New York, NY · Private · 539 undergraduates · urban
Manhattan School of Music
Selective
Conservatory study in Manhattan with daily access to one of the world's largest professional music markets.
Institutional profile
Highly regarded Strong in academic standing, and strong in student experience.Admission is by audition into a single discipline; general-population earnings measures describe this school poorly.
- Admission
- 39.9% admitted
- Price by income
- Varies across five income ranges
- Completion
- 76.3%
1,432 applicants in the reported year
Compare recent average annual costs by household income
$26,878 median earnings 10 years after enrollment
What sets Manhattan School of Music apart
Academic design
Undergraduate study centers on private lessons, ensembles, theory, musicianship, performance, and a chosen specialty, with a schedule shaped much more like professional artistic training than a general university program.
Campus pattern
The Morningside Heights campus is compact and urban, with concerts, rehearsals, practice, and New York's broader arts scene dominating student life.
Defining feature
Conservatory study in Manhattan with daily access to one of the world's largest professional music markets.
Can I get in?
39.9% admitted
Undergraduate applicants must complete program-specific prescreening and audition requirements; repertoire and procedures vary by discipline.
Recent applicant pool
1,432About 40 in every 100 applicants were admitted.
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.
In the season card
Where your GPA sits in the entering class
The full entering-class GPA distribution for Manhattan School of Music, in nine bands from 4.0 down, with your own record marked on it.
See where I landIn the season card
What Manhattan School 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
What moves the application
The evidence that separates a strong file
Show preparation for this curriculum
Undergraduate study centers on private lessons, ensembles, theory, musicianship, performance, and a chosen specialty, with a schedule shaped much more like professional artistic training than a general university program.
Make the fit specific
Conservatory study in Manhattan with daily access to one of the world's largest professional music markets.
Account for the tradeoff
Undergraduate applicants must complete program-specific prescreening and audition requirements; repertoire and procedures vary by discipline.
How to apply
Rounds, route, and required materials
Undergraduate applicants must complete program-specific prescreening and audition requirements; repertoire and procedures vary by discipline.
$100 application fee
Major and program admission
Some fields have their own entry path.
The college admit rate above covers the university as a whole. These requirements apply only to the named program.
Performing and visual artsAdmits separately
What this program asks for, and when it closes.
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.
In the season card
Average annual cost by household income at Manhattan School 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+
Is it worth it?
Completion, debt, and earnings
Conservatory study in Manhattan with daily access to one of the world's largest professional music markets.
Degree completion across the reported entering cohort
First-year students who return for year two
And what that comes to against what they earn.
Reported 10 years after enrollment
Academic portfolio
Largest bachelor’s fields
How many students finish in each field, and median earnings four years after completing the program.
Music
Admits separately
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft
Admits separately
What is campus life like?
Manhattan School of Music beyond the classroom
The Morningside Heights campus is compact and urban, with concerts, rehearsals, practice, and New York's broader arts scene dominating student life.
A defining academic feature
Undergraduate study centers on private lessons, ensembles, theory, musicianship, performance, and a chosen specialty, with a schedule shaped much more like professional artistic training than a general university program.
What shapes an ordinary week
The Morningside Heights campus is compact and urban, with concerts, rehearsals, practice, and New York's broader arts scene dominating student life.
What changes the experience
Conservatory study in Manhattan with daily access to one of the world's largest professional music markets.