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Is Cleveland Institute of Music worth it?
A first pass affordability and outcome read for Cleveland Institute of Music, using national average inputs. Run your own numbers for a personalized score.
Worth-It Score
Heavy lift
Cleveland Institute of Music lands in the heavy lift band for a typical family. The combination of $28,226 in yearly net price and $24,968 in median debt asks a lot relative to median earnings of $32,641. For context, Cleveland Institute of Music's net price runs about 58% above the typical 4-year, private nonprofit school. This does not make the school wrong for every student, but it does mean the price deserves a closer test.
Is the price fair?
Compared to 1237 similar 4-year, private nonprofit schools
This school
$36,001
/yrAverage school like this
$22,837
/yrThis weighs on your Worth-It Score
You'd pay about $13,164 more per year than the typical student at a similar school. Over 4 years that's roughly $53,000 in extra cost.
Score breakdown
The public version of the score weighs affordability, after graduation outcomes, and repayment burden.
Affordability
40% weight
The yearly net price is doing real work against the score and raises the financing burden quickly.
Outcome
40% weight
The outcome data does not create enough margin to fully offset the cost.
Repayment
20% weight
Median debt stays in a more comfortable repayment range for a typical graduate.
The numbers behind the score
Median net price per year
$28,226
Median earnings 10 years out
$32,641
Median debt at graduation
$24,968
Graduation rate
70%
At Cleveland Institute of Music, a typical graduate carries about $24,968 in student debt and earns roughly $32,641 ten years after enrolling. On a standard 10-year repayment plan, that works out to about $284 per month, or 10% of pre-tax income. That sits at the tighter end of a workable borrower range.
How earnings compare to a high school diploma
Graduates earn $9,159 less than the typical high school graduate ($41,800) ten years after entering this school. A federal rule finalized in July 2026 ties undergraduate student-loan eligibility to a comparison like this one, with the first calculations expected in 2027.
53% of former students here out-earned that benchmark ten years after entry, per College Scorecard.
Context, not a federal determination: the official test will use earnings measured four years after completion and thresholds the Department of Education has not yet published, which may vary by state. Our figure is College Scorecard median earnings ten years after entry. How this works
What this means for your family
Cleveland Institute of Music is a private nonprofit four year school in Cleveland, OH. Private pricing can swing more dramatically based on aid, so your personalized score matters more here than the national average view alone.
Similar schools worth comparing
These schools share a similar sector, geography, or price range.
Private nonprofit 4-year
John Carroll
University Heights, OH
Worth-It Score: 64/100
Median net price: $28,746
Private nonprofit 4-year
Baldwin Wallace
Berea, OH
Worth-It Score: 53/100
Median net price: $27,603
Private nonprofit 4-year
Cleveland Institute of Art
Cleveland, OH
Worth-It Score: 34/100
Median net price: $29,208
Private nonprofit 4-year
The University of Findlay
Findlay, OH
Worth-It Score: 52/100
Median net price: $27,221
Private nonprofit 4-year
Columbus College of Art & Design
Columbus, OH
Worth-It Score: 28/100
Median net price: $29,439
Common questions about Cleveland Institute of Music
The median net price at Cleveland Institute of Music is $28,226 per year. That is the average yearly price after typical grant aid for students in the public federal data, not the published sticker price.
Get your personalized Worth-It score
National averages are a starting point. Plug in your actual aid offer, intended major, and family situation to get a score that reflects your specific picture.
Looking at private colleges options in Ohio? See the most affordable private colleges in Ohio →
The Worth-It Score weighs affordability (40%), after graduation outcomes (40%), and repayment burden (20%). Underlying data points come from publicly available federal higher education reporting. See full methodology →
Now work out how to pay for it, cheapest money first.
A Worth-It Score tells you whether the price is justified. The 2026-27 funding guide covers the borrowing order, what changed on July 1, 2026, and the current limits.
Open the 2026-27 funding guide →