Graduate Degree Admissions Information

Tuition and Financial Aid

Graduate Degree Tuition

The cost of attendance comprises charges billed directly to the student by Berklee Online as well as indirect costs that go along with attending school. For students receiving financial aid, the total cost of attendance reflects the maximum amount you can receive in scholarships, grants, and loans.

Itemization of Charges for All Majors*

*Tuition and fees are subject to change.

**The one-time comprehensive fee is a one-time fee charged to all entering students. The fee is assessed to cover costs associated with supporting online learning technology that augments the students’ academic experience.

Full-Time Charges

Master of Arts in Music Business, Music Production, Interdisciplinary Studies

Master of Music in Film Scoring

** Film Scoring course fee applied to OCOMP-599, OCOMP-637, OCOMP-693, and OCOMP-695. The $750 fee for OCOMP-599 and OCOMP-637 will cover the cost for students to have their scores performed by a live orchestra.  The $500 fee for OCOMP-693 and OCOMP-695 will cover the cost of the one-on-one instruction provided in these courses.

Master of Arts in Songwriting

* Songwriting course fee is applied to OSONG-693 and OSONG-695 and will cover the cost of the one-on-one instruction provided in these courses.

Estimated Indirect Full-time Academic Year Costs for 2024-2025

Indirect costs are expenses related to going to school that will not appear on a student's bill.

*Tuition and fees are subject to change.

Students providing proof of military status are eligible for a reduction in tuition.

There is a $150 late payment fee assessed per semester by the finance department for all payments submitted after the tuition due date. Due dates can be found at https://online.berklee.edu/degrees/about/graduate-degree-academic-calendar.

The one-time comprehensive fee is a one-time fee charged to all entering students. The fee is assessed to cover costs associated with supporting online learning technology that augments the students’ academic experience.

Berklee Online Degree Tuition Payment Plan Policy

As a courtesy to our degree students, we offer a flexible payment plan each semester through our partner Nelnet Campus Commerce (Nelnet). This plan allows students and families to pay their tuition and fees in smaller installments. The plan requires a $25 enrollment fee and a deposit of one-third of the payment plan balance upon enrollment as well as automatic payments for subsequent installments.

Steps to Enroll in the Tuition Payment Plan Policy

1. Log in to your student account.
2. Navigate to the "Financial Information" menu and select, "Student Finance.", then select "Monthly Tuition Payment Plan."
3. First, create a Nelnet account, then select, "Set up a Payment Plan."
   • Note: If a family member or sponsor is paying on your behalf, you can select, "Add an Authorized Party," and your payer will receive an invitation to create a Nelnet account.

Federal Financial Aid

Berklee Online graduate degree students who are US citizens or eligible noncitizens are strongly encouraged to apply for federal financial aid by submitting the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA is an online application used to determine your eligibility for federal student aid, including federal grants, loans, and some state funds.

All students should plan ahead and develop a sound financial plan that they can implement regardless of the outcome of their federal financial aid application. Federal financial aid is designed to supplement your own contribution to your education, and the more sources of funding you have available the more successful you will be in financing your entire degree program.

How to Apply for Financial Aid

Log in to studentaid.gov to begin filling out your application. Use Berklee’s federal school code—002126—when prompted. For assistance with completing the FAFSA, please contact the studentaid.gov Student Support Center or their Customer Service at 1-800-433-3243 or go to studentaid.gov/fafsahelp.

Types of Graduate Financial Aid

Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan

Any degree student who files a FAFSA (and is a US citizen or eligible noncitizen) will be automatically considered for federal student loan eligibility. Graduate students are only eligible for the unsubsidized direct loan which is considered self-help financial aid that must be paid back with interest.

• Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan: This is a loan for which you are responsible for paying all the interest that accrues from the date of the first disbursement until the loan is paid in full. 

This loan is available to eligible US citizens or eligible noncitizens attending at least half time (3 credits for graduate) in a degree program. See the maximum borrowing limits for these loans, and familiarize yourself with the current federal loan interest rates.

First-time borrowers of federal loans must complete an online Master Promissory Note (MPN) and an Entrance Counseling session in order to be eligible for the loans. 

To determine estimated payback amounts, you can use a repayment calculator. Please note that the amount of repayment depends on the type of loan you received, the amount you borrowed, the interest rate, and the length of the repayment plan.

Please note: students are not required to accept any federal student loans offered to them. You have the right to decline (turn down) the loan or request a lower loan amount. You should only borrow what is needed. To decline or reduce your federal student loan amount please complete Berklee’s Loan Reduction/Declination form.

Federal PLUS Loan

If you are a graduate student, and have completed a FAFSA with Berklee, you can be considered for PLUS loan eligibility by applying on the Student Federal Aid site. 

PLUS loans often help cover the gap after any FAFSA-based funds are applied. These programs are offered by the US Department of Education and (relative to some private loan lenders) offer lower interest rates and a less restricted loan approval process.

Please familiarize yourself with the current federal loan interest rates.

First-time borrowers of federal loans must complete an online Federal PLUS Master Promissory Note (MPN) and a Federal PLUS Entrance Counseling session in order to be eligible for the loans.

Borrowers who have initially been denied a graduate PLUS loan and appeal the decision, or who later get approved for a PLUS loan with a co-signer may also be required to complete PLUS Loan Credit Counseling.

Please note: Graduate students who have borrowed a PLUS loan and wish to cancel or reduce their loan should email onestop@berklee.edu with their request, from the email they used to apply for the loan.

Financial Aid Policies and Procedures

Aid Distribution

Graduate degree students will have their total yearly federal financial aid evenly divided between a maximum of four semesters of study in an academic year. Berklee Online graduate degree students are awarded federal financial aid assuming a half-time (3 credit) course load. Students must be enrolled in a minimum of 3 credits to be eligible to receive federal loans, and no additional federal loan amounts are awarded beyond 3 credits.

*Berklee Online academic years run from fall of one year to summer of the next, for four total semesters. Starting your program in Winter, Spring, or Summer makes your academic year and distribution of aid three, two, and one semesters respectively (see illustration below).

Aid Distribution Based on Start Date - Graduate

Maximum Federal Aid Limits

Students who are continuing their education and have previously borrowed federal loans should log into National Student Loan Data Systems (NSLDS) to ensure they are within their lifetime loan limits. If you are close to your limits, please develop a sound financial plan to meet your costs. Students who are close to or meeting their lifetime limits will be notified by the Office of Student Financial Services once the FAFSA is received and file review completed.

College Transcripts

Students who previously attended another college or university will need to submit those official transcripts to Berklee Online as part of the application process. In the event that a student does not submit all transcripts and the FAFSA is flagged for Unusual Enrollment History, the Office of Student Financial Services will need to obtain those missing transcripts before the file review can commence and further aid eligibility be determined.

Federal Verification

The U.S. Department of Education or Berklee may select certain FAFSA records for a process called verification. If your FAFSA record is selected, there are additional financial aid requirements necessary to verify the accuracy of the FAFSA information and confirm your financial aid eligibility. You will be notified if you have been selected for verification by the Department of Education in the Student Aid Report (SAR) after you file your FAFSA. These requirements typically include tax and wage information, but other documents might be necessary to complete verification.

It is important to provide any requested documents as quickly as possible to ensure the timely processing of your aid.

Students who are selected for verification will have their verification processed by our partner, Inceptia. Please click here for more detailed information on the Berklee verification process.

Maintaining Federal Financial Aid Eligibility

To remain eligible for federal financial aid, graduate students must be enrolled at least 3 credits in a semester and meet Satisfactory Academic Progress guidelines. No additional federal loan amounts are awarded beyond 3 credits. Students who fall below 3 credits will not be eligible for federal financial aid for that semester, need to complete Exit Counseling, and may go into loan repayment.

Learn more about Federal Financial Aid.
Learn more about Berklee Online’s Satisfactory Academic Progress policy.

Exit Counseling

Berklee is required to send a notice of exit counseling to all students who have received a subsidized, unsubsidized, or PLUS loan under the Direct Loan Program or the FFEL Program and meet one or more of the following criteria:

• Drop below half-time enrollment in a semester
• Graduate
• Leave school or do not otherwise enroll
• Fully withdraw from a semester

Exit counseling provides important information to prepare you to repay your federal student loan(s).

Loan repayment generally begins after a six-month grace period. If you re-enroll at least half time before your six-month grace period expires, you will not go into repayment and your grace period will reset. If you re-enroll after you have already used the entire six month grace period, then anytime you meet one of the criteria above you will immediately enter repayment status.

IMPORTANT: During period of time when you are not required to make payments such as while you are in school, in a deferment, or in a forbearance- your interest will accrue (accumulate) and it will in certain instances be capitalized (which means that your interest will be added to the principal amount of your loan. Whether your unpaid interest capitalizes or not, you are still responsible for paying the interest that accrues. You can always choose to pay the interest that accrues even when you are not required to make a payment.

Other Aid Opportunities

Alternative Loan Options

Many private lenders offer educational loans to students and families to assist with bridging the gap between your available resources and your total educational costs. These loans are credit-based, with variable interest rates, and should be considered as a last resort once all other sources of funding have been exhausted. You can explore these loans on ELM Select, and Credible, which contain a curated list of lenders that our students have borrowed from over the last two years. Berklee is no way affiliated with, nor accepts gifts or benefits from, any private loan lenders.

Employer Tuition Assistance

Some companies or schools will pay the tuition for their employees to take a course or program. Please contact a representative within your company or school district to learn more about this benefit.

Tuition assistance forms or a purchase order from a school or employer may be accepted. The tuition assistance form or purchase order needs to include the following items:

• Student's name
• Course or courses covered
• Tuition amount covered
• Semester and dates covered
• Name and address where invoices will be sent
• Student signature if applicable
  

Tuition assistance forms can be emailed to finance@online.berklee.edu.

These forms must be received by the end of the enrollment period of the upcoming semester. After reviewing the forms submitted, if they are approved, the amount the employer is paying will be applied to the tuition and fees due. If there is a balance remaining the student will be responsible for paying this amount prior to the start of the course. Once this balance is paid, you will be officially enrolled in the course. You will receive an email that your enrollment has been approved.

The student will be responsible for any approved amount that is not paid by their employer. Student services could be suspended for failure to pay tuition in a timely manner. Questions should be sent to the Finance Department at finance@online.berklee.edu. We are also available to help you at 1-866-BERKLEE or 1-617-747-2146 if outside the US, Monday through Friday, 9 AM-5 PM, US Eastern Time.

*Tuition assistance can only be used for tuition and registration fees. Tuition assistance cannot be used for books or required software.