Comparison tool
Rankings across 8 publishers plus admissions, cost, debt and outcome data for New School, Howard University, Berklee College of Music. Every figure is sourced and dated.
| Metric | New SchoolNew York, NY | HowardWashington, DC | Berklee CollegeBoston, MA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acceptance rate | 63.5% | 41.3% | 43.5% |
| SAT middle 50% | Not reportedThe New School reports that it neither requires nor recommends admissions test scores, and does not report a score range to the Department of Education. | 1090–1320 | Not reportedBerklee College of Music reports that it neither requires nor recommends admissions test scores, and does not report a score range to the Department of Education. |
| Average net price | $58,74115.0% on Pell grants | $50,53940.0% on Pell grants | $49,46516.2% on Pell grants |
| Published tuition & fees | $58,694Most recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release | $35,810Most recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release | $52,040Most recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release |
| 6-year graduation rate | 69.4% | 70.0% | 67.3% |
| First-year retention | 84.8% | 90.9% | 88.6% |
| Undergraduates on Pell grants | 15.0% | 40.0% | 16.2% |
| Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry | $52,901 | $63,066 | $33,647 |
| Median federal debt at graduation | $22,266 | $24,500 | $25,000 |
| Student-faculty ratio | 9:1 | 11:1 | 10:1 |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 6,563 | 10,108 | 7,468 |
| Consensus percentile | 64Lower is better | 57Lower is better | 61Lower is better |
| Methodology sensitivity | 56 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points | 72 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points | 77 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points |
Highlighted cells mark the most favourable value in that row where a direction is meaningful. No highlight appears for metrics like enrollment or SAT range, where “better” depends entirely on what you want.
“Not ranked by this source” means that publisher’s list does not include the school — not missing data and not a poor rank.
| Source | New School | Howard | Berklee College |
|---|---|---|---|
| US News | #213 of 436National universitiesNational Universities · 2026 | #88 of 436National universitiesNational Universities · 2026 | #39 of 170Regional univ. (North)Regional Universities (North) · 2026 |
| Forbes | #374 of 500Top colleges (Forbes)America's Top Colleges · 2026 | #383 of 500Top colleges (Forbes)America's Top Colleges · 2026 | #426 of 500Top colleges (Forbes)America's Top Colleges · 2026 |
| Washington Monthly | #1476 of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars · 2026 | #1319 of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars · 2026 | #1503 of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars · 2026 |
| WSJ | Not ranked by this source | #375 of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)Best Colleges in the U.S. · 2026 | Not ranked by this source |
| Niche | #1103 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 | #403 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 | #960 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 |
| Money | Not ranked by this source | Listed | Not ranked by this source |
| Princeton Review | Not ranked by this source | Listed | Not ranked by this source |
| QS | #826 of 1,504World (QS)World University Rankings · 2026 | #1046 of 1,504World (QS)World University Rankings · 2026 | Not ranked by this source |
Students comparing New School on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.
This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
Full profileStudents comparing Howard University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.
This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
Full profileStudents comparing Berklee College of Music on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.
This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
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