Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Music Performance

Find Schools Near

2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Music Performance (Income $30-$48k)

262 Ranked Colleges
4,318 Degrees Awarded
$6,200 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor's For Those Making $30-$48k

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2019-2020, 7,957 people earned their degree in music performance, making the major the 103rd most popular in the United States.

At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 4,318 music performance graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 262 colleges that offer a degree in music performance. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality music performance 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 music performance program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Music Performance Schools

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 Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k” list to help you make the college decision.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. 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 Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Music Performance (Income $30-$48k)

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois
#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Northwestern is a large school located in Evanston, Illinois that handed out 20 bachelors’s music performance degrees in 2019-2020.

Northwestern did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Music Performance Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Northwestern University is $3,995 for bachelor’s degree music performance students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on Music Performance at Northwestern

#2

Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, Maryland
#4 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Johns Hopkins University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Johns Hopkins is a large school located in Baltimore, Maryland that handed out 52 bachelors’s music performance degrees in 2019-2020.

Johns Hopkins also made our “Best Music Performance Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #4. The estimated yearly cost for Johns Hopkins University is $8,210 for bachelor’s degree music performance students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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 student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Music Performance at Johns Hopkins

#16 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Edinburg, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s music performance degrees to 7 students in 2019-2020.

UT Rio Grande Valley did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Music Performance Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is $3,473 for Bachelor’s Degree Music Performance students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%.

Full UT Rio Grande Valley Music Performance Report

#4

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, North Carolina
#3 in overall quality

Out of the 262 schools in the Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill landed the #4 spot on the list. This large school is located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and it awarded 11 bachelors’s music performance degrees in 2019-2020.

UNC Chapel Hill did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Music Performance Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $6,063 for bachelor’s degree music performance students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The low student loan default rate of 1.9% 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 Music Performance at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

#5 in overall quality

Out of the 262 schools in the Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #5 spot on the list. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 53 bachelors’s music performance degrees to qualified students.

U-M did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Music Performance Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend U-M is $5,887 for bachelor’s degree music performance students whose families make $30-$48k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Music Performance Report

#20 in overall quality

University of Wisconsin - Madison came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Madison, Wisconsin is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s music performance degrees to 13 students in 2019-2020.

UW - Madison also took the #20 spot in our “Best Music Performance Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UW - Madison is $6,860 for bachelor’s degree music performance students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 0.8% 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%.

Read more about Music Performance at UW - Madison

#7

Hunter College

New York, New York

With a ranking of #7, Hunter College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Hunter College is located in New York, New York and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 32 bachelors’s music performance degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend Hunter College is $2,394 for Bachelor’s Degree Music Performance students whose families make $30-$48k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Hunter Music Performance Report

Top 15% in overall quality

University of North Texas landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This large school is located in Denton, Texas, and it awarded 46 bachelors’s music performance degrees in 2019-2020.

UNT also claimed a top spot on our “Best Music Performance Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The yearly cost to attend University of North Texas is $9,082 for bachelor’s degree music performance students whose families make $30-$48k.

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

Full UNT Music Performance Report

Top 15% in overall quality

University of Washington - Seattle Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #9. Located in Seattle, Washington, this large public school handed out 5 degrees to qualified bachelors’s music performance students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on this list, UW Seattle is in the top on our “Best Music Performance Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. It costs about $7,467 for bachelor’s degree music performance students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UW Seattle.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full UW Seattle Music Performance Report

California State University - Los Angeles came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Cal State LA is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 20 bachelors’s music performance degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $2,117 for Bachelor’s Degree Music Performance students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend California State University - Los Angeles.

The low student loan default rate of 1.4% 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 California State University - Los Angeles Music Performance Report

#11

Florida State University

Tallahassee, Florida
#23 in overall quality

Florida State University landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Tallahassee, Florida is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s music performance degrees to 29 students in 2019-2020.

Florida State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #23 on our “Best Music Performance Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Florida State is $6,816 for Bachelor’s Degree Music Performance students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low student loan default rate of 3.5% 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 95%.

Read full report on Music Performance at Florida State

With a ranking of #12, Brigham Young University - Idaho did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Rexburg, Idaho, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 37 degrees to qualified bachelors’s music performance students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for BYU - I is $3,595 for bachelor’s degree music performance students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Music Performance at Brigham Young University - Idaho

#13

Indiana University - Bloomington

Bloomington, Indiana
Top 20% in overall quality

With a ranking of #13, Indiana University - Bloomington did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Indiana University - Bloomington is located in Bloomington, Indiana and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 116 bachelors’s music performance degrees to qualified students.

On top of its placing in this ranking, IU Bloomington also did well on our “Best Music Performance Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The estimated yearly cost for Indiana University - Bloomington is $6,192 for bachelor’s degree music performance students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low student loan default rate of 4.3% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Music Performance at Indiana University - Bloomington

Top 10% in overall quality

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This large school is located in Champaign, Illinois, and it awarded 21 bachelors’s music performance degrees in 2019-2020.

UIUC also claimed a top spot on our “Best Music Performance Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $8,464 for Bachelor’s Degree Music Performance students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 Music Performance at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

#15

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#10 in overall quality

University of California - Los Angeles did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #15. UCLA is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 21 bachelors’s music performance degrees to qualified students.

UCLA also took the #10 spot in our “Best Music Performance Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UCLA is $9,254 for bachelor’s degree music performance students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Music Performance at University of California - Los Angeles

#16

University of North Carolina School of the Arts

Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Top 25% in overall quality

University of North Carolina School of the Arts ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, this small public school awarded 25 degrees to qualified bachelors’s music performance students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $8,472 for bachelor’s degree music performance students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UNCSA.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. 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. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Music Performance at University of North Carolina School of the Arts

#17

Truman State University

Kirksville, Missouri
#22 in overall quality

Truman State University landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This small school is located in Kirksville, Missouri, and it awarded 5 bachelors’s music performance degrees in 2019-2020.

Truman State also made our “Best Music Performance Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #22. The yearly cost to attend Truman State is $8,269 for Bachelor’s Degree Music Performance students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Music Performance at Truman State

#18

The City College of New York

New York, New York

With a ranking of #18, The City College of New York did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. CCNY is a fairly large public school situated in New York, New York. It awarded 7 bachelors’s music performance degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend The City College of New York is $2,947 for Bachelor’s Degree Music Performance students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full CCNY Music Performance Report

#19

St Olaf College

Northfield, Minnesota
#7 in overall quality

St Olaf College ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Northfield, Minnesota, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 19 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s music performance students in 2019-2020.

St. Olaf did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Music Performance Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for St. Olaf is $12,276 for bachelor’s degree music performance students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, 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 St. Olaf Music Performance Report

#20

University of Central Florida

Orlando, Florida

University of Central Florida ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Orlando, Florida is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s music performance degrees to 29 students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $7,847 for Bachelor’s Degree Music Performance students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UCF.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.2%, 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 92%.

Read full report on Music Performance at University of Central Florida

#21

The University of West Florida

Pensacola, Florida

The University of West Florida came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Pensacola, Florida, and it awarded 9 bachelors’s music performance degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $3,912 for bachelor’s degree music performance students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UWF.

Read more about Music Performance at The University of West Florida

California State University - Fullerton ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in Fullerton, California, and it awarded 33 bachelors’s music performance degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Fullerton is $6,100 for bachelor’s degree music performance students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Music Performance at California State University - Fullerton

#23

University of Houston

Houston, Texas
#13 in overall quality

University of Houston landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. UH is a large school located in Houston, Texas that handed out 27 bachelors’s music performance degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UH, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Music Performance Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Houston is $9,925 for bachelor’s degree music performance students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Music Performance at University of Houston

#24

Queens College

Queens, New York

Queens College landed the #24 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. QC is a fairly large school located in Queens, New York that handed out 30 bachelors’s music performance degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $3,056 for bachelor’s degree music performance students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Queens College.

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 Music Performance at QC

#25

Brooklyn College

Brooklyn, New York

Brooklyn College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #25. Located in Brooklyn, New York, this fairly large public school handed out 3 degrees to qualified bachelors’s music performance students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $2,898 for Bachelor’s Degree Music Performance students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Brooklyn College.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 5.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Music Performance at Brooklyn College

Rest of the Best 40 in Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k

Not only did these schools make the top 40 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

#28

University of Wyoming

Laramie, Wyoming
#33

Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
#34

Boston University

Boston, Massachusetts
#38

Texas State University

San Marcos, Texas
#39

University of North Florida

Jacksonville, Florida
#40

University of Maryland - College Park

College Park, Maryland

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.

Featured Performing Arts Schools

Find Schools Near You