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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Music (Income $30-$48k)

642 Ranked Colleges
15,839 Degrees Awarded
$5,700 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor's For Those Making $30-$48k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

Music is the 40th most popular major in the country with 27,047 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, music graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $25,639 and had an average of $28,653 in loans still to pay off.

At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 15,839 music graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking analyzed 642 colleges that offered a degree 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

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 Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k” list to help you make the college 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. 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 a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Music (Income $30-$48k)

#1

Duke University

Durham, North Carolina
#2 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Duke University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Duke is a fairly large school located in Durham, North Carolina that handed out 8 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Duke, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $-1,314 for bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Duke University. 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.

With a 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. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Music at Duke

#2

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#1 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Stanford University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k. Stanford University is a fairly large school located in Stanford, California that handed out 8 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

Stanford did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Stanford University is $1,145 for bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low student loan default rate of 0.5% 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%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Full Stanford University Music Report

#3

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois

Out of the 642 schools in the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern University landed the #3 spot on the list. Northwestern is located in Evanston, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 98 bachelors’s music degrees to qualified students.

Northwestern did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $3,995 for Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Northwestern.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The 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 Northwestern Music Report

#4

Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, Missouri
#12 in overall quality

Out of the 642 schools in the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Washington University in St Louis landed the #4 spot on the list. Washington University in St Louis is located in Saint Louis, Missouri and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 8 bachelors’s music degrees to qualified students.

WUSTL also made our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #12. It costs about $6,248 for Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend WUSTL.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low 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%.

Read full report on Music at Washington University in St Louis

#5

Cornell University

Ithaca, New York
#5 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Cornell University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Cornell University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Ithaca, New York. It awarded 10 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

Cornell not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $7,518 for bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Cornell University.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, 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 students.

Full Cornell Music Report

#6

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Top 5% in overall quality

University of Pennsylvania landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. University of Pennsylvania is a large school located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that handed out 8 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UPenn is also in the top of our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It’s ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Pennsylvania is $4,833 for bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The low 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 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 University of Pennsylvania Music Report

#7

Rice University

Houston, Texas
Top 10% in overall quality

Rice University landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Rice University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Houston, Texas. It awarded 25 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on this list, Rice is in the top on our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend Rice University is $7,534 for Bachelor’s Degree 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. Since the school has a 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 impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Rice University Music Report

#8

Vanderbilt University

Nashville, Tennessee

Vanderbilt University landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Vanderbilt is a fairly large school located in Nashville, Tennessee that handed out 50 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

Vanderbilt also took the #10 spot in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $6,017 for bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Vanderbilt University.

Since the school has a 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 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low 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%.

Read more about Music at Vanderbilt

#9

Yale University

New Haven, Connecticut
Top 5% in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, Yale University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. New Haven, Connecticut is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s music degrees to 10 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on this list, Yale is in the top on our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $1,647 for bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Yale University.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 4 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 Yale University

#10

Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, Maryland

Johns Hopkins University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Johns Hopkins is a private not-for-profit institution located in Baltimore, Maryland. The school has a large population, and it awarded 60 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Johns Hopkins not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #17 on our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Johns Hopkins University is $8,210 for Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $30-$48k.

The 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 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 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 Johns Hopkins

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. UT Rio Grande Valley is located in Edinburg, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 39 bachelors’s music degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on this list, UT Rio Grande Valley is in the top on our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is $3,473 for bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Music at UT Rio Grande Valley

#12

Colgate University

Hamilton, New York
#6 in overall quality

Colgate University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #12. Colgate University is located in Hamilton, New York and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 6 bachelors’s music degrees to qualified students.

Colgate not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $8,958 for bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Colgate.

With a 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 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Colgate Music Report

Top 5% in overall quality

With a ranking of #13, Columbia University in the City of New York did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Columbia University in the City of New York is located in New York, New York and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 16 bachelors’s music degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Columbia is also in the top of our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It’s in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. It costs about $4,287 for bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Columbia.

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. 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 student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Music at Columbia

#14

University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame, Indiana
#3 in overall quality

With a ranking of #14, University of Notre Dame did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit institution located in Notre Dame, Indiana. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 17 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Notre Dame did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Notre Dame is $15,609 for bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $30-$48k.

The 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 student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, 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 97%.

Full Notre Dame Music Report

#14

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, North Carolina

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. UNC Chapel Hill is a large public school situated in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. It awarded 47 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

UNC Chapel Hill also made our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #16. The estimated yearly cost for UNC Chapel Hill is $6,063 for bachelor’s degree 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 student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UNC Chapel Hill Music Report

#16

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, Michigan

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, this large public school handed out 81 degrees to qualified bachelors’s music students in 2019-2020.

U-M not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #18 on our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $5,887 for Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor.

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 student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full U-M Music Report

#17

Wake Forest University

Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Top 5% in overall quality

Wake Forest University landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Wake Forest University is a medium-sized school located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina that handed out 2 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

Wake Forest University also claimed a top spot on our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. It costs about $5,981 for Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Wake Forest University.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 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 more about Music at Wake Forest University

#18

Williams College

Williamstown, Massachusetts
Top 5% in overall quality

Williams College landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Williamstown, Massachusetts is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s music degrees to 9 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on this list, Williams is in the top on our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend Williams College is $2,223 for bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $30-$48k.

Since the school has a 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 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Music at Williams

#19

University of Florida

Gainesville, Florida

University of Florida landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This large school is located in Gainesville, Florida, and it awarded 44 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

UF also claimed a top spot on our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Florida is $4,069 for bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, 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%.

Read full report on Music at UF

#20

Harvard University

Cambridge, Massachusetts
Top 25% in overall quality

Harvard University landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Harvard University is a large school located in Cambridge, Massachusetts that handed out 6 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Harvard is $1,010 for bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low 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%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full Harvard University Music Report

#21

Brown University

Providence, Rhode Island
Top 15% in overall quality

With a ranking of #21, Brown University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. This medium-sized school is located in Providence, Rhode Island, and it awarded 29 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

Brown excels when it comes to music quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $6,684 for bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Brown.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low 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%. 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 full report on Music at Brown

#22

Hamilton College

Clinton, New York
#15 in overall quality

Hamilton College ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Clinton, New York, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 9 degrees to qualified bachelors’s music students in 2019-2020.

Hamilton not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $11,385 for Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Hamilton.

The 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. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full Hamilton Music Report

University of Wisconsin - Madison came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Madison, Wisconsin is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s music degrees to 27 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on this list, UW - Madison is in the top on our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $6,860 for Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UW - Madison.

With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Music at UW - Madison

#24

Boston College

Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
#24 in overall quality

With a ranking of #24, Boston College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s music degrees to 6 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $30-$48k list, Boston College has also earned the #24 rank in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $8,951 for bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Boston College.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Music at Boston College

#25

Dartmouth College

Hanover, New Hampshire
#7 in overall quality

Dartmouth College landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Hanover, New Hampshire, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 10 degrees to qualified bachelors’s music students in 2019-2020.

Dartmouth also made our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #7. It costs about $4,830 for bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Dartmouth College.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 7 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 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Dartmouth Music Report

Rest of the Best 50 in Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k

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

#26

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
#27

Colorado College

Colorado Springs, Colorado
#28

Hunter College

New York, New York
#29

University of Virginia - Main Campus

Charlottesville, Virginia
#30

Northeastern University

Boston, Massachusetts
#32

Baruch College

New York, New York
#33

Wellesley College

Wellesley, Massachusetts
#34

Tufts University

Medford, Massachusetts
#35

University of North Texas

Denton, Texas
#39

Florida State University

Tallahassee, Florida
#40

Emory University

Atlanta, Georgia
#41

William & Mary

Williamsburg, Virginia
#43

Indiana University - Bloomington

Bloomington, Indiana
#45

Middlebury College

Middlebury, Vermont
#47

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#48

University of North Carolina School of the Arts

Winston-Salem, North Carolina
#49

Lafayette College

Easton, Pennsylvania
#50

Truman State University

Kirksville, Missouri

Rest of the Top 15% Colleges in Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k

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

Rank College Location
51 The City College of New York New York, NY
52 St Olaf College Northfield, MN
53 Dickinson College Carlisle, PA
54 University of California - Berkeley Berkeley, CA
55 University of Central Florida Orlando, FL
56 The University of West Florida Pensacola, FL
57 Berea College Berea, KY
58 California State University - Fullerton Fullerton, CA
59 Lehman College Bronx, NY
60 California State University - Fresno Fresno, CA
61 University of Houston Houston, TX
62 Queens College Queens, NY
63 Elizabeth City State University Elizabeth City, NC
64 Florida International University Miami, FL
65 Brooklyn College Brooklyn, NY
Rank College Location
66 Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX
67 University of California - Irvine Irvine, CA
68 California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, CA
69 California State University - Northridge Northridge, CA
70 Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, FL
71 University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN
72 University of Wyoming Laramie, WY
73 University of Wisconsin - Whitewater Whitewater, WI
74 Texas Woman’s University Denton, TX
75 The University of Texas at El Paso El Paso, TX
76 California State University - Dominguez Hills Carson, CA
77 California State University - Long Beach Long Beach, CA
78 University of South Florida - Main Campus Tampa, FL
79 The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX
80 University of Nevada - Las Vegas Las Vegas, NV
81 Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, PA
82 University of Wisconsin - La Crosse La Crosse, WI
82 Boston University Boston, MA
84 University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire Eau Claire, WI
85 University of Wisconsin - Platteville Platteville, WI
86 University of Missouri - St Louis Saint Louis, MO
87 Virginia Tech Blacksburg, VA
88 Brigham Young University - Provo Provo, UT
89 University of Wisconsin - Green Bay Green Bay, WI
90 Northern Kentucky University Highland Heights, KY
Rank College Location
91 Ohio State University - Main Campus Columbus, OH
92 Stephen F Austin State University Nacogdoches, TX
93 University of Minnesota - Duluth Duluth, MN
94 Oklahoma State University - Main Campus Stillwater, OK
95 Texas State University San Marcos, TX
96 University of North Florida Jacksonville, FL
97 Vassar College Poughkeepsie, NY

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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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