Curtis Institute of Music
Philadelphia, PA 19103
About Curtis Institute of Music
Curtis Institute of Music is a highly selective private research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, enrolling about 109 students. Admission is highly selective for first-time degree-seeking undergraduates reporting admissions data to the Education Department. The acceptance rate is about 4.58% in the latest College Scorecard admissions data. Student demographics in federal data include Non-Resident Alien (45.9%) and White (26.6%) among the largest enrollment groups.
Key findings
- Versus the Pennsylvania median, sticker tuition is about 0.3×.
- Curtis Institute of Music admits about 4.58% of applicants (extremely selective).
- Completion within 150% of normal time is 96.15%.
Cost benchmarks
| Benchmark | Median Tuition | Median Net Price | Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| Curtis Institute of Music | $6,000 | — | 1 |
| Private Non-profit (national median) | $29,325 | — | 1,444 |
| Pennsylvania (state median) | $19,450 | $17,754 | 181 |
| Urban (City) (locale median) | $15,200 | $20,053 | 1,346 |
| United States (national median) | $11,900 | $17,156 | — |
Compares this campus to school-type, state, and locale medians plus a U.S. national median (College Scorecard–derived). Locale groups campuses by NCES locale type; state tuition is the median published tuition among campuses in that state.
How expensive is Curtis Institute of Music really?
Key findings
- Curtis Institute of Music charges about 0.2× the national private non-profit median tuition ($6,000).
- Versus the Pennsylvania median, sticker tuition is about 0.3×.
Curtis Institute of Music tuition
Published undergraduate tuition $6,000
Finding Curtis Institute of Music charges about 0.2× the national private non-profit median tuition.
Evidence Published tuition is $6,000. That is about 0.2× the national private non-profit median ($29,325). Versus the Pennsylvania median ($19,450), sticker tuition is about 0.3×. Versus the U.S. median ($11,900), sticker is about 0.5×.
Method Sticker tuition compared with Scorecard-derived medians by ownership, state, locale, and national rollups when available.
Interpretation Published tuition measures sticker price relative to private non-profit and geographic peers; it does not equal what undergraduates typically pay after aid.
Limitation Sticker comparisons omit room, board, and institutional aid; average net price and income-band net prices are the stronger signals of typical family cost.
Evidence: published tuition at Curtis Institute of Music versus school-type, state, locale, and U.S. medians.
Curtis Institute of Music: research record
Canonical EDsmart Data findings for Curtis Institute of Music—costs, outcomes, admissions, and programs—with evidence and methodology notes.
Research findings
Interpretation
High completion indicates students finish programs at scale; it does not alone measure instructional quality or labor-market fit.
Financial profile
Annual tuition
$6,000
Sticker tuition × four years (estimate, no room/board): $24,000. See cost investigation.
Student outcomes
Share of first-year students returning the following fall.
Graduation rate and 10-year earnings are in the hero strip above; see Graduates for more.
What Curtis Institute of Music is known for
Top program completions
- Music Performance, General24
- Music, General7
- Music Theory and Composition3
- Stringed Instruments1
- Brass Instruments1
See earnings & programs for more.
Admissions landscape
- Extremely selective — fewer than 1 in 10 applicants are admitted.
- Yield: 81% of admitted students enrolled.
See Admissions for the full funnel.
Is Curtis Institute of Music a good school?
Data-framed fit—not a prestige rating.
Curtis Institute of Music is a good school for those looking for high program completion rates.
EDsmart Data does not assign an opinion score; this framing summarizes the strongest Scorecard signals for this campus.
More from the data
Location, control, enrollment, and aid context for Curtis Institute of Music.
Campus
Location
Philadelphia, PA
City / state
- ZIP
- 19103
- NCES locale
- City
Compared with Urban (City) campuses nationally, tuition is about 0.4× the median for Urban (City) campuses.
Control
Institution type
Private Non-profit
Control
- Region
- Mid East
- Carnegie
- Not applicable, not in Carnegie universe (not accredited or non-degree-granting)
Size
Enrollment
109
Total enrollment
- Undergraduate
- 111
- Graduate
- 52
- Full-time share
- 100%
Student aid
Debt & aid
- Pell grant share
- 0.94%
Total Cost, Aid & Default
Total Cost of Attendance
Tuition vs average net price after aid for Curtis Institute of Music.
Financial Aid by Income Level
Financial aid distribution by income level.
Student Loan Default Rate
The published 3-year cohort default rate for borrowers at Curtis Institute of Music was not reported in the College Scorecard extract for this institution.
Cohort default rates account for borrowers who default in the first three years.
Tuition tracker
Published tuition and average net price by reporting year come from the College Scorecard institution file. Values are not adjusted for inflation; missing cells mean the field was not reported or was suppressed for Curtis Institute of Music in that year.
Reporting years in the table below: 2013–2023 (Scorecard labels refer to the institutional submission cycle).
| Year | In-state tuition & fees | Out-of-state tuition & fees | Average net price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | $2,425 | $2,425 | $2,584 |
| 2014 | $2,475 | $2,475 | $8,171 |
| 2015 | $2,525 | $2,525 | $7,393 |
| 2016 | $2,525 | $2,525 | $11,408 |
| 2017 | $2,675 | $2,675 | $15,598 |
| 2018 | $2,900 | $2,900 | $18,232 |
| 2019 | $2,900 | $2,900 | $17,668 |
| 2020 | $3,015 | $3,015 | $10,097 |
| 2021 | $5,015 | $5,015 | $19,937 |
| 2022 | $5,930 | $5,930 | $27,946 |
| 2023 | $6,000 | $6,000 | — |
Sticker tuition and net price over time
Where the institution reported separate in-state and out-of-state tuition, both appear. Gaps mean the value was not reported for that year.
College Scorecard reporting-year fields (not inflation-adjusted).
Net price by family income
Brackets follow Scorecard definitions for the series shown (public vs private institution).
Latest income-band net prices available in the processed extract.
How difficult is it to get in?
Acceptance Rate
This institution is extremely selective, accepting fewer than 1 in 10 applicants.
Applicants → admits → first-time enrollment from College Scorecard / IPEDS. Bar widths are scaled for readability at highly selective schools.
Test Scores
Test score data is not available for this institution.
Score distribution is not available for this institution.
Academic Requirements
GPA requirements are not published by this institution. Contact the admissions office for specific academic requirements.
Estimated GPA range is not available for this institution.
Enrollment & Student Demographics
Curtis Institute of Music reported total enrollment of about 109 students in the latest College Scorecard extract. The student body is about 52% male and 48% female. Enrollment by race and ethnicity includes Non-Resident Alien (45.9%), White (26.6%), and Asian (13.8%). About 0.94% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants.
Full-Time vs Part-Time Enrollment
100.0% Full-Time Enrollment
The total enrollment at Curtis Institute of Music in 2024 is 109 students.
Undergraduate enrollment is about 111 students. Graduate enrollment is about 52 students.
Full-time vs part-time enrollment comparison.
Retention Rate over Time
100.0%
2024 Retention Rate
Retention rate measures the number of first-time students who began their studies the previous fall and returned to school the following fall.
Retention rate over time compared to similar institutions.
Enrollment by Race & Ethnicity
Largest share of total enrollment in our College Scorecard extract.
College Scorecard student demographics (total enrollment shares).
Do students complete their programs?
Time to Complete
66.67% 100% Completion Time
96.15% 150% Completion Time
In 2024, 66.67% of students graduating from Curtis Institute of Music completed their program within 100% "normal time".
Completion rates over time compared to similar institutions.
Completions by Sex (Top Programs)
- Music Performance, General: 62% male / 38% female
- Music, General: 71% male / 29% female
- Music Theory and Composition: 33% male / 67% female
IPEDS completions by sex for the five largest programs (aggregate CIPs excluded).
Completions by Race & Ethnicity
Largest group by summed IPEDS award counts across reported programs.
Summed across program completion records in our extract.
What do Curtis Institute of Music graduates earn—and in which programs?
Financial value and program completions for Curtis Institute of Music from College Scorecard and IPEDS extracts.
Return on Investment
ROI data is not available for this institution.
Debt and 4-year net cost vs. cumulative 10-year median earnings for Curtis Institute of Music.
Top Programs by Completions
Largest 5 programs by IPEDS completions (6 reported codes; aggregate/unknown CIP buckets excluded).
IPEDS award counts for the largest programs at Curtis Institute of Music.
Employment Outcomes
Median earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after entry for Curtis Institute of Music graduates.
How financially powerful is this institution?
Finding: federal finance and Scorecard instructional fields for Curtis Institute of Music—endowment assets (fiscal year 2023), instructional staffing and expenditure. Compared with state, regional, and U.S. medians from EDsmart Data institutional financials.
Institutional endowment
$206.9M
End-of-year assets · Fiscal year 2023
- Pennsylvania median 4.3× the median ($47.9M)
- Mid East median 4.9× the median ($42.6M)
- U.S. median 7.8× the median ($26.4M)
- Pennsylvania median 50× the median ($24,897)
- Mid East median 76× the median ($16,427)
- U.S. median 104× the median ($12,100)
Instructional Resources
- Full-time faculty share: 29.4%
- Pennsylvania median 33.7 pp below median (63.1%)
- Mid East median 27.5 pp below median (56.9%)
- U.S. median 28.5 pp below median (58.0%)
- Average faculty salary (monthly): $8,958
- Pennsylvania median 1.1× the median ($8,003)
- Mid East median 1.1× the median ($8,119)
- U.S. median 1.2× the median ($7,615)
- Instructional expenditure per FTE: $92,076
- Pennsylvania median 11× the median ($8,615)
- Mid East median 10× the median ($9,164)
- U.S. median 13× the median ($7,288)
Instructional metrics from College Scorecard. Peer medians are campus-level; see the institutional financials deep dive. Detailed non-instructional staff counts are not included here.
Curtis Institute of Music at a glance
Curtis Institute of Music
Curtis Institute of Music is a private non-profit institution in Philadelphia, PA, classified as Not applicable, not in Carnegie universe (not accredited or non-degree-granting).
- Largest programs (IPEDS awards)
- Music Performance, GeneralMusic, GeneralMusic Theory and Composition
- Largest enrollment groups
- Non-Resident Alien45.9%White or Caucasian26.6%Asian13.8%
Schools near Curtis Institute of Music
Other campuses in Philadelphia, PA when available, plus nearby institutions in Pennsylvania.
Similar schools
Peers matched by the same EDsmart outcomes grade (Grade A) within Pennsylvania, then by similar ownership and admissions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Curtis Institute of Music located?
Curtis Institute of Music is located in Philadelphia, PA.
What is Curtis Institute of Music's acceptance rate?
The acceptance rate at Curtis Institute of Music is 4.6% among first-time degree-seeking students reporting admissions data. IPEDS reports 446 applicants and 31 admits in the latest admissions cycle in our extract.
What is Curtis Institute of Music's tuition?
Curtis Institute of Music tuition (published undergraduate sticker price) is $6,000 in the latest College Scorecard data.
How much does Curtis Institute of Music cost?
Reported tuition is $6,000 and average net price is N/A in the latest College Scorecard data. On-campus room and board is estimated at $21,035 annually.
Why is Curtis Institute of Music's acceptance rate so low?
The acceptance rate at Curtis Institute of Music is 4.6% among first-time degree-seeking applicants reporting admissions data. Very low rates usually reflect extraordinary applicant volume relative to class size—not a single test-score cutoff. When IPEDS reports applicants and admits, those counts show how selective the funnel is. Acceptance rate describes competition for seats; it does not measure outcomes for enrolled students. Yield (share of admits who enroll) further clarifies demand among those offered admission when available.
What is the student body demographics at Curtis Institute of Music?
Curtis Institute of Music reports undergraduate enrollment of about 111 students, Non-Resident Alien (45.9%), White (26.6%) in federal College Scorecard data.
What is the graduation rate at Curtis Institute of Music?
The 150%-time completion rate is 96.2% for the cohort reported to the College Scorecard.
Is Curtis Institute of Music public or private?
Curtis Institute of Music is a private nonprofit institution located in Philadelphia, PA.
Is Curtis Institute of Music an HBCU?
No. Curtis Institute of Music is not flagged as an HBCU in the IPEDS institutional directory.
Is Curtis Institute of Music a tribal college?
No. Curtis Institute of Music is not flagged as a tribal college in IPEDS.
Is Curtis Institute of Music a Hispanic-serving institution (HSI)?
Using a 25% Hispanic enrollment threshold on College Scorecard demographics, Curtis Institute of Music does not meet that proxy (reported share 2.8%).
Is Curtis Institute of Music religiously affiliated?
No religious affiliation is reported for Curtis Institute of Music in IPEDS institutional characteristics.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
- Related geography & profiles
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology & Data Scope
This profile uses institution-level fields from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, merged with IPEDS directory attributes where needed for locale, ownership, and program completions.
Benchmark rows compare this campus to NCES locale-type medians (for example Suburban) from our processed location extract. Implied U.S. medians are derived from locale-vs-national percentage fields in that extract—not a separate national Scorecard table.