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2023 Most Focused Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Music Performance

441 Ranked Colleges
4,179 Degrees Awarded
$29,900 Avg Cost*
Schools for a Bachelor's Highly Focused on Music Performance Major

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 “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Performance Major” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2021-2022, 7,281 people earned their degree in music performance, making the major the 116th most popular in the United States.

At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 4,179 music performance graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,724 and $23,030 respectively.

For this year’s “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Performance Major” ranking, we looked at 441 colleges that offer a degree in music performance. That schools that top this list have a program in music performance in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.

For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Performance Major” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique 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.

Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Performance Major

The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Performance Major”.

Top 25 Most Focused Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Music Performance

1
California Jazz Conservatory crest
California Jazz Conservatory
Berkeley, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California Jazz Conservatory. The school came in at #1 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Performance Major. California Jazz Conservatory is located in Berkeley, California and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 5 bachelors’s music performance degrees to qualified students.

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%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read full report on Music Performance at California Jazz Conservatory

2
Curtis Institute of Music crest
Curtis Institute of Music
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Curtis Institute of Music. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Performance Major list. Curtis Institute of Music is a private not-for-profit institution located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The school has a small population, and it awarded 38 bachelors’s degrees in 2021-2022.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 2 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 undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Music Performance at Curtis Institute of Music

3

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Cleveland Institute of Music. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Performance Major list. Located in Cleveland, Ohio, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 44 degrees to qualified bachelors’s music performance students in 2021-2022.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 100%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Cleveland Institute of Music Music Performance Report

4
Cornish College of the Arts crest
Cornish College of the Arts
Seattle, Washington

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Cornish College of the Arts. The school came in at #4 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Performance Major. Cornish College of the Arts is a private not-for-profit institution located in Seattle, Washington. The school has a small population, and it awarded 15 bachelors’s degrees in 2021-2022.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 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 Music Performance at Cornish College of the Arts

5
Lawrence U crest
Lawrence University
Appleton, Wisconsin

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Lawrence University. The school came in at #5 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Performance Major. This small school is located in Appleton, Wisconsin, and it awarded 39 bachelors’s music performance degrees in 2021-2022.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.3% 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 Music Performance at Lawrence U

6

The Baptist College of Florida did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Performance Major ranking, coming in at #6. The Baptist College of Florida is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Graceville, Florida. It awarded 4 bachelors’s music performance degrees in 2021-2022.

With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. 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.

Read more about Music Performance at The Baptist College of Florida

7
Berklee College of Music crest
Berklee College of Music
Boston, Massachusetts

Berklee College of Music did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Performance Major ranking, coming in at #7. Berklee College of Music is a medium-sized school located in Boston, Massachusetts that handed out 219 bachelors’s music performance degrees in 2021-2022.

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%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on Music Performance at Berklee College of Music

8
Oberlin crest
Oberlin College
Oberlin, Ohio

Oberlin College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Performance Major ranking. Oberlin is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Oberlin, Ohio. It awarded 95 bachelors’s music performance degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergraduate 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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Music Performance at Oberlin College

9
Musicians Institute crest
Musicians Institute
Hollywood, California

Musicians Institute did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Performance Major ranking, coming in at #9. Musicians Institute is a private for-profit institution located in Hollywood, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 37 bachelors’s degrees in 2021-2022.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 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 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Musicians Institute Music Performance Report

10

University of North Carolina School of the Arts landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Performance Major ranking. UNCSA is a small school located in Winston Salem, North Carolina that handed out 23 bachelors’s music performance degrees in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate 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 excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Music Performance at UNCSA

11
OCU crest
Oklahoma City University
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Oklahoma City University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Performance Major ranking. Oklahoma City University is located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 58 bachelors’s music performance degrees to qualified students.

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 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Music Performance at Oklahoma City University

12
Visible Music College crest
Visible Music College
Memphis, Tennessee

With a ranking of #12, Visible Music College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Performance Major list. Memphis, Tennessee is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s music performance degrees to 18 students in 2021-2022.

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 100%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Visible Music College Music Performance Report

13
UArts crest
The University of the Arts
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The University of the Arts did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Performance Major ranking, coming in at #13. The University of the Arts is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It awarded 24 bachelors’s music performance degrees in 2021-2022.

The impressive undergraduate 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 undergrad student loan default rate of 1.0% 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 freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Music Performance at UArts

14
Calvary crest
Calvary University
Kansas City, Missouri

Calvary University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Performance Major ranking, coming in at #14. Calvary University is located in Kansas City, Missouri and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 3 bachelors’s music performance degrees to qualified students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. 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.

Read more about Music Performance at Calvary University

15
Millikin crest
Millikin University
Decatur, Illinois

Millikin University ranked #15 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Performance Major list. Millikin is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Decatur, Illinois. It awarded 10 bachelors’s music performance degrees in 2021-2022.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 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 undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Music Performance at Millikin University

16
Arkansas Baptist College crest
Arkansas Baptist College
Little Rock, Arkansas

Arkansas Baptist College landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Performance Major ranking. This small school is located in Little Rock, Arkansas, and it awarded 0 bachelors’s music performance degrees in 2021-2022.

Full Arkansas Baptist College Music Performance Report

17
SUNY Potsdam crest
SUNY Potsdam
Potsdam, New York

SUNY Potsdam ranked #17 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Performance Major list. Located in Potsdam, New York, this small public school handed out 29 degrees to qualified bachelors’s music performance students in 2021-2022.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.8% 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 SUNY Potsdam

18
SUNY Fredonia crest
SUNY Fredonia
Fredonia, New York

With a ranking of #18, SUNY Fredonia did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Performance Major list. SUNY Fredonia is located in Fredonia, New York and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 33 bachelors’s music performance degrees to qualified students.

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%.

Full SUNY Fredonia Music Performance Report

19
Bard crest
Bard College
Annandale-On-Hudson, New York

Bard College ranked #19 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Performance Major list. This small school is located in Annandale-On-Hudson, New York, and it awarded 13 bachelors’s music performance degrees in 2021-2022.

The undergraduate 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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. 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%.

Read more about Music Performance at Bard College

20
MBU crest
Maranatha Baptist University
Watertown, Wisconsin

Maranatha Baptist University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Performance Major ranking, coming in at #20. Watertown, Wisconsin is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s music performance degrees to 3 students in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full MBU Music Performance Report

21
University of Rochester crest
University of Rochester
Rochester, New York

University of Rochester came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Performance Major ranking. Located in Rochester, New York, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 101 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s music performance students in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.4% 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 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read more about Music Performance at University of Rochester

22
Welch crest
Welch College
Gallatin, Tennessee

Welch College did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Performance Major ranking, coming in at #22. Gallatin, Tennessee is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s music performance degrees to 1 students in 2021-2022.

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%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Full Welch Music Performance Report

23
DePauw crest
DePauw University
Greencastle, Indiana

DePauw University landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Performance Major ranking. Greencastle, Indiana is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s music performance degrees to 11 students in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 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. With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Music Performance at DePauw

24
St. Olaf crest
St Olaf College
Northfield, Minnesota

St Olaf College landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Performance Major ranking. St. Olaf is located in Northfield, Minnesota and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 11 bachelors’s music performance degrees to qualified students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Music Performance at St Olaf College

25
Urshan College crest
Urshan College
Wentzville, Missouri

Urshan College ranked #25 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Performance Major list. Located in Wentzville, Missouri, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 1 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s music performance students in 2021-2022.

Read more about Music Performance at Urshan College

Rest of the Best 50 in Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Performance Major

Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

26
27
28
29
30
31
RU crest
Rochester University
Rochester Hills, MI
32
33
34
35
36
37
Alcorn State crest
Alcorn State University
Alcorn State, MS
38
39
40
41
McNeese crest
McNeese State University
Lake Charles, LA
42
Shenandoah crest
Shenandoah University
Winchester, VA
43
Wartburg crest
Wartburg College
Waverly, IA
44
Ithaca crest
Ithaca College
Ithaca, NY
45
46
Huntingdon College crest
Huntingdon College
Montgomery, AL
47
48
49
Purchase College crest
Purchase College
Purchase, NY
50
Catawba crest
Catawba College
Salisbury, NC

Rest of the Top 15% Colleges in Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Music Performance Major

While not in the ’top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

RankCollegeLocation
51Northwestern State University of LouisianaNatchitoches, LA
52West Virginia Wesleyan CollegeBuckhannon, WV
53Lynn UniversityBoca Raton, FL
54Toccoa Falls CollegeToccoa Falls, GA
55Lee UniversityCleveland, TN
56James Madison UniversityHarrisonburg, VA
57Notre Dame CollegeCleveland, OH
58Stetson UniversityDeLand, FL
59Westminster College PennsylvaniaNew Wilmington, PA
60Furman UniversityGreenville, SC
61Henderson State UniversityArkadelphia, AR
62Judson UniversityElgin, IL
62Methodist UniversityFayetteville, NC
64Western Carolina UniversityCullowhee, NC
65Graceland University - LamoniLamoni, IA
RankCollegeLocation
66Fisk UniversityNashville, TN
67East Central UniversityAda, OK

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

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