105
Men
$29,852

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

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.55.1JFMAMJJASOND

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 →

Colleges near The New England 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.