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Cleveland, OH · Private · 159 undergraduates · urban

Cleveland Institute of Music

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Conservatory training directly adjacent to Severance Music Center and the Cleveland Orchestra.

Campus image / Publicly hosted campus image

Institutional profile

Well established Strong in academic standing, and strong in student experience.
Academic Strong Affordability Steady Career Steady Mobility Steady Experience Strong
Academic standing Strong
Affordability Steady
Career outcomes Steady
Mobility Steady
Student experience Strong
Admission
38.2% admitted

461 applicants in the reported year

Price by income
Varies across five income ranges

Compare recent average annual costs by household income

Completion
76%

$32,641 median earnings 10 years after enrollment

What sets Cleveland Institute of Music apart

Academic design

Undergraduates receive conservatory-level instruction in performance, composition, and related music disciplines, with private study, ensembles, theory, ear training, and frequent performance built into the curriculum.

Campus pattern

The institute sits in Cleveland's University Circle near the Cleveland Orchestra, museums, and Case Western Reserve University, creating a dense professional and cultural environment around a small conservatory community.

Defining feature

Conservatory training directly adjacent to Severance Music Center and the Cleveland Orchestra.

Can I get in?

38.2% admitted

Applicants must complete music-specific application requirements that generally include prescreening and an audition; requirements vary by instrument or area.

Recent applicant pool

461

About 38 in every 100 applicants were admitted.

Admission rate 38.2%
Entering class

Record over scores

No score range is published for the entering class, so the transcript, the course rigor, and the required materials carry the file.

Return for a second year93.9%
Finish the degree76%

In the season card

Where your GPA sits in the entering class

The full entering-class GPA distribution for Cleveland Institute of Music, in nine bands from 4.0 down, with your own record marked on it.

See where I land

In the season card

What Cleveland Institute of Music weighs when it reads a file

See how this college describes the role of grades, testing, essays, recommendations, activities, and demonstrated interest.

  • Course rigor  
  • GPA  
  • Test scores  
  • Essay  
  • Recommendations  
  • Extracurriculars  
  • Demonstrated interest  
See what counts here

What moves the application

The evidence that separates a strong file

01

Show preparation for this curriculum

Undergraduates receive conservatory-level instruction in performance, composition, and related music disciplines, with private study, ensembles, theory, ear training, and frequent performance built into the curriculum.

02

Make the fit specific

Conservatory training directly adjacent to Severance Music Center and the Cleveland Orchestra.

03

Account for the tradeoff

Applicants must complete music-specific application requirements that generally include prescreening and an audition; requirements vary by instrument or area.

How to apply

Rounds, route, and required materials

Applicants must complete music-specific application requirements that generally include prescreening and an audition; requirements vary by instrument or area.

Application routeInstitution application

No application fee recorded

Can I afford it?

Compare annual cost by household income.

Start with the average net price for your income range, then set that estimate beside your other realistic options.

Published annual cost$61,212
Average annual cost after aid$28,000
Affordability profileSteady

In the season card

Average annual cost by household income at Cleveland Institute of Music

Compare recent average net prices across five federal income ranges and estimate a 4-year cost for yours.

  • $0–30k 
  • $30–48k 
  • $48–75k 
  • $75–110k 
  • $110k+ 
Open the price by income

Is it worth it?

Completion, debt, and earnings

Conservatory training directly adjacent to Severance Music Center and the Cleveland Orchestra.

Complete within 8 years76%

Degree completion across the reported entering cohort

Return after year one93.9%

First-year students who return for year two

Median federal debtWhat students owe on the way out

And what that comes to against what they earn.

Median earnings$32,641

Reported 10 years after enrollment

What is campus life like?

Cleveland Institute of Music beyond the classroom

The institute sits in Cleveland's University Circle near the Cleveland Orchestra, museums, and Case Western Reserve University, creating a dense professional and cultural environment around a small conservatory community.

Academics

A defining academic feature

Undergraduates receive conservatory-level instruction in performance, composition, and related music disciplines, with private study, ensembles, theory, ear training, and frequent performance built into the curriculum.

Campus setting

What shapes an ordinary week

The institute sits in Cleveland's University Circle near the Cleveland Orchestra, museums, and Case Western Reserve University, creating a dense professional and cultural environment around a small conservatory community.

Distinctive edge

What changes the experience

Conservatory training directly adjacent to Severance Music Center and the Cleveland Orchestra.

159 undergraduatesMidwesturban settingPrimarily off-campus housing