Berklee College of Music, the world’s premier college of contemporary music, offers limited merit and need-based financial aid to prospective master’s students, so that the most gifted musicians from all over the world have the means to attend.

In order to qualify for Berklee scholarships and grants, students must complete a Berklee Graduate Aid Application. In addition, all U.S. citizens and permanent residents are required to submit the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). The financial information provided on the Graduate Aid Application will be used along with the master’s program requirements to consider students for institutional grants and scholarships. The awards issued range in amount and are available to candidates demonstrating the highest musical and/or academic merit together with financial need.

Scholarships

Berklee has established the following named funds to recognize outstanding talent and potential:

• Berklee Alumni Scholarship: awarded to an outstanding Berklee undergraduate alumnus/a who has demonstrated excellence, exceptional talent, and outstanding achievement throughout their undergraduate studies.
• BIN Scholarship: awarded to an outstanding student, alumnus/a, or faculty member from a Berklee International Network school.
• Michel Camilo Scholarship: awarded to one gifted artist who is accepted to the Berklee master’s program in contemporary performance.
• Juan Luis Guerra Scholarship: awarded to one gifted artist who is accepted to the Berklee master’s program in contemporary performance.
• Alberto Iglesias Scholarship: awarded to one gifted composer who is accepted to the Berklee master’s program in scoring for film, television, and video games.
• Howard Shore Scholarship: awarded to one gifted composer who is accepted to the Berklee master’s program in scoring for film, television, and video games.
• Endesa Foundation Scholarship: awarded to gifted candidates from Latin America accepted to any of the Berklee master’s programs. Students must be from Argentina, Bolivia, Brasil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Dominican Republic, Uruguay, or Venezuela.
• Conexus Foundation Scholarship: awarded to one gifted artist who is accepted to the Berklee master’s program in contemporary performance and who is from Madrid, Spain.
• Berklee Lollapalooza Chile Scholarship: awarded to one gifted artist who is accepted to any of Berklee in Valencia’s master’s programs and who is from Chile*.
• Berklee Lollapalooza Brazil Scholarship: awarded to one gifted artist who is accepted to any of Berklee in Valencia’s master’s programs and who is from Brazil*
  * Application fee waived for citizens of Chile and Brazil.

How To Apply
To be considered for institutional scholarships/grants, all candidates should submit the Berklee Graduate Aid Application. All U.S. citizens and permanent residents who apply for Berklee Graduate Aid are also required to file the 2012-2013 free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Non U.S. international applicants are not eligible to file the FAFSA and should only complete the Berklee Graduate Aid Application in order to be considered for any kind of financial assistance. Please note that first you need to apply for the Master’s program before you have access to the Berklee Graduate Aid Application. Once you have applied, you will have access to it on your online applicant profile.

Deadlines
The early action deadline is November 30, 2012. Complete Graduate Aid Applications received on or before November 30, 2012 will receive a Berklee Aid decision by February 15, 2013 along with their admissions decision. Applicants to the contemporary performance master’s program who apply by November 30, 2012 and complete their audition by January 31, 2013 will be notified about their Berklee aid decision by Feb 15, 2013.

The regular action deadline is March 1, 2013. Complete Graduate Aid Applications received on or before March 1, 2013 will receive a Berklee Aid decision by May 31, 2013 along with their admissions decision. Applicants to the contemporary performance master’s program who apply by March 1, 2013 and complete complete their audition by April 1, 2013, will be notified about their Berklee Aid decision by May 31, 2013.

The extended application deadline is April 30, 2013. Complete Graduate Aid Applications received on or before April 30, 2013 will receive a Berklee Aid decision by May 31, 2013 along with their admissions decision. Applicants to the contemporary performance master’s program who apply by April 30, 2013 and complete complete their audition by April 30, 2013, will be notified about their Berklee Aid decision by May 31, 2013.

Contact Us

If you have any questions regarding scholarships, please contact us at scholarshipsvalencia@berklee.edu or at + 34 96 333 2802, ext 3408.

Financial Aid

Students who are U.S citizens or permanent residents may apply for Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford loans through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

Graduate students may borrow up to $20,500 under the Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan program. The $20,500 will be divided and distributed evenly across all three semesters. Interest will begin to accrue upon disbursement and the interest rate is fixed at 6.8 percent. The loan also has a 1% origination fee that is deducted proportionately each time that a loan disbursement is made.

How to Apply

U.S. Citizens or Permanent Residents can complete the 2013-2014 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online. You will need to sign the form electronically using your PIN.  If you do not have a PIN, you can request one through www.pin.ed.gov.  Be sure to list Berklee College of Music, Federal School Code 002126.

If you provide your e-mail address when completing your FAFSA, you will receive information about your application within a few days of processing.  Please check the information for accuracy and follow any special instructions.

Cost of Attendance
The cost of attendance is comprised of direct costs and indirect costs. Direct costs are part of the tuition bill and are paid to Berklee. Indirect costs are not billed to students by Berklee, but are inherent with attending the program.

For students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents and receiving federal financial aid, the total cost of attendance reflects the maximum amount a student may receive for the length of the program. This includes all scholarships, federal loans, and private loans.

N.B. The laptop charge for 2013-2014 has yet to be determined. The cost reported here is for 2012-2013.

Contact Us

If you have any questions regarding the financial aid application process, your awards or our policies, please contact us at financialaid@berklee.edu or at 800 BERKLEE, option #1.