Cleveland Institute of Music
Cleveland, Ohio · Private Nonprofit · 47.3% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 20/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM) earns an overall ROI score of 20, in the Below Benchmark tier. Sticker tuition is $52,880 with net price of $28,226, putting four-year cost at $112,904. Median debt at graduation is $24,968 against just $26,000 of six-year earnings, producing a 0.96 debt-to-earnings ratio - graduates owe nearly as much as they earn annually. The Scorecard payback period of 999 years signals that the cost is structurally not recouped through wage premiums. Ten-year earnings of $32,641 reflect the realities of professional musical careers: orchestra positions, teaching, freelance performing, and chamber music. The earnings premium is actually slightly negative (-2.1%). On the other hand, completion rate is 72.1%, very strong for a private nonprofit, and repayment behavior improves over time (67.8% at 3 years rising to 80.3% at 7 years), suggesting graduates eventually find financial footing. Important context: CIM is a vocational conservatory training musicians.
How Cleveland Institute of Music scores under our methodology
These are the College Scorecard measures that pull this school's CampusROI score down. They describe the published figures, not the quality of the education, and they are our reading of the data. Check them against your own aid offer and intended major.
- ROI Score20/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- Payback period>50 years - In our estimate, the earnings premium over a high school completer is small next to the cost, so the cost may not be recouped within a working career.
Cleveland Institute of Music
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $52,880/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $52,880/yr |
| Average net price | $28,226/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $112,904 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $32,641 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $26,000 |
| Median debt at graduation | $24,968 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $265 |
| Estimated payback period | >50 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 72.1% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 159 |
Data as of 2024-2025. Source: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education).
The Full Financial Picture
The first number you'll see is the sticker price: $52,880/year, which covers tuition and fees only. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $28,226/year, or roughly $112,904 over four years. That's the number to plan around.
What you actually pay depends a lot on what your family earns. Families making under $30,000/year pay an average of $23,782/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $32,629/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $24,968, which works out to about $265 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($26,000) and comes to 0.96, under 1.0, meaning median debt is less than a full year of those earnings.
Net Price by Family Income
What families actually pay after grants and scholarships, by income bracket.
| Family Income | Avg Net Price/Year |
|---|---|
| $0 - $30,000 | $23,782 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $29,767 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $16,884 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $21,212 |
| $110,001+ | $32,629 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families earning under $30,000 pay $23,782 per year. The $30,001-$48,000 bracket pays substantially more at $29,767, and the $48,001-$75,000 bracket then pays much less at $16,884 - a strikingly inverted pattern across the bottom three brackets. The aid policy here appears non-monotonic, possibly reflecting small sample sizes or specific institutional grant programs. Lower-income families should run the calculator carefully and not rely on bracket-average data.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
Middle-income families ($48,001-$110,000) see the most favorable pricing, paying $16,884 to $21,212 per year - notably less than lower-income brackets at the bottom. Four-year cost lands at $68,000-$85,000 in this range, manageable but high relative to typical music-career earnings.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Households over $110,000 pay $32,629 per year - approximately $130,000 across four years. At this price point CIM is essentially treated as a values purchase: the family is buying conservatory training as a long-term investment in artistic development, not as a wage-premium investment.
Earnings by Major
Top 1 most popular majors at Cleveland Institute of Music with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Music | $37,656 | C |
Earnings reflect median 4-year post-completion (or 1-year where 4-year unavailable). Grades based on debt-to-earnings ratio.
Program Analysis
Why these programs deliver their earnings outcomes.
Music
Music is CIM's only program and accounts for all 52 graduates. Median four-year earnings of $37,656 against $25,500 of debt produce a 0.677 debt-to-earnings ratio and a C grade by the framework's logic. The ROI grade of C is mechanically generated and does not reflect the artistic placement quality of the program: CIM graduates routinely place in top orchestras, conservatory faculty positions, and chamber ensembles. The financial framework cannot capture the value of those non-wage outcomes (artistic prestige, teaching tenure, and the heavy-tail income distribution where a small share of graduates earn very high incomes through performing careers).
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | N/A | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 67.8% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 77.7% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 80.3% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Cleveland Institute of Music’s cost and outcomes have moved across College Scorecard releases (2009-2024).
Average Net Price
Completion Rate
Median Earnings, 10 Years After Entry (as reported)
Earnings reflect borrowers measured 10 years after entry and publish on an irregular cadence with a multi-year reporting lag, so this series shows only the years the Department of Education reported - the data is never interpolated.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, release years shown. Net price and completion are reported annually.
Admissions Snapshot
| Acceptance rate | 47.3% |
| Enrollment | 159 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 13.7% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $7,572 |
CIM admits 47.3% of applicants, but the headline figure undersells the actual selectivity. SAT and ACT mid-ranges are not reported, which is typical for conservatory admissions where audition performance is the primary criterion. Applicants must submit live or recorded auditions evaluated by faculty in their instrument; this means the effective selectivity for serious music students is substantially higher than the admit rate suggests. The 72.1% completion rate reflects strong faculty-student fit among admitted students.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland Institute of Music (this school) | 20 | $28,226 | $32,641 |
| Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music | 32 | $7,260 | $19,474 |
| The Juilliard School | 27 | $43,571 | $37,827 |
| The New England Conservatory of Music | 25 | $46,754 | $34,483 |
| Berklee College of Music | 20 | $49,465 | $33,647 |
| Manhattan School of Music | 20 | $51,754 | $26,878 |
Who Thrives Here
CIM fits exceptionally talented young musicians pursuing conservatory training in classical performance, composition, or pedagogy. Pell rate is 13.7%, low, reflecting both the cost structure and the long-term family investment typical of pre-professional music training. Enrollment is 159. Outcomes by financial ROI are weak by design; outcomes by artistic placement are reportedly strong (orchestras, chamber groups, conservatory teaching positions). Students should evaluate this institution on artistic fit, faculty teachers, and audition results rather than on Scorecard ROI metrics.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Cleveland Institute of Music scores 20/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $28,226 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $32,641 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at more than 50 years. In our view that makes the financial case a hard one to make on the numbers alone, but those numbers are averages: your major, your aid package and what you want from a degree all change the picture, so run your own numbers before you commit.
What it has going for it: its 72.1% graduation rate. What to keep an eye on: weak earnings relative to cost, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.96 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a three-year loan repayment rate of 67.8% (median across the schools we score: 73.6%), a long payback period.
Median debt of $24,968 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $26,000 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.96. That is under 1.0 (a full year of those earnings); the median across the schools we score is about 0.61. Your major - and how much you borrow - really matters.
Cleveland Institute of Music: Common Questions
Is Cleveland Institute of Music worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Cleveland Institute of Music scores 20/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $28,226 a year after aid against $32,641 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at more than 50 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Cleveland Institute of Music cost after financial aid?
The average net price - the cost of attendance (tuition, fees, books, supplies and average living costs) minus grants and scholarships, for full-time, first-time students receiving federal aid - is about $28,226 a year, or roughly $112,904 over four years. Because it counts living costs, it can run above tuition alone. That is the number to plan around. Actual cost varies by family income, per the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
What do Cleveland Institute of Music graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $32,641 ten years after enrolling, at or below the $41,800 median for high-school graduates (NCES, 2022). With little earnings gap to cover the cost, the financial return is hard to make.
How long does it take to pay off Cleveland Institute of Music?
We estimate the payback period - the time it takes for the earnings bump over a high-school graduate to cover what you spent - at more than 50 years for Cleveland Institute of Music. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Cleveland Institute of Music graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $24,968, against average earnings of $26,000 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.96. That is under 1.0 (a full year of those earnings); the median across the schools we score is about 0.61. How much you borrow really matters.
What is the graduation rate at Cleveland Institute of Music?
The six-year graduation rate is 72.1%, at or above the 64% national average for four-year schools (NCES, 2022). Completion is 15% of our ROI score, since a degree you don't finish rarely pays back.
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Data: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education)
Vintage: 2024-2025 · Last updated: 2026-03-25
Earnings reflect median outcomes for all federal financial aid recipients. Individual results vary by major, effort, and career path.