Institutional Fact Sheet

 

Founded

February 11, 1867, Boston Conservatory is the oldest performing arts conservatory of its kind in the nation. Internationally renowned, the multidisciplinary conservatory offers fully accredited graduate and undergraduate degrees in dance, music, and theater.

Numbers at a Glance

Based on 2023–2024 data

  • Undergraduate students: 872
  • Graduate students: 200
  • Female students: 602
  • Male students: 284
  • Domestic students: 707
  • International students: 165

By Division

  • Dance students: 222
  • Music students: 368 (168 undergraduate, 200 graduate)
  • Theater students: 282

Faculty

  • Full-time faculty: 92
  • Part-time faculty: 139
  • Student-to-faculty Ratio: 5:1

For a more in-depth look at Berklee institutional facts, click the button below.

Berklee Factbook

A History of Innovation

Founded in 1867, just two years after the American Civil War, Boston Conservatory is the oldest performing arts conservatory of its kind in the United States—with historic significance. Boston Conservatory was:

  • among the first conservatories to admit Black artists and women; 
  • the first to establish an all-female, internationally touring professional string quartet (the Eichberg String Quartet);
  • the first conservatory in America to establish a department for grand opera; 
  • the first conservatory to establish an integrated department of ballet and modern dance;
  • the first conservatory to offer undergraduate degrees in theater;
  • the first conservatory to offer a degree in music education;
  • the first conservatory to launch music programs for students on the autism spectrum;
  • the first conservatory to offer a three-year B.F.A. in dance with a focus on commercial dance; and
  • the first conservatory to offer a minor in Cirque/Circus Arts.

In addition, Boston Conservatory worked with the Pro Arts Consortium, an association of six colleges (Boston Conservatory, Berklee College of Music, the Boston Architectural College, Emerson College, Massachusetts College of Art and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts), to help found Boston Arts Academy (BAA), the City of Boston’s first pilot high school for the visual and performing arts.

Performances

Each year, Boston Conservatory presents an astounding 800 performances by students, faculty, and guest artists, ranging from fully staged dance, opera, and theater productions to orchestra concerts, music ensemble performances, guest artist and faculty concerts, and student recitals. We also have a long-standing tradition of honoring and hosting notable guest artists to perform and teach our students. Recent guests include Louis Andriessen, Yo-Yo Ma, Claire Chase, John O’Conor, Gunther Schuller, Barbara Cook, Jorja Fleezanis, Adam Guettel, Susan Stroman, Constantine Maroulis, Karole Armitage, Dwight Rhoden, Francesca Harper, Larry Keigwin, and Robert Moses.

Scholarships

Boston Conservatory grants $15.7 million annually in scholarships, and more than 92 percent of enrolled students receive institutional aid. Students may also receive federal aid in the form of government grants and loans, based on the results of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), as well as part-time student employment opportunities on campus.

Prioritizing Diversity

Diversity is the central driver of Boston Conservatory at Berklee’s mission and vision, and at the foundation of Boston Conservatory’s Strategic Direction for
2020–2025, a proactive set of strategies and initiatives designed to guide the Conservatory’s transformation as a contemporary, culturally fluent, and globally
minded conservatory of the future. We aim to cultivate an environment where community members of all backgrounds, identities, and abilities feel supported, valued, and empowered; where people embrace and engage with difference through the essential values of mutual respect and human dignity. We hold ourselves accountable to ensure that each individual learns, teaches, and works in a just and equitable environment, and we’re committed to enacting the structural change required to fully realize this vision. Explore the important work we are doing.

We Excel

Boston Conservatory has a rich history of producing working artists in the fields of dance, music, and theater, whether on stage, behind the scenes, in the classroom, or spearheading an entrepreneurial initiative. Every day, our alumni are redefining what it means to be a performing artist.

Dance: Our dance alumni perform for renowned national and international dance companies, such as Nederlands Dans Theater, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, BodyTraffic, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Limón Dance Company, Martha Graham Dance Company, Paul Taylor Dance Company, Seán Curran Dance Company, Les Grand Ballet Canadiens, and Boston Ballet. They can also be seen performing on Broadway, as well as choreographing, directing, and teaching all over the world.

Music: In addition to winning major competitions across the globe, our music alumni perform and conduct as professional soloists and freelance artists, as well as with prestigious organizations, such as the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Chicago Lyric Opera, Emmanuel Music, Handel & Haydn Society, and the Metropolitan Opera.

Theater: Recent Broadway alumni credits include Hadestown, Jagged Little Pill, Moulin Rouge, Hamilton, Dear Evan Hansen, The Band’s Visit, West Side Story, Beetlejuice, Come From Away, The Lion King, The Prom, Wicked, and Oklahoma! As actors, directors, and playwrights, their work can be found in non-profit regional theaters nationwide from the Public Theater in New York City to the Denver Theatre Center to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.

We Give Back

Connecting with others is at the heart of why we perform. Boston Conservatory is committed to sharing the arts with all audiences, including those who are unable to attend traditional performances. Through our esteemed Conservatory Connections community outreach program, our talented students perform at Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston Children’s Hospital, Rosie’s Place, Boston Public Library, Susan Bailis Assisted Living Center, Goddard House, Boston Public Schools, Rogerson House, Boston Living Center, United South End Settlements, Norwood Hospital, as well as senior centers, veterans organizations, and other venues.

Tuition

Please visit the tuition and fees page here.

Tuition and fees vary by degree and course plan.