Vision

To ensure access to a Peabody education for any student with the talent and tenacity to thrive unencumbered by financial limitations.

Goals and Progress

Goal: Utilizing financial aid resources, meet/exceed multi-year targets by 2029 to move undergraduate selectivity from 47% to 22%, yield from 25% to 45%, and average audition scores from 7.5 to 8.5, all as a means of building greater excellence and access.

July 2025 Updates:

• Fall 2025 results included a 11% increase in undergraduate applications over prior year, greater selectivity as the admit rate moved from 37% to 26%, and an increase in yield from 31% to 37%.
• Over the two years since the implementation of the new financial aid initiative, Peabody’s undergraduate admit rate has moved from 48% to 26%, while yield has moved from 26% to 37%.
• Over the same two-year period, the average audition rating increased from 7.6 to 8.2.

Goal: With recent infusion of undergraduate financial aid resources and growing competitiveness in the graduate market, establish new benchmarks for increasing graduate support with initial focus on DMA support as demonstrated by commitment to now fully fund DMA tuition for 2-year residency, while identifying needed resources to ensure access and excellence across all graduate programs, closing the gap between undergraduate and graduate support while reassessing and planning for implications of an evolving graduate model.

July 2025 Updates:

• An examination of MM enrollment currently under way includes developing additional financial aid support to increase competitiveness and ensure the strongest MM population.

Goal: Develop additional resources to support early access for talented students of lower socioeconomic means to music and dance study through the Preparatory’s programs like Tuned-In in order to further expand the pipeline to Peabody Conservatory and other conservatory training programs.

Goal: As financial barriers are eliminated and access to Peabody becomes greater than ever before, and aligned with similar initiatives at Homewood, expand the depth and support for academic advising and wraparound services for those students coming into Peabody who may be disadvantaged by prior lack of access to educational and artistic opportunities.

July 2025 Updates:

• A new academic advisor has been hired to focus on success coaching and the creation of programming and support services for first-generation students and others.
• Orientation and onboarding programs have been strengthened through the enhanced use of a Canvas site to engage students early and regularly, coupled with academic advising appointments for all incoming undergraduate students during the summer preceding their first semester.