Scholarship Terms, Conditions, and Renewability Guidelines

Berklee is committed to providing institutional scholarships to students that support their artistic and academic endeavors. To that end, these terms are designed to help students make consistent, purposeful, and on-time progress towards earning a degree or diploma as affordably as possible. Consider these conditions not only as standards that students need to meet to maintain their scholarships, but also good practices towards achieving their goals.

The following are the conditions for Berklee institutional scholarships for undergraduate study in a degree or diploma program at either the Boston, Massachusetts, or Valencia, Spain, campus, awarded to Berklee College of Music and Boston Conservatory at Berklee entering students. The following do not apply to awards for Berklee Online, graduate programs, summer programs, or any non-matriculating program. This policy is effective for new entering students as of the fall 2019 semester.  

1. The Berklee institutional scholarship amount awarded will be divided equally between the student's first two semesters of full-time study.
2. For first-time, first-year students, Berklee institutional scholarships will be awarded for up to eight semesters of full-time enrollment, starting with a student's first semester of enrollment at the college, and will be limited to degree or diploma requirements, unless a single major officially requires more (for example, majors in music therapy or music education).
3. For students transferring from another institution, including Berklee Global Partner institutions, Berklee institutional scholarships will be limited to remaining degree or diploma requirements, for up to eight total semesters of enrollment. Semester enrollment begins accumulating from a student’s first semester of enrollment at the college.
4. Students who have completed all graduation requirements for their course of study or who attend beyond eight total semesters at the college will no longer be eligible to receive Berklee institutional scholarships. Institutional aid will only cover the program-specific required private lessons for a student's major.
5. Scholarship recipients must meet the college's SAP policy to be eligible to enroll and receive their scholarship.
6. Students enrolled in a minimum of 12 credits are considered full time and receive their full scholarship, however, in order to remain on track to graduate within eight semesters, it is recommended that students plan to take 15 credits per semester.
7. Students who attend part-time in a semester will be eligible for prorated (login required) Berklee institutional aid (scholarships and grants). Enrolling part-time will count as a semester of usage, so students are encouraged to meet with their academic advisor to ensure they are on track to complete their program within eight total semesters of enrollment.
8. Berklee College of Music scholarship recipients will be required to provide services to the college, which may include their participation in performances, ensembles, project bands, auditions accompaniment, and/or any other Berklee-related activity that is deemed appropriate.
9. A change of principal instrument or failure to perform on the principal instrument will result in a review of the award decision and may result in the loss of eligibility for renewal of the award.
10. Berklee College of Music institutional scholarship recipients will meet with their academic advisor in the Center for Student Success prior to declaring their major to create an on-time degree completion plan. The Policy Handbook states that all Berklee College of Music students are required to declare a major field of study by their third semester of credit standing. To stay on track for graduation, it is strongly advised that the declaration of major paperwork be submitted prior to a student's assigned online registration time during their second semester.
11. Enrolled students who take a leave of absence for two semesters or more will need to email financialaid@berklee.edu before their return semester to request scholarship reinstatement. Students must be academically able to return and resume their studies within three years of starting their leave of absence to be eligible for scholarship reinstatement. Certain scholarships, such as division awards, one-time grants, and some named funds may not be eligible for renewal. All reinstated scholarships will fall under the post-fall 2019 scholarship policy. Students who are Thrive (login required) recipients should view their renewal policy.
12. Scholarships are not increased beyond the initial award amount.

Berklee institutional scholarships are renewable for the following academic year provided that the above conditions are met, students complete their instrumental study requirements, and recipients are not on any academic or disciplinary probation.