“Historic Boston music conservatory near Symphony Hall, partnered with Harvard and Tufts.”
The New England Conservatory of Music is a private music school in Boston, Massachusetts, founded in 1867. Located on Huntington Avenue near Symphony Hall, it offers bachelor's and graduate degrees in classical performance, jazz studies, composition, and music history, with joint double-degree programs with Harvard and Tufts.
Visa, OPT, H-1B alumni outcomes, and acceptance rates by country — sourced from FOIA, USCIS H-1B Hub, and DHS SEVIS.
Test Free — No test scores needed — they won't be reviewed even if submitted.
Official SourceApplication + Prescreening Video
Deadline for application materials and prescreening recordings (where required) for fall 2026 entry.
Recommendations + English Proficiency
Letters of recommendation and TOEFL/IELTS/Duolingo scores due.
FAFSA / Financial Aid
Domestic students; financial aid materials.
Live Audition Window
Live auditions held on campus in February; recorded auditions only for applicants living 500+ miles from Boston.
This university does not consider SAT or ACT scores in admissions.
The deep admissions playbook beyond the headline acceptance rate — round-by-round breakdowns, nationality data, requirements, and contact paths.
Tuition & Fees (All Students)
$60,750
/yr
Beyond the sticker price — every named scholarship, the financial aid policy, need-aware notes, and a personalized net-cost estimate.
How life on campus actually feels — clubs, sports, traditions, housing realities, and how the school integrates with its city.
Violin, viola, cello, double bass, harp, and guitar. Faculty includes principals of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and chamber-music luminaries.
Five woodwind, five brass, and percussion specializations. Strong feeder into US and European orchestras.
Solo piano, collaborative piano, organ, and harpsichord. Home of NEC's renowned Collaborative Piano program.
Undergraduate and graduate vocal performance, opera, and pedagogy programs with mainstage productions each season.
Founded in 1969 by Gunther Schuller — one of the first jazz degrees offered at any US conservatory. The Contemporary Improvisation department trains genre-crossing musicians.
Graduate and undergraduate degrees in composition (acoustic and electronic), conducting, and academic music studies.
Bachelor's degrees in classical music performance.
Bachelor's program in jazz studies, among the first conservatory jazz programs in the US.
Undergraduate composition program.
Interdisciplinary program exploring contemporary musical practices.
Where alumni go after graduation — top industries, grad-school continuation, and the qualitative outcomes story.
Sticker price (annual, out-of-state): $60,750
Net-cost estimate is US-resident-only — international applicants are typically excluded from need-based aid at most schools and should treat the sticker price as the planning baseline.
