by our College Data Analytics TeamCollege Factual reviewed 160 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for bachelor's degree seekers in the field of music performance. Combined, these schools handed out 3,919 bachelor's degrees in music performance to qualified students.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
Earn the music business degree that fits into the business world – and partners Southern New Hampshire University with world-renowned Berklee College of Music.
Your choice of music performance for getting your bachelor's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality music performance program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:
A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.
In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:
Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for music performance students working on their bachelor's degree.
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 Music Performance Bachelor's Degree Schools list to help you make the college decision.
To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
Earn the music business degree that fits into the business world – and partners Southern New Hampshire University with world-renowned Berklee College of Music.
Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in music performance. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
Northwestern University is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in music performance. Northwestern is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Evanston.More information about a bachelor’s in music performance from Northwestern University
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a good decision for students pursuing a bachelor's degree in music performance. U-M is a very large public university located in the midsize city of Ann Arbor.More information about a bachelor’s in music performance from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
University of Southern California is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in music performance. USC is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Los Angeles.More information about a bachelor’s in music performance from University of Southern California
New York University is a great option for individuals pursuing a bachelor's degree in music performance. Located in the large city of New York, NYU is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in music performance from New York University
Located in the city of East Lansing, Michigan State is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in music performance from Michigan State University
Boston U is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Boston.More information about a bachelor’s in music performance from Boston University
Located in the midsize city of Rochester, University of Rochester is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in music performance from University of Rochester
Located in the city of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in music performance from Carnegie Mellon University
Johns Hopkins is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Baltimore.More information about a bachelor’s in music performance from Johns Hopkins University
Belmont is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Nashville.More information about a bachelor’s in music performance from Belmont University
Located in the city of Fort Worth, TCU is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in music performance from Texas Christian University
IU Bloomington is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Bloomington.More information about a bachelor’s in music performance from Indiana University - Bloomington
Ithaca is a small private not-for-profit college located in the suburb of Ithaca.More information about a bachelor’s in music performance from Ithaca College
U Miami is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Coral Gables.More information about a bachelor’s in music performance from University of Miami
Located in the city of Austin, UT Austin is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in music performance from The University of Texas at Austin
Located in the midsize city of Tallahassee, Florida State is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in music performance from Florida State University
Located in the city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in music performance from University of California - Los Angeles
New School University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of New York.More information about a bachelor’s in music performance from The New School
Located in the midsize city of Denton, UNT is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in music performance from University of North Texas
Located in the city of Washington, CUA is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population.More information about a bachelor’s in music performance from Catholic University of America
UO is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized city of Eugene.More information about a bachelor’s in music performance from University of Oregon
Located in the large city of Philadelphia, Temple is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in music performance from Temple University
UC is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Cincinnati.More information about a bachelor’s in music performance from University of Cincinnati - Main Campus
Located in the large city of Boston, Berklee College of Music is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.More information about a bachelor’s in music performance from Berklee College of Music
Located in the suburb of Dallas, SMU is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in music performance from Southern Methodist University
Here are some additional great schools for Music Performance students that almost earned our Best Music Performance Bachelor's Degree Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 33 | University of Maryland - College Park | College Park, MD |
| 34 | University of Georgia | Athens, GA |
| 35 | St Olaf College | Northfield, MN |
| 36 | The New England Conservatory of Music | Boston, MA |
| 37 | University of Massachusetts Amherst | Amherst, MA |
| 38 | DePaul University | Chicago, IL |
| 39 | Lawrence University | Appleton, WI |
| 40 | University of Houston | Houston, TX |
| 41 | Texas State University | San Marcos, TX |
| 42 | University of Denver | Denver, CO |
| 43 | Western Michigan University | Kalamazoo, MI |
| 44 | Ohio University - Athens Campus | Athens, OH |
| 45 | University of Wisconsin - Madison | Madison, WI |
| 46 | University at Buffalo | Buffalo, NY |
| 47 | University of Kentucky | Lexington, KY |
| 48 | University of Northern Iowa | Cedar Falls, IA |
| 49 | Wheaton College Illinois | Wheaton, IL |
| 50 | Arizona State University - Tempe | Tempe, AZ |
| 51 | University of Delaware | Newark, DE |
| 52 | University of California - Irvine | Irvine, CA |
| 53 | Butler University | Indianapolis, IN |
View the Best Music Performance Bachelor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.
Music Performance is one of 17 different types of Music programs to choose from.
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| General Music | 7,446 |
| Music Technology | 892 |
| Other Music | 813 |
| Music Theory & Composition | 707 |
| Jazz Studies | 377 |
| Voice Performance | 313 |
| Stringed Instruments | 203 |
| Keyboard Instruments | 163 |
| Music History | 144 |
| Music Pedagogy | 126 |
