Berklee World Tour Scholarships

Featured

Berklee College of Music

USADeadline: Invalid Date

Berklee World Tour Scholarships are merit-based awards for international students who audition at Berklee's 40+ regional audition sites worldwide or online, ranging from partial tuition to full-ride Presidential Scholarships covering tuition, housing, meals, and fees for four years.

Award Amount

Partial to Full Tuition + Room and Board USD

Scholarship Type

merit-based

Eligibility Criteria

international-students
audition-based
undergraduate

Instruments

multipleall-instruments

Berklee World Tour Scholarships are merit-based awards for international students applying to Berklee College of Music. Berklee sends faculty and staff to over 40 locations worldwide to conduct in-person auditions and interviews, with awards ranging from partial tuition to full-ride Presidential Scholarships covering tuition, housing, meals, and fees for four years. Berklee awards more than $115 million annually in institutional scholarships and grants across all its programs.

How the World Tour Works

All entering undergraduate and graduate students are automatically considered for merit-based scholarships as part of the admissions process. There is no separate scholarship application. Students who audition and interview successfully are evaluated for both admission and scholarship funding simultaneously.

Audition Options

Students can choose from three audition formats:

Boston campus: Audition in person at Berklee's Boston campus
Regional sites: Faculty and staff travel to over 40 locations across the US and Canada, Europe, Latin America, and Asia. In 2026, confirmed locations include Seoul, South Korea (October 2026), with additional dates throughout the year
Online auditions: For students unable to travel to Boston or a regional site. Online auditions carry equal weight for admission and scholarship consideration

Scholarship Tiers

Presidential Scholarship: The highest award, covering full tuition, on-campus housing, meal plan, laptop, software, and the comprehensive fee for eight semesters. Awarded to a very limited number of top entering musicians based on audition and financial need.
Full-Tuition Scholarships: Cover full tuition for eight semesters. Awarded to exceptionally qualified applicants based on audition and interview strength.
Partial-Tuition Scholarships: The majority of awards. Amounts vary based on audition performance.

All undergraduate scholarships are renewed each semester for up to eight total semesters, provided students meet the terms and conditions of their scholarship.

Eligibility

Open to all international and domestic applicants
Undergraduate or graduate admission to Berklee College of Music
All instruments and disciplines eligible
No separate application required (considered automatically through the admissions process)

Real-World Example

A guitarist from Istanbul could audition at a regional site when Berklee visits Turkey. At one such event, Berklee held auditions at Modern Muzik Akademisi (MMA) in Istanbul over five days, including clinics, lectures, and a jam session. Students who performed well received scholarship offers based on their audition. Since 1990, approximately 100 Turkish students have enrolled at Berklee through similar regional audition events.

In 2025, Berklee awarded $4.3 million in scholarships to students who auditioned at a single regional event. A student receiving a partial-tuition scholarship of $15,000 per year would save $60,000 over four years. A Presidential Scholarship recipient would receive over $280,000 in total coverage.

Why It Matters for Independent Artists

The World Tour is one of the most accessible pathways to a Berklee education for international students. You do not need to travel to Boston or submit a separate scholarship application. If Berklee visits your country, you can audition locally and be considered for the same awards as students who audition on campus.

Check the Berklee audition dates page for the 2026 schedule. If your city is not listed, select the online audition option. Online auditions are weighted equally for scholarship consideration.

Berklee's tuition exceeds $50,000 per year. Even a partial scholarship of 50% reduces your annual cost by $25,000. Prepare your audition repertoire carefully, as scholarship amounts are determined entirely by your audition and interview performance.