2023 Best Value Colleges for Music (Income $0-$30k)
491
Ranked Colleges
25,910
Degrees Awarded
$4,300
Avg Net Price*
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Music Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
In 2020-2021, 25,910 people earned their degree in music, making the major the 43rd most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, music graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $27,160 and had an average of $24,560 in loans still to pay off.
This year’s “Best Value Music Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 491 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in music. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great music programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.
To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the music program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
More Ways to Rank Music Schools
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Music Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Best Value Music Schools For Those Making $0-$30k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Music Schools For Those Making $0-$30k.
Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Music (Income $0-$30k)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Duke University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Music Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. This fairly large school is located in Durham, North Carolina, and it awarded 13 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
Duke did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Music Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Duke University is $371 for music students whose families make $0-$30k.
The impressive undergraduate 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. 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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Music at Duke University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Music Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Evanston, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s music degrees to 156 students in 2020-2021.
Northwestern did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Music Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Northwestern University is $245 for Music students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. 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 impressive undergraduate 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.
Read more about Music at Northwestern
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Yale University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Music Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Yale is a fairly large school located in New Haven, Connecticut that handed out 141 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Yale, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Music Schools” ranking. It costs about $961 for Music students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Yale University.
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%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read more about Music at Yale
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Music Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. U-M is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 199 ’s music degrees to qualified students.
U-M did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Music Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is $2,670 for music students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, 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 undergraduate students.
Read more about Music at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Vanderbilt University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Music Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Vanderbilt is a private not-for-profit institution located in Nashville, Tennessee. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 44 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Vanderbilt, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Music Schools” ranking. It costs about $3,176 for Music students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Vanderbilt.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. 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%. 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.
Read more about Music at Vanderbilt
Rice University landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Value Music Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Houston, Texas, and it awarded 87 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
Rice did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Music Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Rice University is $4,443 for Music students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. 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 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full Rice Music Report
Brown University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Music Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #7. Brown University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Providence, Rhode Island. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 32 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Brown is also in the top of our “Best Music Schools” ranking. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. The estimated yearly cost for Brown University is $1,468 for Music students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The impressive undergraduate 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. The low undergrad 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 at Brown
Johns Hopkins University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Baltimore, Maryland, and it awarded 176 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
Johns Hopkins also took the #11 spot in our “Best Music Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Johns Hopkins is $2,084 for music students whose families make $0-$30k.
The impressive undergraduate 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. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, 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 97%.
Read more about Music at Johns Hopkins University
University of Florida did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Music Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #9. UF is a large public school situated in Gainesville, Florida. It awarded 62 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on this list, UF is in the top on our “Best Music Schools” list. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend University of Florida is $65 for Music students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% 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 at UF
With a ranking of #10, Michigan State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Music Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Michigan State University is a large school located in East Lansing, Michigan that handed out 208 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
Michigan State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Music Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Michigan State University is $6,927 for Music students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Music at Michigan State University
University of Wisconsin - Madison came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Madison, Wisconsin, and it awarded 69 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
UW - Madison also claimed a top spot on our “Best Music Schools” list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Madison is $3,981 for music students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%.
Read more about Music at University of Wisconsin - Madison
With a ranking of #12, Indiana University - Bloomington did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Music Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Bloomington, Indiana is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s music degrees to 374 students in 2020-2021.
IU Bloomington also made our “Best Music Schools” list, coming in at #24. The yearly cost to attend IU Bloomington is $5,752 for Music students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.4% 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 at IU Bloomington
Washington University in St Louis did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Music Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #13. WUSTL is a private not-for-profit institution located in Saint Louis, Missouri. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 15 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
WUSTL also claimed a top spot on our “Best Music Schools” list. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. It costs about $1,556 for music students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend WUSTL.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.1% 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 at Washington University in St Louis
With a ranking of #14, University of Pennsylvania did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Music Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. UPenn is a large school located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that handed out 9 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
UPenn excels when it comes to music quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our “Best Music Schools” list. It costs about $580 for Music students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Pennsylvania.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The impressive undergraduate 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.
Read more about Music at UPenn
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Music Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #15. Located in Champaign, Illinois, this large public school handed out 129 degrees to qualified ’s music students in 2020-2021.
UIUC excels when it comes to music quality. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The estimated yearly cost for University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $4,858 for music students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Music at UIUC
Florida State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Music Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #16. Florida State is a public institution located in Tallahassee, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 171 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on this list, Florida State is in the top on our “Best Music Schools” list. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend Florida State University is $4,950 for Music students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.8% 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 full report on Music at Florida State University
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Music Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #17. Located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, this large public school awarded 50 diplomas to qualified ’s music students in 2020-2021.
On top of its placing in this ranking, UNC Chapel Hill also did well on our “Best Music Schools” list. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. The estimated yearly cost for UNC Chapel Hill is $3,753 for Music students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Music at UNC Chapel Hill
With a ranking of #18, Oberlin College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Music Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Oberlin, Ohio, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 107 diplomas to qualified ’s music students in 2020-2021.
Oberlin also took the #12 spot in our “Best Music Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Oberlin College is $8,756 for Music students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. 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.
Read more about Music at Oberlin College
Brooklyn College came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Brooklyn, New York is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s music degrees to 66 students in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for Brooklyn College is $1,547 for Music students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad 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 full report on Music at Brooklyn College
With a ranking of #20, University of California - Los Angeles did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Music Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of California - Los Angeles is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 114 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
UCLA also took the #19 spot in our “Best Music Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Los Angeles is $9,037 for Music students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.6% 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 UCLA Music Report
Lafayette College landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Best Value Music Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Lafayette is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Easton, Pennsylvania. It awarded 5 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
Lafayette excels when it comes to music quality. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. It costs about $11,728 for music students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Lafayette.
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. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.3%, 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 87%.
Read more about Music at Lafayette
With a ranking of #22, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Music Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. UT Rio Grande Valley is a large public school situated in Edinburg, Texas. It awarded 57 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $2,191 for music students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UT Rio Grande Valley.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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 at UT Rio Grande Valley
Columbia University in the City of New York ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Columbia is a large private not-for-profit school situated in New York, New York. It awarded 47 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
Columbia did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best Music Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Columbia University in the City of New York is $9,873 for music students whose families make $0-$30k.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Columbia Music Report
Tufts University landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Best Value Music Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Medford, Massachusetts, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 23 degrees to qualified ’s music students in 2020-2021.
On top of its placing in this ranking, Tufts also did well on our “Best Music Schools” list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The yearly cost to attend Tufts University is $8,122 for music students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Music at Tufts University
University of California - Berkeley did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Music Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #25. Berkeley, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s music degrees to 54 students in 2020-2021.
UC Berkeley excels when it comes to music quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best Music Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Berkeley is $8,450 for music students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% 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 at University of California - Berkeley
