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2023 Best Value Colleges for Jazz Studies (Income $0-$30k)

50 Ranked Colleges
574 Degrees Awarded
$8,400 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Jazz Schools For Those Making $0-$30k

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 Jazz Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2020-2021, 574 people earned their degree in jazz studies, making the major the 544th most popular in the United States.

This year’s “Best Value Jazz Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 50 colleges that offered a degree in jazz studies. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality jazz studies 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 jazz studies program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Jazz Studies Schools

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When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Jazz Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college decision.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Jazz Schools For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Jazz Schools For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Jazz Studies (Income $0-$30k)

1
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Jazz Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Evanston, Illinois, and it awarded 2 ’s jazz degrees in 2020-2021.

Northwestern also made our “Best Jazz Studies Schools” list, coming in at #1. The estimated yearly cost for Northwestern is $245 for Jazz students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. 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 full report on Jazz Studies at Northwestern University

2

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Jazz Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Ann Arbor, Michigan is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s jazz degrees to 1 students in 2020-2021.

U-M also took the #2 spot in our “Best Jazz Studies Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for U-M is $2,670 for Jazz students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full U-M Jazz Studies Report

3
Michigan State crest
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Michigan State University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Jazz Schools For Those Making $0-$30k. Located in East Lansing, Michigan, this large public school handed out 17 degrees to qualified ’s jazz students in 2020-2021.

Michigan State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Jazz Studies Schools” list. It costs about $6,927 for jazz students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Michigan State.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Jazz Studies at Michigan State University

4

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Jazz Schools For Those Making $0-$30k. UIUC is a public institution located in Champaign, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 4 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Jazz Studies Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $4,858 for Jazz students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Jazz Studies at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

5
Brooklyn College crest
Brooklyn College
Brooklyn, New York

Out of the 50 schools in the Best Value Jazz Schools For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Brooklyn College landed the #5 spot on the list. Brooklyn College is located in Brooklyn, New York and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 4 ’s jazz degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for Brooklyn College is $1,547 for jazz students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.5% 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%.

Full Brooklyn College Jazz Studies Report

6
Oberlin crest
Oberlin College
Oberlin, Ohio

Oberlin College landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Value Jazz Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Oberlin is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Oberlin, Ohio. It awarded 11 ’s jazz degrees in 2020-2021.

Oberlin also made our “Best Jazz Studies Schools” list, coming in at #4. It costs about $8,756 for Jazz students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Oberlin College.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.0% 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%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read more about Jazz Studies at Oberlin College

7

University of California - Los Angeles did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Jazz Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #7. University of California - Los Angeles is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 4 ’s jazz degrees in 2020-2021.

UCLA also took the #8 spot in our “Best Jazz Studies Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UCLA is $9,037 for Jazz students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The low undergrad 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%.

Full UCLA Jazz Studies Report

8

University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Best Value Jazz Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Seattle, Washington is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s jazz degrees to 6 students in 2020-2021.

UW Seattle also took the #13 spot in our “Best Jazz Studies Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus is $5,194 for jazz students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.1% 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 Jazz Studies at UW Seattle

9

The University of Texas at Austin did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Jazz Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #9. The University of Texas at Austin is located in Austin, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 5 ’s jazz degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our jazz students whose families make $0-$30k list, UT Austin has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Jazz Studies Schools” ranking. It costs about $13,753 for Jazz students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UT Austin.

With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full The University of Texas at Austin Jazz Studies Report

10
QC crest
Queens College
Queens, New York

With a ranking of #10, Queens College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Jazz Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Queens College is a public institution located in Queens, New York. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 21 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for Queens College is $1,344 for Jazz students whose families make $0-$30k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Queens College Jazz Studies Report

11
CCNY crest
The City College of New York
New York, New York

The City College of New York came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Jazz Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in New York, New York, this fairly large public school handed out 16 diplomas to qualified ’s jazz students in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend The City College of New York is $1,254 for Jazz students whose families make $0-$30k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Jazz Studies at CCNY

12

University of North Texas ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Jazz Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. UNT is located in Denton, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 56 ’s jazz degrees to qualified students.

UNT not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #18 on our “Best Jazz Studies Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend UNT is $6,387 for jazz students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Jazz Studies at University of North Texas

13
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

University of Southern California ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Jazz Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Southern California is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 21 ’s jazz degrees in 2020-2021.

USC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Jazz Studies Schools” list. It costs about $17,287 for jazz students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Southern California.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% 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 Jazz Studies at USC

14

With a ranking of #14, Ohio State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Jazz Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Ohio State is a large school located in Columbus, Ohio that handed out 6 ’s jazz degrees in 2020-2021.

Ohio State also made our “Best Jazz Studies Schools” list, coming in at #20. The yearly cost to attend Ohio State University - Main Campus is $7,068 for jazz students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive undergrad 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 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Jazz Studies at Ohio State University - Main Campus

15
UNF crest
University of North Florida
Jacksonville, Florida

With a ranking of #15, University of North Florida did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Jazz Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Jacksonville, Florida, this fairly large public school handed out 9 diplomas to qualified ’s jazz students in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend UNF is $4,367 for Jazz students whose families make $0-$30k.

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

Read more about Jazz Studies at University of North Florida

16
University of Rochester crest
University of Rochester
Rochester, New York

University of Rochester ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Jazz Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. This fairly large school is located in Rochester, New York, and it awarded 16 ’s jazz degrees in 2020-2021.

University of Rochester also made our “Best Jazz Studies Schools” list, coming in at #7. The yearly cost to attend University of Rochester is $12,915 for jazz students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergraduate 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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Jazz Studies at University of Rochester

17

University of Nevada - Las Vegas ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Jazz Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Las Vegas, Nevada, this large public school awarded 4 degrees to qualified ’s jazz students in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend UNLV is $8,991 for jazz students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.9% 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 Jazz Studies at UNLV

18
UNI crest
University of Northern Iowa
Cedar Falls, Iowa

University of Northern Iowa came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Jazz Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Cedar Falls, Iowa, this medium-sized public school awarded 1 diplomas to qualified ’s jazz students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our jazz students whose families make $0-$30k list, UNI has also earned the #21 rank in our “Best Jazz Studies Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Northern Iowa is $10,513 for Jazz students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Northern Iowa Jazz Studies Report

19
Ball State crest
Ball State University
Muncie, Indiana

Ball State University landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Best Value Jazz Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Ball State is a large school located in Muncie, Indiana that handed out 1 ’s jazz degrees in 2020-2021.

It costs about $8,273 for Jazz students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Ball State University.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Jazz Studies at Ball State

20
UO crest
University of Oregon
Eugene, Oregon

University of Oregon ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Jazz Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Eugene, Oregon, this large public school awarded 8 degrees to qualified ’s jazz students in 2020-2021.

UO also made our “Best Jazz Studies Schools” list, coming in at #19. The yearly cost to attend UO is $13,666 for Jazz students whose families make $0-$30k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Oregon Jazz Studies Report

21

University of Missouri - Kansas City came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Jazz Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Missouri - Kansas City is a fairly large school located in Kansas City, Missouri that handed out 11 ’s jazz degrees in 2020-2021.

UMKC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #25 on our “Best Jazz Studies Schools” list. It costs about $12,724 for jazz students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Missouri - Kansas City.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.7% 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 University of Missouri - Kansas City Jazz Studies Report

22
WMU crest
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo, Michigan

Western Michigan University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Jazz Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Kalamazoo, Michigan, this fairly large public school awarded 2 degrees to qualified ’s jazz students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our jazz students whose families make $0-$30k list, WMU has also earned the #24 rank in our “Best Jazz Studies Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Western Michigan University is $13,112 for Jazz students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full WMU Jazz Studies Report

23

University of Illinois at Chicago did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Jazz Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #23. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s jazz degrees to 3 students in 2020-2021.

It costs about $10,549 for jazz students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Illinois at Chicago.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Jazz Studies at University of Illinois at Chicago

24
Ithaca crest
Ithaca College
Ithaca, New York

Ithaca College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Jazz Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #24. Ithaca is a medium-sized school located in Ithaca, New York that handed out 2 ’s jazz degrees in 2020-2021.

Ithaca also made our “Best Jazz Studies Schools” list, coming in at #10. The estimated yearly cost for Ithaca is $20,679 for Jazz students whose families make $0-$30k.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Jazz Studies at Ithaca College

25

University of North Carolina at Asheville landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Best Value Jazz Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of North Carolina at Asheville is a small public school situated in Asheville, North Carolina. It awarded 2 ’s jazz degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for University of North Carolina at Asheville is $8,677 for Jazz students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full University of North Carolina at Asheville Jazz Studies Report

Notes and References

References

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