by our College Data Analytics Team
[Music History](/majors/visual-and-performing-arts/music/music-history/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The schools below stand out for delivering a strong music history education at a price that pays off.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 5 schools to find the best return on investment for music history students.
What’s on this page:
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in music history, balancing cost against outcomes.
For return on investment in music history, no school beat Rice University this year. Rice University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Houston. In-state tuition and fees average $61,247. Typical student debt for music history graduates is $11,904. Early-career music history graduates make about $75,299. That is a strong return on a $11,904 median debt. Roughly 8% of applicants are accepted.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Texas Tech University earned it the #2 place for music history. Set in the city of Lubbock, Texas Tech University is a very large public institution. Students from in state pay about $11,852 in tuition and fees, with out-of-state students paying around $24,157. Students borrow a median of $27,816 to complete the music history program here. Music History graduates of Texas Tech University earn a median of $39,571 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 73%.
A rank of #3 makes Southern Methodist University one of the best values for music history. Southern Methodist University is a large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Dallas. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $67,040. Students borrow a median of $18,417 to complete the music history program here. Early-career music history graduates make about $70,632. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 63% of applicants are accepted.
Baylor University came in at #4 on our 2026 list of the best value music history schools. Located in the city of Waco, Baylor University is a very large private not-for-profit university. Students from in state pay about $58,100 in tuition and fees. Music History graduates carry a median of $27,000 in student loans. Early-career music history graduates make about $10,210. That is a strong return on a $27,000 median debt. Roughly 51% of applicants are accepted.
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 5 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 ranked schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.