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San Francisco, CA · Private · 226 undergraduates · urban

San Francisco Conservatory of Music

Moderately selective

A conservatory embedded in San Francisco's performing-arts district with close links to the professional music industry.

Campus image / Publicly hosted campus image

Institutional profile

Established Solid in academic standing, and solid in student experience.
Academic Solid Affordability Emerging Career Solid Mobility Steady Experience Solid
Academic standing Solid
Affordability Emerging
Career outcomes Solid
Mobility Steady
Student experience Solid
Admission
51.9% admitted

439 applicants in the reported year

Price by income
Varies across five income ranges

Compare recent average annual costs by household income

Completion
72.1%

The strongest comparable outcome available

What sets San Francisco Conservatory of Music apart

Academic design

Undergraduates pursue performance, composition, technology and applied composition, and related music fields through private study, ensembles, musicianship, theory, and frequent performance.

Campus pattern

Students live and work in central San Francisco near major venues including Davies Symphony Hall and the War Memorial complex, so performances and professional arts organizations are part of the immediate neighborhood.

Defining feature

A conservatory embedded in San Francisco's performing-arts district with close links to the professional music industry.

Can I get in?

51.9% admitted

Applicants complete music-specific prescreening and audition requirements; repertoire and format vary by area of study.

Recent applicant pool

439

About 52 in every 100 applicants were admitted.

Admission rate 51.9%
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 year84.5%
Finish the degree72.1%

In the season card

Where your GPA sits in the entering class

The full entering-class GPA distribution for San Francisco Conservatory 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 San Francisco Conservatory 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 pursue performance, composition, technology and applied composition, and related music fields through private study, ensembles, musicianship, theory, and frequent performance.

02

Make the fit specific

A conservatory embedded in San Francisco's performing-arts district with close links to the professional music industry.

03

Account for the tradeoff

Applicants complete music-specific prescreening and audition requirements; repertoire and format vary by area of study.

How to apply

Rounds, route, and required materials

Applicants complete music-specific prescreening and audition requirements; repertoire and format vary by area of study.

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$81,532
Average annual cost after aid$43,000
Affordability profileEmerging

In the season card

Average annual cost by household income at San Francisco Conservatory 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

A conservatory embedded in San Francisco's performing-arts district with close links to the professional music industry.

Complete within 8 years72.1%

Degree completion across the reported entering cohort

Return after year one84.5%

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

Reported 10 years after enrollment

What is campus life like?

San Francisco Conservatory of Music beyond the classroom

Students live and work in central San Francisco near major venues including Davies Symphony Hall and the War Memorial complex, so performances and professional arts organizations are part of the immediate neighborhood.

Academics

A defining academic feature

Undergraduates pursue performance, composition, technology and applied composition, and related music fields through private study, ensembles, musicianship, theory, and frequent performance.

Campus setting

What shapes an ordinary week

Students live and work in central San Francisco near major venues including Davies Symphony Hall and the War Memorial complex, so performances and professional arts organizations are part of the immediate neighborhood.

Distinctive edge

What changes the experience

A conservatory embedded in San Francisco's performing-arts district with close links to the professional music industry.

226 undergraduatesPacificurban settingPrimarily off-campus housing