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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Music (Income $48-$75k) in the Southwest Region

49 Ranked Colleges
1,633 Degrees Awarded
$34,700 Avg Salary
Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor's in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k

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 in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2019-2020, 27,047 people earned their degree in music, making the major the 40th most popular in the United States. 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.

Across the Southwest region, there were 2,964 music graduates with average earnings and debt of $33,126 and $28,647 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,633 music graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,896 and $23,899 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking looked at 49 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.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the music program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Music (Income $48-$75k) in the Southwest Region

Out of the 49 schools in the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley landed the #1 spot on the list. The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is a public institution located in Edinburg, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 39 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UT Rio Grande Valley also took the #4 spot in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UT Rio Grande Valley is $6,405 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low student loan default rate of 4.8% 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 UT Rio Grande Valley

#2

Rice University

Houston, Texas
#3 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Rice University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Rice is a private not-for-profit institution located in Houston, Texas. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 25 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Rice, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Rice is $7,318 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Music at Rice

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Texas A&M International University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k. This medium-sized school is located in Laredo, Texas, and it awarded 9 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

Texas A&M International University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #21 on our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Texas A&M International University is $3,809 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $48-$75k.

Full Texas A&M International University Music Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The University of Texas at Austin. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. UT Austin is a large public school situated in Austin, Texas. It awarded 59 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

UT Austin also made our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #1. It costs about $15,757 for southwest region bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend The University of Texas at Austin.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Music at UT Austin

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend The University of Texas at San Antonio. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k. The University of Texas at San Antonio is located in San Antonio, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 42 bachelors’s music degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $48-$75k list, UTSA has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UTSA is $13,827 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read more about Music at UTSA

#6

University of Houston

Houston, Texas

With a ranking of #6, University of Houston did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of Houston is a public institution located in Houston, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 66 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $48-$75k list, UH has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UH is $12,505 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $48-$75k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Read full report on Music at UH

The University of Texas at El Paso came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. The University of Texas at El Paso is a large public school situated in El Paso, Texas. It awarded 21 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UTEP, the school also landed the #15 spot in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for The University of Texas at El Paso is $10,786 for southwest region bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read more about Music at The University of Texas at El Paso

#8

Texas State University

San Marcos, Texas

Texas State University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in San Marcos, Texas, this large public school awarded 74 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s music students in 2019-2020.

Texas State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Texas State University is $14,250 for southwest region bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read full report on Music at Texas State

Stephen F Austin State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #9. SFASU is a public institution located in Nacogdoches, Texas. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 83 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

SFASU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend SFASU is $13,644 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read full report on Music at Stephen F Austin State University

#10

Texas Tech University

Lubbock, Texas

Texas Tech University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #10. Texas Tech is a large public school situated in Lubbock, Texas. It awarded 63 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

Texas Tech also made our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #5. The estimated yearly cost for Texas Tech is $17,421 for southwest region bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Texas Tech Music Report

#11

Texas Woman's University

Denton, Texas

Texas Woman’s University landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Texas Woman’s University is a public institution located in Denton, Texas. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 27 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $48-$75k list, TWU has also earned the #22 rank in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Texas Woman’s University is $9,629 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read more about Music at Texas Woman’s University

#12

University of North Texas

Denton, Texas

University of North Texas came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. University of North Texas is a public institution located in Denton, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 186 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UNT not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of North Texas is $15,377 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Music at UNT

#13

West Texas A&M University

Canyon, Texas

West Texas A&M University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #13. West Texas A&M University is a fairly large school located in Canyon, Texas that handed out 51 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

West Texas A&M University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $11,101 for southwest region bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend West Texas A&M University.

Read full report on Music at West Texas A&M University

Texas A&M University - Kingsville came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Texas A&M Kingsville is a public institution located in Kingsville, Texas. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 27 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Texas A&M Kingsville also made our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #13. The estimated yearly cost for Texas A&M University - Kingsville is $14,464 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read more about Music at Texas A&M University - Kingsville

University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. USAO is located in Chickasha, Oklahoma and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 4 bachelors’s music degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend USAO is $8,693 for southwest region bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read more about Music at University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma

With a ranking of #16, The University of Texas at Tyler did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Tyler, Texas is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s music degrees to 14 students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $10,037 for southwest region bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend UT Tyler.

Read full report on Music at The University of Texas at Tyler

#20 in overall quality

Oklahoma State University - Main Campus landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. OSU is a large public school situated in Stillwater, Oklahoma. It awarded 19 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $48-$75k list, OSU has also earned the #20 rank in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Oklahoma State University - Main Campus is $14,698 for southwest region bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Music at OSU

#18

Sam Houston State University

Huntsville, Texas

Sam Houston State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #18. Sam Houston State University is located in Huntsville, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 44 bachelors’s music degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SHSU, the school also landed the #14 spot in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Sam Houston State University is $14,832 for southwest region bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read full report on Music at SHSU

Texas A&M University - Commerce ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. This fairly large school is located in Commerce, Texas, and it awarded 39 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Texas A&M Commerce, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Texas A&M University - Commerce is $14,033 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read more about Music at Texas A&M University - Commerce

With a ranking of #20, The University of Texas at Arlington did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Arlington, Texas, this large public school handed out 50 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s music students in 2019-2020.

UT Arlington not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #17 on our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $14,622 for southwest region bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend UT Arlington.

Read full report on Music at UT Arlington

#21

University of Arizona

Tucson, Arizona

University of Arizona did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #21. Tucson, Arizona is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s music degrees to 41 students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $15,399 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of Arizona.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Read full report on Music at University of Arizona

Eastern New Mexico University - Main Campus came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Portales, New Mexico, this medium-sized public school awarded 16 degrees to qualified bachelors’s music students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for ENMU - Main Campus is $11,117 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read more about Music at Eastern New Mexico University - Main Campus

Arizona State University - Tempe did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #23. Arizona State University - Tempe is a large school located in Tempe, Arizona that handed out 60 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for ASU - Tempe is $14,033 for southwest region bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Music at Arizona State University - Tempe

New Mexico State University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #24. New Mexico State University - Main Campus is a fairly large public school situated in Las Cruces, New Mexico. It awarded 4 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend New Mexico State University - Main Campus is $10,235 for southwest region bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read full report on Music at NMSU Main Campus

#25

Northeastern State University

Tahlequah, Oklahoma

Northeastern State University ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, this medium-sized public school awarded 1 degrees to qualified bachelors’s music students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Northeastern State University is $11,683 for southwest region bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $48-$75k.

Read more about Music at Northeastern State University

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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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