What do conservatory course costs depend on?

Management Costs, not to mention the location. Rent in central Milan will cost more compared to central Piacenza, don't you think?

Furthermore, training hours and various "add-ons": free Workshops, free MasterClasses, etc. (for example, I know that in Milan they assign a budget for the performance of pieces written in composition courses. This is an opportunity on one hand, but a cost on the other. In Piacenza, is there this possibility and consequent cost?)

It should also be said that some costs could also be seen as an investment

So, costs vary... but I would be curious to read Rome

The cost of the Conservatory (actually called "Enrollment and attendance contribution" or something similar) is decided by the individual Board of Directors based on internal parameters such as budget requirements, comparison with nearby/competing institutes, services offered, etc. Then there are reductions based on income according to the family ISEE.

Milan's case is an extreme one (doubling of the min/max), but reading the regulations carefully, there is also a wide window for ISEE deductions (http://rette.consmilano.it/simulazione_quote.php): I did the calculation for myself, as I have a decent income, and I would pay 1300 euros per year, which is average compared to many other conservatories.

Rather than the costs themselves, the services offered by individual institutes should be investigated (after all, a university costs much more): paying 1300 euros to not have study rooms, scholarships, a canteen, agreements with specialized shops, etc., is excessive.

Zedef wrote:

(actually it is called "Registration and attendance fee" or something similar)

In fact, I was writing "student contribution"

Anyway thanks Zedef and Ettore, indeed there is much to reflect upon... but at first glance, when one looks at the figures... they risk having a fainting spell.

Some time ago, I had a discussion of this kind with one of my university professors. Setting aside extreme situations, namely those with very low income where studies are guaranteed for free or only by paying the first installment, I don't remember exactly, we agreed on the fact that university education and therefore also conservatory education do not actually have prohibitive costs. Imagine that abroad, parents must start setting money aside from their child's birth to guarantee them a university education. Costs in other nations of the world can be truly prohibitive. The cheapest college in America is around 10,000 euros in annual tuition. If we look at universities like MIT, Harvard, Yale, the figures become dizzying, with tuitions even reaching 70,000/100,000 euros per year. Paying even 2,000 euros a year wouldn't be much since an education should be guaranteed: professors available if needed, clean facilities, laboratories, tools to work with, internet, efficiency, etc., etc. Unfortunately, often at least half of this list, especially in public institutes, does not work.