2023 Best Value Music Schools For Those Making $30-$48k
491
Ranked Colleges
25,910
Degrees Awarded
$4,900
Avg Net Price*
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Music Schools For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking.
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 $30-$48k” 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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
More Ways to Rank Music Schools
The music school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Music Schools For Those Making $30-$48k”.
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. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
Best Value Music Schools For Those Making $30-$48k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Music Schools For Those Making $30-$48k.
Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Music (Income $30-$48k)
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Duke University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Music Schools For Those Making $30-$48k. Duke University is located in Durham, North Carolina and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 13 ’s music degrees to qualified students.
Duke did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Music Schools” list. It costs about $-927 for music students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Duke. A negative average net price may seem strange, but it generally means that financial aid will more than cover the cost to attend the school.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Music at Duke
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Yale University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Music Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in New Haven, Connecticut, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 141 degrees to qualified ’s music students in 2020-2021.
Yale also took the #4 spot in our “Best Music Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Yale is $3,083 for music students whose families make $30-$48k.
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%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read more about Music at Yale University
Out of the 491 schools in the Best Value Music Schools For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern University landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Evanston, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 156 diplomas to qualified ’s music students in 2020-2021.
Northwestern also took the #1 spot in our “Best Music Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Northwestern University is $917 for Music students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. 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.
Read full report on Music at Northwestern University
Out of the 491 schools in the Best Value Music Schools For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #4 spot on the list. Ann Arbor, Michigan is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s music degrees to 199 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our music students whose families make $30-$48k list, U-M has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Music Schools” ranking. It costs about $5,670 for music students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend U-M.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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 full report on Music at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Columbia University in the City of New York. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Music Schools For Those Making $30-$48k. Columbia University in the City of New York is a large private not-for-profit school situated in New York, New York. It awarded 47 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
Columbia also made our “Best Music Schools” list, coming in at #17. It costs about $4,699 for music students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Columbia University in the City of New York.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, 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 95%. 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.
Full Columbia University in the City of New York Music Report
Vanderbilt University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Vanderbilt University 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.
Vanderbilt not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Music Schools” list. It costs about $4,652 for music students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Vanderbilt.
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 impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Music at Vanderbilt
Dartmouth College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Music Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #7. Dartmouth College is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Hanover, New Hampshire. It awarded 8 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
Dartmouth did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #22 on our “Best Music Schools” list. It costs about $8,718 for Music students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Dartmouth College.
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%. 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. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Music at Dartmouth College
Rice University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Houston, Texas, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 87 diplomas to qualified ’s music students in 2020-2021.
Rice also made our “Best Music Schools” list, coming in at #5. It costs about $1,340 for Music students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Rice.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. 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.
Full Rice University Music Report
University of Florida landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Best Value Music Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This large school is located in Gainesville, Florida, and 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 estimated yearly cost for UF is $2,857 for music 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 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%.
Read full report on Music at University of Florida
Indiana University - Bloomington landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Best Value Music Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. 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. It costs about $7,061 for music students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend IU Bloomington.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
Read full report on Music at IU Bloomington
With a ranking of #11, Johns Hopkins University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Music Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Johns Hopkins University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Baltimore, Maryland. It awarded 176 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our music students whose families make $30-$48k list, Johns Hopkins has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Music Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Johns Hopkins is $4,859 for music students whose families make $30-$48k.
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 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 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Music at Johns Hopkins
Washington University in St Louis did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Music Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #12. WUSTL is located in Saint Louis, Missouri and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 15 ’s music degrees to qualified students.
WUSTL 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 Washington University in St Louis is $2,446 for Music students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, 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 7 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 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Music at WUSTL
With a ranking of #13, University of Pennsylvania did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Music Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 9 diplomas to qualified ’s music students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UPenn is also in the top of our “Best Music Schools” ranking. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The yearly cost to attend University of Pennsylvania is $1,938 for Music students whose families make $30-$48k.
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 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 undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read more about Music at UPenn
University of Wisconsin - Madison landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Best Value Music Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. UW - Madison is a large public school situated in Madison, Wisconsin. It awarded 69 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UW - Madison is also in the top of our “Best Music Schools” ranking. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The yearly cost to attend UW - Madison is $4,788 for music students whose families make $30-$48k.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Music at UW - Madison
Brown University landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Best Value Music Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Brown University is located in Providence, Rhode Island and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 32 ’s music degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on this list, Brown is in the top on our “Best Music Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best Music Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Brown University is $2,842 for music students whose families make $30-$48k.
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 impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Music at Brown
Wellesley College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Music Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #16. This small school is located in Wellesley, Massachusetts, and it awarded 7 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
On top of its placing in this ranking, Wellesley also did well on our “Best Music Schools” list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The estimated yearly cost for Wellesley is $8,021 for music students whose families make $30-$48k.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read full report on Music at Wellesley College
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. UT Rio Grande Valley is a public institution located in Edinburg, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 57 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend UT Rio Grande Valley is $2,912 for Music students whose families make $30-$48k.
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 The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Florida State University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Florida State University is a public institution located in Tallahassee, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 171 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Florida State is also in the top of our “Best Music Schools” ranking. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The estimated yearly cost for Florida State is $7,349 for music students whose families make $30-$48k.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Florida State Music Report
Emory University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Atlanta, Georgia is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s music degrees to 22 students in 2020-2021.
Emory also made our “Best Music Schools” list, coming in at #13. It costs about $8,976 for Music students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Emory.
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 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 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Music at Emory
Brooklyn College came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Brooklyn College is a fairly large school located in Brooklyn, New York that handed out 66 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for Brooklyn College is $3,105 for Music students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Brooklyn College Music Report
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Best Value Music Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. UNC Chapel Hill is a large school located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina that handed out 50 ’s music degrees 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 yearly cost to attend UNC Chapel Hill is $5,729 for music students whose families make $30-$48k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full UNC Chapel Hill Music Report
With a ranking of #22, University of Washington - Seattle Campus did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Music Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. UW Seattle is a large school located in Seattle, Washington that handed out 51 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
UW Seattle excels when it comes to music quality. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The yearly cost to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus is $6,399 for Music students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.1% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.
Read full report on Music at UW Seattle
University of California - Los Angeles landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Best Value Music Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. UCLA 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 UCLA is $9,891 for music students whose families make $30-$48k.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Music at University of California - Los Angeles
With a ranking of #24, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Music Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a large public school situated in Champaign, Illinois. It awarded 129 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
UIUC 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. The yearly cost to attend UIUC is $8,036 for Music students whose families make $30-$48k.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.
Read full report on Music at UIUC
Tufts University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Tufts is located in Medford, Massachusetts and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 23 ’s music degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Tufts is also in the top of our “Best Music Schools” ranking. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The yearly cost to attend Tufts is $7,987 for Music students whose families make $30-$48k.
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%. The impressive undergraduate 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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Music at Tufts
