Berklee Renews Educational Partnership with CJ Cultural Foundation

Berklee President Erica Muhl and Heekyung Jo Min, executive vice president and head of corporate social responsibility at the CJ Group, signed a commitment earlier this month to award Korean students $1.5 million ($300,000 annually) for the next five years. 

“Berklee is enormously grateful to the CJ Cultural Foundation for our ongoing partnership. The support they provide has been life-changing for the scholarship recipients,” said Muhl. “I’m delighted that our collaboration will continue to provide the means for new cohorts of talented young artists to enhance and enrich our community at Berklee and have an immense and positive impact on the world.”

The awards will be provided through two scholarships: the CJ Presidential Scholarship and the CJ Music Scholarship.

The CJ Presidential Scholarship is an annual scholarship awarded to one gifted Korean musician accepted for the upcoming fall semester at the college. This scholarship is intended to provide an opportunity for a prospective student with demonstrated financial need to attend the college, and covers the cost of tuition and room and board. It is renewable over four years of study. 

The CJ Music Scholarship is cofunded by the CJ Cultural Foundation (CJCF) and Berklee, and is awarded to selected Korean musicians in need of financial assistance who are accepted to the college for the fall semester. The $8,000 scholarship from CJCF is matched by Berklee and provides $16,000 in tuition assistance renewable for four years.

The CJ Cultural Foundation scholarships are open to all aspiring Korean national students who demonstrate financial need alongside talent and potential. Students are required to complete the college's undergraduate admissions application, audition and interview, and submit their academic transcripts. Final selections for the CJ Presidential Scholarship and CJ Music Scholarship will be announced later this month.

The first Berklee/CJ scholarships were awarded in 2011, and the partnership was formalized in 2018 with the selection of one presidential scholar and five music scholars. Since then, more than 125 students have received financial support from the CJ Cultural Foundation. 

About CJ Cultural Foundation 

Founded in 2006, the CJ Cultural Foundation practices CJ Group Chairman Lee Jay-hyun’s philosophy of social contribution: “We should be dreamkeepers for young artists.” CJ continually maintains its commitment to diverse and creative cultural industries by discovering and nurturing talents in music, film, and the performing arts. The astounding achievements of K-Culture are the fruits of diversity and numerous efforts to expand the base for culture and arts. CJ Cultural Foundation is actively supporting young creators in diverse genres to play an active role on the global stage.