Spring 2021 Next Steps: Boston On-Campus Hybrid
We are looking forward to welcoming you to our community of creators and artists for the spring 2021 semester at Berklee College of Music. You have chosen the on-campus hybrid academic model, which combines in-person learning conducted on our Boston campus with online coursework. The hybrid academic model offers a safe, flexible learning environment, allowing you to progress toward your personal, academic, and career goals without disruption.
Please review and complete the enrollment next steps that are required for you to join us this spring.
Spring Preference Selection Form
If your plans have changed, please complete this form to change your learning modality preference selection (i.e., studying on campus or remotely).
Students will be assigned a move-in date and time of either January 15 or January 16, 2021. All students confirmed for on-campus housing have already been sent an email confirmation to their Berklee email address. Specific on-campus housing assignment information will be sent to students before December 23, 2020. Get ready for move-in and your initial quarantine period by reviewing the pre-arrival to-do list on the housing website. If you are no longer planning to live on campus for the spring semester, you must email housing@berklee.edu by December 19, or you will owe 10 percent of the housing charge. Virtual New Student Orientation will take place from Saturday, January 16, to Saturday, January 23, 2021. All students must register for orientation and review important information on the Spring 2021 New Student Orientation Information (Hybrid) page. Please contact the Office of New Student and Family Programs at nsfp@berklee.edu if you have any questions about orientation. All entering and transfer students must submit a completed Berklee Entering Student Immunization Form to Magnus Health, Berklee’s provider for collecting, managing, and tracking immunization information. You should receive an email from Magnus Health to the email address that is connected to your application with information on how to access your Magnus Health account. This step in your acceptance process cannot be completed until Magnus Health emails you with your login credentials. Please be aware that it may take up to a week from your admittance to the institution for your Magnus Health account to be active. Flu Vaccine While the flu vaccine is no longer required for hybrid students, all students are still strongly encouraged to get a seasonal flu vaccine each year (though you do not need to submit any documentation this year). Learn about the flu vaccine. Tuition bills are due by January 7. You will not be able to check in if you have an outstanding balance. Log in to the student portal to check your balance, pay your bill, and secure your spot. Quarantine at home (or your current location) for 10 days before coming to campus, and make sure anyone who will travel with you and help you move in does the same. Monitor your symptoms, and notify Berklee if you need to delay your arrival. Review our Quarantine and Isolation page for more detailed information. Review the Back to Berklee site to familiarize yourself with Berklee's COVID-19 health and safety protocols, including testing and contact tracing protocols, isolation and quarantine procedures, facility usage guidelines, and more. If you are symptomatic, you will need to check your temperature so medical staff can advise you on whether to seek additional medical attention or get tested. We recommend purchasing an oral digital thermometer for its accuracy and ease of use. Purchase face coverings/masks—including equipment specifically for singers and wind instrumentalists—and cleaning supplies (e.g., hand sanitizer and disinfecting spray) before you arrive on campus. You are required to complete an online training module and sign the social compact at the end of the training before arriving on campus. If you have any questions, please review the Social Compact, Training, and Reporting Unsafe Behavior webpage for more information. Before you can access campus buildings, you will need to update your local address and add a U.S.-based phone number. Log in to my.berklee.edu, and click on Local Address Verification and Notifications beneath Contact Information. Please complete this as soon as possible for testing, the CoVerified app, and contact tracing. Once you arrive in Boston, after your first test, you will quarantine in your apartment for eight–10 days (until cleared for campus activities), so purchase enough food, snacks, and supplies for that entire time. You will only leave your apartment to get your second test and should not leave for any other reason. (Residential students, note that you will be provided entrees and snacks.) You will use the CoVerified app to report any new symptoms (your daily attestation), share contacts for contact tracing, schedule tests, and view test results.Residential Students: Review Important Housing Information and Prepare for Move-In
Register for Virtual Orientation
Submit Your Immunizations and Get Your Flu Vaccine
Pay Your Bill by January 7
Quarantine for 10 Days Before Coming to Campus
Review the Spring 2021 Semester Guidelines
Purchase a Thermometer, Masks, and Cleaning Supplies
Complete the Mandatory Online Training Module
Update Your Local Address and Phone Number
Commuter Students: Purchase Food, Snacks, and Supplies for Your Initial Quarantine Period
Download the CoVerified App
Learn about laptop and technology requirements for entering students. This includes an Apple MacBook Pro laptop, which you will need to purchase on your own, and a Core Software Package, which is automatically added to your tuition bill. We urge students to make purchases well in advance of check-in as shipping is delayed in many parts of the world. Order Your Laptop and Technology Bundle
All students from outside the United States who plan to attend Berklee this spring must complete an I-20 form in order to apply for an F-1 student visa at a U.S. consulate or embassy. Review the I-20/F-1 Visa Information page for step-by-step instructions on how to complete your I-20. Please visit the Student ID Photo Submission page (login required) to submit your photo for your Berklee ID electronically. The page includes rules that must be followed for the photo to be accepted. Note that you must be logged in to your student portal account to be able to access this page. Any student who is currently attending or has attended postsecondary school (college or university) within the last five years must submit this form prior to the beginning of orientation. All entering undergraduate students must submit proof of high school/secondary school graduation prior to matriculation, even if transferring into Berklee from another college.
Submit a copy of either your official high school/secondary school diploma or final transcript that includes a graduation date and an official signature and seal. Students who did not submit proof of secondary school completion as part of their application must submit a general report of their credential evaluation through a certified credential evaluation service. Proof of high school graduation may be emailed to the Office of Admissions at admissions@berklee.edu. Students seeking transfer credit must submit their most recent college transcript to update their transfer credit records. Some documents may already have been submitted during the application process. Students who are seeking transfer credit via CLEP or AP should submit their official score report or reports to the Office of Admissions. Information on how to submit an official transcript to the Office of Admissions is available on the Transcript and Other Support Materials page. Admitted students who submitted college transcripts, official AP credit, or CLEP scores through the admissions process will be able to view their transfer credit within the student portal under the Student Services section. All students are required to submit this electronic agreement acknowledging their financial obligations before they will be allowed to check in for the semester. You can find the link to the SAFO form in the Check-In section of the student portal. Scroll to the bottom of the page, check off the box to indicate that you have read and agreed with the three disclosures, then click "Submit." As a new Berklee student, you are required to take the online Entering Student Proficiency Assessment (ESPA), which places you in core ear training, harmony, and arranging courses with other students who have similar experience levels. The ESPA has six total parts and is a critical component in developing your first-semester schedule. Please complete the ESPA as soon as possible. The assessment is specifically used for placement into core classes; you cannot pass or fail it, and no grade will be assigned to it. All students must attempt parts one–three: If you wish to qualify for additional advanced placement, you should also attempt to complete parts four–six: You do not have to complete all of the sections at one time, but once you begin a section you will have a limited time to complete it. You must have your OnePass set up and use your Berklee.edu email address to access the exam. We recommend that you have a quiet place and a secure internet connection before starting the exam. If you have any technical issues, the Technology Service Desk is available to help you from Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET at 2238@berklee.edu or 617-747-2238. To request testing accommodations based on a disability, please contact Accessibility Resources for Students at accessibilityresources@berklee.edu or 617-747-2387 from Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET. All incoming undergraduate students are required to take Berklee's first-semester Liberal Arts Engaging Seminar (LENS). This will help you navigate your Berklee education, build your foundation as a student and an artist, and foster your creative community. There are four LENS categories available to you. While we cannot guarantee that you will be placed in your first choice, we invite you to rank your preferences. All new students who are non-native English speakers are required to complete an online ESL placement test, regardless of their TOEFL/IELTS score, prior to matriculating at Berklee. The results of the exam will be used to place you in the appropriate ESL level. More information has been sent to your email address on how to complete your ESL exam. Please complete the exam as soon as possible. For questions about this assessment, contact your enrollment officer at eo@berklee.edu or 617-747-2221. If you cannot hear the audio sample or need support for any other technical issues, please email 2238@berklee.edu or call 617-747-2238. View your financial aid award by visiting the financial aid portal. Manage your financial aid by logging in to the student portal to check your award status. All registered students taking credit hours—regardless of where they are—are automatically enrolled in and billed for the Berklee Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) offered by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, waiver requirements have been relaxed for the spring semester only. You may be able to waive the SHIP with insurance that is otherwise not comparable depending on where you will be physically located. If you do not want the SHIP, you must take action. If you will be in Massachusetts for the spring 2021 semester, you will need to demonstrate that your own insurance plan is comparable to the SHIP, regardless of your citizenship. Please note that out-of-state HMOs, out-of-state Medicaid plans, and all international health plans are not comparable, and your request to waive the SHIP will be declined. If you will not be in Massachusetts, but will be in the United States for the spring 2021 semester: If you will not be in the United States for the spring 2021 semester: If you will be taking any classes in the spring 2021 semester while physically being in Massachusetts and you were able to waive the SHIP for fall 2020 with an out-of-state HMO, out-of-state Medicaid plan, or an international health plan, you will be billed for the SHIP on a prorated basis. Spring SHIP coverage runs from January 1, 2021 through August 14, 2021. If you are having difficulty logging in to gallagherstudent.com/berklee, please contact Gallagher Student Health and Special Risk Customer Service. Please contact your enrollment officer at eo@berklee.edu if you have any questions. Request Your I-20 Form
Submit Your Student ID Photo
Submit Your Transfer Student Discipline Record Release Form
Submit Proof of High School/Secondary School Graduation
Submit Final Transcripts
Review Transfer Credit
Complete Your Student Acknowledgement of Financial and Other Obligations (SAFO) Form
Complete Your Entering Student Proficiency Assessment (ESPA)
Complete Your Liberal Arts Engaging Seminar (LENS) Placement Exam
Complete Your English as a Second Language (ESL) Placement Exam
Review Your Financial Aid
Review Important Health Insurance Information