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2022 Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid

28 Ranked Colleges
279 Degrees Awarded
$20,900 Avg Net Price*
Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor's in Illinois For Those Getting Aid

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. 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 Illinois For Those Getting Aid” ranking is part of that endeavor.

General Music is the 68th most popular major in the country with 11,573 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

Across Illinois, there were 530 general music graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 279 general music graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,319 and $24,183 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 28 colleges that offered a degree in general music. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great general music programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the general music program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank General Music Schools

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Music in Illinois (With Aid)

#4 in overall quality

Out of the 28 schools in the Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #1 spot on the list. This large school is located in Champaign, Illinois, and it awarded 21 bachelors’s general music degrees in 2019-2020.

UIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best General Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend UIUC is $15,880 for illinois bachelor’s degree general music students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign General Music Report

#2

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, Illinois
#7 in overall quality

Out of the 28 schools in the Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Eastern Illinois University landed the #2 spot on the list. Charleston, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s general music degrees to 13 students in 2019-2020.

EIU also took the #7 spot in our “Best General Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $14,607 for illinois bachelor’s degree general music students with aid per year to attend Eastern Illinois University.

Full Eastern Illinois University General Music Report

#20 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Chicago. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 5 bachelors’s general music degrees in 2019-2020.

UIC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #20 on our “Best General Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Chicago is $13,312 for illinois bachelor’s degree general music students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Illinois at Chicago General Music Report

#4

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois
#13 in overall quality

Out of the 28 schools in the Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Northern Illinois University landed the #4 spot on the list. Northern Illinois University is a fairly large school located in Dekalb, Illinois that handed out 2 bachelors’s general music degrees in 2019-2020.

NIU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best General Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $18,259 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree General Music students with aid per year to attend NIU.

Read more about General Music at Northern Illinois University

#18 in overall quality

Out of the 28 schools in the Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville landed the #5 spot on the list. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is located in Edwardsville, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 23 bachelors’s general music degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SIUE, the school also landed the #18 spot in our “Best General Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is $14,423 for illinois bachelor’s degree general music students with aid.

Read full report on General Music at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

#21 in overall quality

Northeastern Illinois University landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. Northeastern Illinois University is a public institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 10 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Northeastern Illinois University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #21 on our “Best General Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Northeastern Illinois University is $15,843 for illinois bachelor’s degree general music students with aid.

Read more about General Music at Northeastern Illinois University

#7

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois
#1 in overall quality

Northwestern University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Northwestern is a large school located in Evanston, Illinois that handed out 30 bachelors’s general music degrees in 2019-2020.

Northwestern did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best General Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Northwestern University is $24,664 for illinois bachelor’s degree general music students with aid.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. 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 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about General Music at Northwestern University

#8

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois
#5 in overall quality

Illinois State University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Illinois State University is a large public school situated in Normal, Illinois. It awarded 17 bachelors’s general music degrees in 2019-2020.

Illinois State also made our “Best General Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #5. The estimated yearly cost for Illinois State University is $20,895 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree General Music students with aid.

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%.

Read more about General Music at Illinois State

#23 in overall quality

Southern Illinois University Carbondale ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. This fairly large school is located in Carbondale, Illinois, and it awarded 10 bachelors’s general music degrees in 2019-2020.

SIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #23 on our “Best General Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend SIUC is $16,945 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree General Music students with aid.

Full SIUC General Music Report

#10

North Park University

Chicago, Illinois
#8 in overall quality

North Park University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #10. North Park University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 10 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree general music students with aid list, North Park has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best General Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend North Park University is $19,170 for illinois bachelor’s degree general music students with aid.

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.

Full North Park General Music Report

#11

Millikin University

Decatur, Illinois
#11 in overall quality

Millikin University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Decatur, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 10 degrees to qualified bachelors’s general music students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Millikin, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best General Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $21,331 for illinois bachelor’s degree general music students with aid per year to attend Millikin University.

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.

Read more about General Music at Millikin

#12

University of St Francis

Joliet, Illinois
#24 in overall quality

With a ranking of #12, University of St Francis did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. University of Saint Francis is a small school located in Joliet, Illinois that handed out 2 bachelors’s general music degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at University of Saint Francis, the school also landed the #24 spot in our “Best General Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Saint Francis is $17,538 for illinois bachelor’s degree general music students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Music at University of St Francis

#13

Olivet Nazarene University

Bourbonnais, Illinois
#14 in overall quality

Olivet Nazarene University landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Bourbonnais, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 7 degrees to qualified bachelors’s general music students in 2019-2020.

Olivet Nazarene also made our “Best General Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #14. The yearly cost to attend Olivet Nazarene University is $20,195 for illinois bachelor’s degree general music students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Music at Olivet Nazarene

#14

Wheaton College Illinois

Wheaton, Illinois
#2 in overall quality

Wheaton College Illinois did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #14. Wheaton College Illinois is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Wheaton, Illinois. It awarded 4 bachelors’s general music degrees in 2019-2020.

Wheaton College Illinois also took the #2 spot in our “Best General Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Wheaton College Illinois is $25,358 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree General Music students with aid.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student-to-faculty ratio of 10 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%.

Full Wheaton College Illinois General Music Report

#15

Elmhurst University

Elmhurst, Illinois
#17 in overall quality

Elmhurst University landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. Elmhurst, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s general music degrees to 1 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree general music students with aid list, Elmhurst has also earned the #17 rank in our “Best General Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $21,485 for illinois bachelor’s degree general music students with aid per year to attend Elmhurst.

The low student loan default rate of 3.0% 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 Elmhurst

#16

Dominican University

River Forest, Illinois

Dominican University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. Dominican U is a small school located in River Forest, Illinois that handed out 1 bachelors’s general music degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Dominican University is $19,268 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree General Music students with aid.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read more about General Music at Dominican University

#17

Augustana College

Rock Island, Illinois
#12 in overall quality

Augustana College came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. This small school is located in Rock Island, Illinois, and it awarded 2 bachelors’s general music degrees in 2019-2020.

Augustana also made our “Best General Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #12. The yearly cost to attend Augustana is $23,874 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree General Music students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Augustana General Music Report

#25 in overall quality

Trinity International University - Illinois came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. TIU Illinois is a small school located in Deerfield, Illinois that handed out 5 bachelors’s general music degrees in 2019-2020.

TIU Illinois not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #25 on our “Best General Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Trinity International University - Illinois is $21,204 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree General Music students with aid.

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.

Read full report on General Music at TIU Illinois

#19

Bradley University

Peoria, Illinois
#9 in overall quality

Bradley University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. Bradley is a medium-sized school located in Peoria, Illinois that handed out 6 bachelors’s general music degrees in 2019-2020.

Bradley also took the #9 spot in our “Best General Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $25,634 for illinois bachelor’s degree general music students with aid per year to attend Bradley University.

The low student loan default rate of 2.5% 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 86%.

Read more about General Music at Bradley

#20

North Central College

Naperville, Illinois
#16 in overall quality

North Central College ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. North Central is a private not-for-profit institution located in Naperville, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 8 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at North Central, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best General Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend North Central is $24,786 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree General Music students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Music at North Central College

#21

Lake Forest College

Lake Forest, Illinois
#10 in overall quality

Lake Forest College ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Lake Forest is a private not-for-profit institution located in Lake Forest, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Lake Forest did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best General Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $26,426 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree General Music students with aid per year to attend Lake Forest.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Lake Forest College General Music Report

#22

Knox College

Galesburg, Illinois

Knox College ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. Knox is a private not-for-profit institution located in Galesburg, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 10 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Knox is $22,292 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree General Music students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 4.8% 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 impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read full report on General Music at Knox College

#23

Roosevelt University

Chicago, Illinois

Roosevelt University landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. Roosevelt is a small school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 5 bachelors’s general music degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $22,749 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree General Music students with aid per year to attend Roosevelt.

Read more about General Music at Roosevelt University

#24

Illinois Wesleyan University

Bloomington, Illinois
#6 in overall quality

Illinois Wesleyan University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. Illinois Wesleyan University is a small school located in Bloomington, Illinois that handed out 2 bachelors’s general music degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Illinois Wesleyan, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best General Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $26,039 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree General Music students with aid per year to attend Illinois Wesleyan University.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Illinois Wesleyan University General Music Report

#25

Columbia College Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
#22 in overall quality

Columbia College Chicago landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid ranking. Columbia is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 42 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Columbia, the school also landed the #22 spot in our “Best General Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Columbia is $31,099 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree General Music students with aid.

Read full report on General Music at Columbia College Chicago

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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