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2022 Best Value Music Composition Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

9 Ranked Colleges
27 Degrees Awarded
$16,800 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Music Composition Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. 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 Music Composition Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Music Theory & Composition is the 415th most popular major in the country with 1,117 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

Across Illinois, there were 27 music theory and composition graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Music Composition Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 9 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in music theory and composition. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent music theory and composition programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the music theory and composition program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Music Theory & Composition Schools

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Music Composition Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Music Composition Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

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

Top 9 Best Value Colleges for Music Theory & Composition (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Music Composition Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Evanston, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 8 diplomas to qualified ’s music composition students in 2019-2020.

Northwestern did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Music Theory & Composition Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Northwestern is $1,866 for illinois music composition students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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.

Full Northwestern University Music Theory & Composition Report

Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Music Composition Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #2 spot on the list. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a large public school situated in Champaign, Illinois. It awarded 1 ’s music composition degrees in 2019-2020.

UIUC also made our “Best Music Theory & Composition Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #3. The estimated yearly cost for UIUC is $5,477 for illinois music composition students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.4% 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 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full UIUC Music Theory & Composition Report

#3

Wheaton College Illinois

Wheaton, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Wheaton College Illinois. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Music Composition Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. This small school is located in Wheaton, Illinois, and it awarded 2 ’s music composition degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois music composition students whose families make $0-$30k list, Wheaton College Illinois has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Music Theory & Composition Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Wheaton College Illinois is $18,440 for Illinois Music Composition students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Music Theory & Composition at Wheaton College Illinois

#4

Elmhurst University

Elmhurst, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Elmhurst University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Music Composition Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. Elmhurst is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Elmhurst, Illinois. It awarded 3 ’s music composition degrees in 2019-2020.

Elmhurst also took the #6 spot in our “Best Music Theory & Composition Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Elmhurst is $16,903 for illinois music composition students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 3.0% 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%.

Read full report on Music Theory & Composition at Elmhurst

#5

Olivet Nazarene University

Bourbonnais, Illinois

Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Music Composition Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Olivet Nazarene University landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in Bourbonnais, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 2 diplomas to qualified ’s music composition students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Olivet Nazarene, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Music Theory & Composition Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Olivet Nazarene University is $15,806 for illinois music composition students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Olivet Nazarene Music Theory & Composition Report

#6

Illinois Wesleyan University

Bloomington, Illinois

Illinois Wesleyan University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Composition Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Illinois Wesleyan is located in Bloomington, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 2 ’s music composition degrees to qualified students.

Illinois Wesleyan also took the #4 spot in our “Best Music Theory & Composition Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Illinois Wesleyan University is $18,570 for Illinois Music Composition students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Music Theory & Composition at Illinois Wesleyan

#7

Columbia College Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

Columbia College Chicago came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Composition Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 4 ’s music composition degrees in 2019-2020.

Columbia also made our “Best Music Theory & Composition Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #8. It costs about $27,120 for Illinois Music Composition students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Columbia.

Read full report on Music Theory & Composition at Columbia College Chicago

#8

Roosevelt University

Chicago, Illinois

Roosevelt University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Music Composition Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Roosevelt University is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 3 ’s music composition degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our illinois music composition students whose families make $0-$30k list, Roosevelt has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Music Theory & Composition Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $20,398 for illinois music composition students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Roosevelt University.

Read more about Music Theory & Composition at Roosevelt

#9

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois

DePaul University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Composition Schools in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. DePaul is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 2 ’s music composition degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois music composition students whose families make $0-$30k list, DePaul has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Music Theory & Composition Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $26,173 for Illinois Music Composition students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend DePaul.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Music Theory & Composition at DePaul

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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.

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