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2022 Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k

92 Ranked Colleges
988 Degrees Awarded
$8,900 Avg Net Price*
Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor's in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2019-2020, 11,573 people earned their degree in general music, making the major the 68th most popular in the United States.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 1,418 general music graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 988 general music graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,075 and $25,381 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 92 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in general music. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality general music programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the general music program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank General Music Schools

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region bachelor’s degree general music students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Music (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois
#2 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northwestern University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Northwestern is a large school located in Evanston, Illinois that handed out 30 bachelors’s general music degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Northwestern, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best General Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Northwestern University is $1,866 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree general music students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Northwestern General Music Report

#3 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 10 bachelors’s general music degrees to qualified students.

U-M also took the #3 spot in our “Best General Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is $3,166 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree General Music students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 1.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about General Music at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

#3

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
#6 in overall quality

Out of the 92 schools in the Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Chicago landed the #3 spot on the list. UChicago is a fairly large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 5 bachelors’s general music degrees in 2019-2020.

UChicago not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best General Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UChicago is $2,712 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree general music students whose families make $0-$30k.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low student loan default rate of 0.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%.

Read full report on General Music at UChicago

#4

University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame, Indiana
#1 in overall quality

Out of the 92 schools in the Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Notre Dame landed the #4 spot on the list. Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit institution located in Notre Dame, Indiana. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 17 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Notre Dame did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best General Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Notre Dame is $12,498 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree general music students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The low student loan default rate of 0.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read full report on General Music at University of Notre Dame

#5 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Wisconsin - Madison is located in Madison, Wisconsin and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 14 bachelors’s general music degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW - Madison, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best General Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UW - Madison is $4,367 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree general music students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full UW - Madison General Music Report

#8 in overall quality

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #6. UIUC is located in Champaign, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 21 bachelors’s general music degrees to qualified students.

UIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best General Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $5,477 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree General Music students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UIUC.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on General Music at UIUC

#7

Michigan State University

East Lansing, Michigan
#10 in overall quality

With a ranking of #7, Michigan State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Michigan State University is a large school located in East Lansing, Michigan that handed out 9 bachelors’s general music degrees in 2019-2020.

Michigan State also made our “Best General Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #10. The estimated yearly cost for Michigan State University is $6,686 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree general music students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Michigan State University General Music Report

#7 in overall quality

University of Wisconsin - Whitewater ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. UW - Whitewater is a fairly large public school situated in Whitewater, Wisconsin. It awarded 25 bachelors’s general music degrees in 2019-2020.

UW - Whitewater did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best General Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Whitewater is $11,868 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree General Music students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on General Music at University of Wisconsin - Whitewater

#14 in overall quality

University of Wisconsin - La Crosse ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in La Crosse, Wisconsin, this fairly large public school handed out 12 degrees to qualified bachelors’s general music students in 2019-2020.

UW - La Crosse also took the #14 spot in our “Best General Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $7,939 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree general music students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UW - La Crosse.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 1.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read full report on General Music at UW - La Crosse

#10

University of Wisconsin - Platteville

Platteville, Wisconsin
#13 in overall quality

University of Wisconsin - Platteville landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Platteville, Wisconsin, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s general music degrees in 2019-2020.

UW - Platteville not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best General Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $12,117 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree general music students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Platteville.

Read more about General Music at University of Wisconsin - Platteville

Ohio State University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #11. Ohio State University - Main Campus is a large school located in Columbus, Ohio that handed out 9 bachelors’s general music degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Ohio State University - Main Campus is $8,194 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree General Music students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 4.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full Ohio State University - Main Campus General Music Report

#12

University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire

Eau Claire, Wisconsin
#12 in overall quality

University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Eau Claire, Wisconsin is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s general music degrees to 44 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW - Eau Claire, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best General Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $11,528 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree General Music students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire.

Read full report on General Music at UW - Eau Claire

#13

University of Wisconsin - Green Bay

Green Bay, Wisconsin
#22 in overall quality

With a ranking of #13, University of Wisconsin - Green Bay did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Green Bay, Wisconsin, this medium-sized public school awarded 11 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s general music students in 2019-2020.

UW - Green Bay also took the #22 spot in our “Best General Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $11,337 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree General Music students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UW - Green Bay.

Full UW - Green Bay General Music Report

#14

University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point

Stevens Point, Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. UW - Stevens Point is a public institution located in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 8 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $11,446 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree general music students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point.

Read full report on General Music at University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point

#15

Grand Valley State University

Allendale, Michigan
#15 in overall quality

Grand Valley State University ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Grand Valley State University is a large school located in Allendale, Michigan that handed out 36 bachelors’s general music degrees in 2019-2020.

GVSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best General Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for GVSU is $11,578 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree general music students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Music at Grand Valley State University

#16

Beloit College

Beloit, Wisconsin

Beloit College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #16. This small school is located in Beloit, Wisconsin, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s general music degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Beloit is $8,574 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree general music students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about General Music at Beloit

#17

University of Wisconsin - River Falls

River Falls, Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin - River Falls ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in River Falls, Wisconsin, this medium-sized public school awarded 11 degrees to qualified bachelors’s general music students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $8,366 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree general music students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Wisconsin - River Falls.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Music at UW - River Falls

University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #18. UW Oshkosh is a fairly large school located in Oshkosh, Wisconsin that handed out 9 bachelors’s general music degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh is $11,687 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree General Music students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about General Music at UW Oshkosh

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. SIUE is a public institution located in Edwardsville, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 23 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for SIUE is $8,055 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree general music students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Southern Illinois University Edwardsville General Music Report

University of Wisconsin - Parkside landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UW - Parkside is a small public school situated in Kenosha, Wisconsin. It awarded 5 bachelors’s general music degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend UW - Parkside is $6,652 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree general music students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on General Music at UW - Parkside

#21

Indiana University - South Bend

South Bend, Indiana

Indiana University - South Bend landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This small school is located in South Bend, Indiana, and it awarded 4 bachelors’s general music degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $4,641 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree General Music students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Indiana University - South Bend.

Read more about General Music at Indiana University - South Bend

#22

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, Illinois
#24 in overall quality

Eastern Illinois University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Eastern Illinois University is a medium-sized school located in Charleston, Illinois that handed out 13 bachelors’s general music degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree general music students whose families make $0-$30k list, EIU has also earned the #24 rank in our “Best General Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $12,350 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree General Music students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend EIU.

Read more about General Music at EIU

#23

Lawrence University

Appleton, Wisconsin
#11 in overall quality

Lawrence University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Lawrence University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Appleton, Wisconsin. It awarded 6 bachelors’s general music degrees in 2019-2020.

Lawrence U did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best General Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $14,137 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree general music students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Lawrence University.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The low student loan default rate of 3.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Lawrence University General Music Report

#24

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

Northern Illinois University landed the #24 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Northern Illinois University is a public institution located in Dekalb, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 2 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Northern Illinois University is $15,281 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree General Music students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full NIU General Music Report

#25

Indiana State University

Terre Haute, Indiana

With a ranking of #25, Indiana State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This fairly large school is located in Terre Haute, Indiana, and it awarded 24 bachelors’s general music degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Indiana State is $9,422 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree General Music students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Indiana State University General Music Report

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Notes and References

References

  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

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