Manhattan School of Music vs. Bard College vs. Juilliard vs. CalArts

Manhattan School of Music vs. Bard College vs. The Juilliard School vs. California Institute of the Arts comparison

	Manhattan School of Music	Bard College	The Juilliard School	California Institute of the Arts
	Remove	Remove	Remove	Remove
Overview	Manhattan School of Music	Bard College	Juilliard	CalArts
Location	New York, NY	Annandale-On-Hudson, NY	New York, NY	Valencia, CA
Setting	Large City	Town Fringe	Large City	Midsize Suburban
Enrollment	1,097	2,922	1,028	1,353
Type	Private 4 Year	Private 4 Year	Private 4 Year	Private 4 Year
National Ranking		#180
Religious Affiliation	-	-	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	msmnyc.edu	bard.edu	juilliard.edu	calarts.edu
Team Colors

Costs	Manhattan School of Music	Bard College	Juilliard	CalArts
Tuition (In State)	$53,500	$62,790	$53,300	$56,074
Tuition (Out of State)	$53,500	$62,790	$53,300	$56,074
Room & Board	$17,350	$18,040	$21,340	$12,820
Avg Net Price	$51,879	$25,218	$42,468	$57,288
Avg Grant Aid	$22,868	$56,380	$38,649	$22,071
% Receiving Grant Aid	85%	77%	94%	88%

Admission	Manhattan School of Music	Bard College	Juilliard	CalArts
Applied	1,432	6,628	2,020	2,023
Admitted	572	3,466	181	525
Acceptance Rate	39.9%	52.3%	9%	26%
Enrolled %	24.8%	11.6%	52.5%	97.8%
Avg High School GPA	3.55	-	-	-
Typical High School Grades	B+	-	-	-
Admissions Standards	Unavailable	Very High	Unavailable	Unavailable
Applicant Competition	Low	Low	Extreme	High
ACT Range		30/32
SAT Range		1290/1440
Submit Test Scores	Not considered for admission, even if submitted (Test Blind)	Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional)	Not considered for admission, even if submitted (Test Blind)	Not considered for admission, even if submitted (Test Blind)
Application Deadline	Dec 1, 2025	Jan 1, 2026	Dec 1, 2025	Jan 5, 2026

Academics	Manhattan School of Music	Bard College	Juilliard	CalArts
Student to Faculty Ratio	6:1	9:1	4:1	7:1
Popular Majors	Visual and Performing Arts (100%)	Liberal Arts and Humanities (32%) Social Sciences (23%) Visual and Performing Arts (23%) English and Literature (14%) General Studies (7%)	Visual and Performing Arts (100%)	Visual and Performing Arts (160%)
Outcomes	Manhattan School of Music	Bard College	Juilliard	CalArts
Graduation Rate	76%	76%	93%	65%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$37,400	$41,600	$45,200	$50,400
Making Student Loan Payments	65%	81%	68%	64%
Median Student Loan Debt	$23,750	$26,194	$27,000	$28,500
Median Loan Payment	$245	$270	$279	$294

Diversity	Manhattan School of Music	Bard College	Juilliard	CalArts
% Men	22%	6%	21%	12%
% Women	28%	10%	19%	20%
Racial Diversity	Very High	Medium	Very High	Very High
HBCU	No	No	No	No
% White	30%	63%	39%	42%
% Black	2%	8%	4%	7%
% Hispanic	5%	1%	7%	15%
% Native American	0%	1%	0%	1%
% Pacific Islander	0%	0%	0%	1%
% Two or More Races	5%	0%	6%	6%
% International	46%	10%	28%	7%
% Unknown Race	4%	11%	1%	8%

Students	Manhattan School of Music	Bard College	Juilliard	CalArts
% In-State	13%	31%	12%	32%
% Out-of-State	86%	59%	57%	38%
Campus	Manhattan School of Music	Bard College	Juilliard	CalArts
Campus Housing	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Freshman Dorm Required	No	No	No	No
Meal Plan	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Weekend/Evening Classes	No	No	No	No
Daycare Facility	No	No	No	No
Learn More	Details	Details	Details	Details

Comparable Facts

• Bard College is larger than than Manhattan School of Music based on total student enrollment (2,922 students vs. 1,097 students)

Manhattan School of Music vs. Bard College Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, Manhattan School of Music or Bard College?

• Bard College is 17.4% more expensive to attend than Manhattan School of Music for in-state tuition ($62,790.00 vs. $53,500.00)
• Out of state tuition is 17.4% higher at Bard College than Manhattan School of Music ($62,790.00 vs. $53,500.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Bard College than Manhattan School of Music ($25,218 vs. $51,879)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Manhattan School of Music are 4% lower than costs at Bard College ($17,350 vs. $18,040)
• More students receive financial grant aid at Manhattan School of Music than Bard College (85% vs. 77%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by Bard College students is 146.5% larger than aid received Manhattan School of Music ($56,380 vs. $22,868)

Manhattan School of Music vs. Bard College Admissions Difficulty Comparison

Which college is harder to get into, Manhattan School of Music or Bard College? Average SAT and ACT scores plus acceptance rates offer good insight into the difficulty of admission between Bard College or Manhattan School of Music .

• Bard College has a higher acceptance rate (52.3%) than Manhattan School of Music (39.9%)

Manhattan School of Music vs. Bard College Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, Manhattan School of Music or Bard College? Graduation rate, salary and amount of student loan debt are indicators of a college which offers better outcomes for its graduates. Compare the following outcomes facts between Bard College and Manhattan School of Music.

• The graduation rate at Manhattan School of Music is the same as at Bard College (76% vs. 76%)
• Graduates from Bard College earn on average $4,200 more per year than Manhattan School of Music graduates after ten years. ($41,600 vs. $37,400)
• Manhattan School of Music students graduate with a $2,444 lower median federal student loan debt than Bard College graduates. ($23,750 vs. $26,194)
• Manhattan School of Music graduates are paying $25 less per month on federal student loans than Bard College graduates. ($245 vs. $270)
• More Bard College graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Manhattan School of Music students, three years after graduation. (81% vs. 65%)

Sources: U.S. Department of Education https://nces.ed.gov IPEDS and College Scorecard https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/