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Berklee award rules

Will the scholarship last four years at Berklee?

We pulled the school’s grade, credit, and time limits into one place so you can see what it takes to keep the award.

Verified Jul 20262 months ago

The short answer

4 of 4 published awards are listed as renewable.

The exact rule can change by award. Check the award your student may receive before you count on the same amount every year.

What to do

Find the award name in the full research below. Save its grade, credit, and deadline rules with your college plan.

See every award rule, common mistake, and source

At a glance

Renewable tiers
4 of 4
One-time tiers
0
Tiers with published renewal terms
4
Renewal risk profile
moderate

Renewal risk profile

Berklee's renewal bar is achievable for steady students but isn't generous. Most awards require a cumulative GPA in the 3.0–3.4 band plus full-time enrollment. Audit the strictest tier on this school's list before assuming the four-year value is locked in.

  • Merit-Based Scholarships: SAP standards
  • Presidential Scholarship: See notes
  • Full-Tuition Scholarships: See notes
  • Thrive Scholarship (continuing students): See notes

Renewal terms by tier

  • Merit-Based Scholarships

    Amount not published

    To keep it: Undergraduate scholarships are awarded for up to eight total semesters of enrollment to cover a single major, and are automatically renewed each semester provided students are meeting the terms and conditions of their scholarship. Per FAQ, standard scholarship recipients must at least meet SAP standards: CGPA of 2.0 and completion percentage of 70.

    Source: https://www.berklee.edu/scholarships

  • Presidential Scholarship

    Full tuition + on-campus housing, meal plan, laptop, software, major bundles, and comprehensive fee

    To keep it: Renewed each year, for a total of eight semesters to cover a single major, and follows the standard scholarship policy.

    Source: https://www.berklee.edu/scholarships

  • Full-Tuition Scholarships

    Full tuition

    To keep it: Renewed each year for a total of eight semesters to cover a single major; follows the standard scholarship policy.

    Source: https://www.berklee.edu/scholarships

  • Thrive Scholarship (continuing students)

    Amount not published

    To keep it: Per FAQ: Students receiving the Thrive Scholarship are expected to maintain a CGPA of 3.0 and completion percentage of 94.

    Source: https://www.berklee.edu/scholarships

How families lose this aid

  • Declaring a dual major and expecting the scholarship to cover the extra semesters.

    Scholarships cover up to eight semesters for a single major; the page warns 'Students who elect to declare a dual major should prepare to pay for semesters beyond the length of their scholarship.'

  • Dropping below 12 credits without realizing the scholarship is cut.

    Part-time enrollment results in the scholarship being prorated, and the part-time semester still counts as one of the eight semesters of eligibility.

  • Letting the GPA slip near 2.0 (or 3.0 for Thrive).

    Standard scholarships require meeting SAP: CGPA 2.0 and 70% completion. Thrive Scholarship recipients must maintain a 3.0 CGPA and 94% completion — a renewal cliff that costs the award if missed.

Renewal questions families ask

Does Berklee publish a GPA/SAT/ACT scholarship grid?
No. Awards are based on the strength of the admissions application (audition, interview, academics, and/or original compositions), and no dollar grid is published.
How long does the scholarship last?
Up to eight total semesters of enrollment to cover a single major, automatically renewed provided the student meets the scholarship terms and conditions (including SAP: 2.0 CGPA, 70% completion).

How Berklee compares across our verified dataset

  • 665 of 749 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.

    Berklee is one of them. The cohort minority (84 schools) only awards one-year scholarships, which means the four-year value families assume on a brochure quote isn't guaranteed at every school.

Sources used on this page

Every renewal claim is checked against Berklee’s own published materials.

More on Berklee merit aid