Berklee Writing and Composition Scholarship for Entering Students

Berklee College of Music is pleased to announce Berklee Writing and Composition Scholarship for Entering Students. The Writing and Composition Scholarship is available for undergraduate applicants to the college who wish to have their composing and songwriting abilities taken into consideration for scholarship in addition to their participation in the live audition and interview process.  The scholarship award amount varies. For entering students, scholarships range from $10,000 per year up to full tuition.

Berklee College of Music, located in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world.

Eligibility:

You must meet the following criteria to apply:

• You must be an entering undergraduate applicant.
• You must have submitted an undergraduate application.
• You must write original material (arrangements are not accepted).
• You cannot have previously submitted a writing and composition application within the last 12 months.
• Currently enrolled continuing or returning students are not eligible to apply for this scholarship opportunity, and this is not applicable to any Berklee summer programs, Berklee Online courses, or Berklee graduate programs.

How to Apply:

Applying for the scholarship, the candidates are required to submit the following:

• Streaming Music

1. Submit three separate streaming links of each original song/composition.
2. Recording quality is not a factor in our evaluation.
3. Home, live, MIDI, or studio recordings are acceptable.
4. Original pieces can be in any style of music.
5. Only streaming links are accepted (i.e., Soundcloud, YouTube, personal sites, and so on).
6. Recordings must be from within the last year.

• Sheet Music

1. Submit three accompanying scores/lead sheets reflecting the instrumentation needs for each piece.
2. There must be a notated score/lead sheet (screenshots of sequenced tracks or conceptual descriptions are not accepted).
3. Parts and lyric-only sheets are not accepted.
4. Compositions must be in PDF format (notation software files such as Sibelius and Finale are not accepted).
5. Compositions must be notated by the applicant.
6. At minimum, each score should contain a written melody and chord changes.

• Lyrics (if applicable)

1. Provide lyrics if the composition requires it.
2. All lyrics must have an English translation provided if needed.
3. All lyrics must be included in the score/lead sheet with the melody.

• Additional Criteria 

1. The title of each piece must be clear with an English translation if needed.
2. Provide a description of the applicant’s role(s) in each piece (i.e., vocalist, guitarist, and composer).
3. Provide a description of each piece (i.e., “MIDI-generated track with live vocalist”).
4. Select the original material copyright agreement.

Submitting Details:

You can create an account or sign in through the given link: https://apply.berklee.edu/

Financial Aid and Award Money:

Varies

Application Deadline:

Applicants actively applying for undergraduate admission should have their Writing and Composition Scholarship application submitted by the corresponding deadlines:

• Fall (September) semester: November 1 (early action deadline)
• Fall (September) semester: January 15 (regular action deadline)
• Spring (January) semester: July 1
• Summer (May) semester: December 1

Link for More Information:

https://www.berklee.edu/scholarships/Writing-Composition-Scholarship

Contact Information:

You can call them or email for more information

• Phone: 617-747-8681
• Email: Scholarships-at-berklee.edu