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2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k

639 Ranked Colleges
15,839 Degrees Awarded
$14,800 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor's For Those Making $75-$110k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. 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 a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking.

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 $75-$110k” ranking looked at 639 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in music. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent music programs, but they also 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 $75-$110k” list to help you make the college decision.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. 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 $75-$110k

The colleges and universities below are the best for bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $75-$110k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Music (Income $75-$110k)

#1

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 #1 for the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k. Stanford is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Stanford, California. It awarded 8 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

Stanford also made our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #1. It costs about $10,631 for Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Stanford.

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. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Music at Stanford University

#2

Yale University

New Haven, Connecticut
Top 5% in overall quality

Out of the 639 schools in the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, Yale University landed the #2 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in New Haven, Connecticut, and it awarded 10 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Yale 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. It costs about $11,492 for Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Yale University.

The student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The 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 full report on Music at Yale University

#3

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois

Out of the 639 schools in the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern University landed the #3 spot on the list. This large school is located in Evanston, Illinois, and it awarded 98 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

Northwestern also took the #4 spot in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Northwestern University is $16,784 for bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $75-$110k.

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. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Music at Northwestern University

Out of the 639 schools in the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley landed the #4 spot on the list. The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is a large school located in Edinburg, Texas that handed out 39 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

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 in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. It costs about $11,400 for bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.

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 The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

#5

Duke University

Durham, North Carolina
#2 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Duke University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k list. Duke University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Durham, North Carolina. It awarded 8 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

Duke also made our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #2. The estimated yearly cost for Duke is $18,375 for Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $75-$110k.

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 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. 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.

Read full report on Music at Duke

#6

Vanderbilt University

Nashville, Tennessee

Vanderbilt University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k list. Nashville, Tennessee is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s music degrees to 50 students in 2019-2020.

Vanderbilt not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Vanderbilt University is $14,890 for bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $75-$110k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. 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 Vanderbilt Music Report

#7

Berea College

Berea, Kentucky

Berea College ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k list. Berea is located in Berea, Kentucky and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 7 bachelors’s music degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $8,723 for bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Berea.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. 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.

Full Berea College Music Report

#8

University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame, Indiana
#3 in overall quality

University of Notre Dame came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. University of 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 not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Notre Dame is $24,392 for bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $75-$110k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. 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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of Notre Dame Music Report

#9

Dartmouth College

Hanover, New Hampshire
#7 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, Dartmouth College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k list. Dartmouth is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Hanover, New Hampshire. It awarded 10 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

Dartmouth also made our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #7. It costs about $14,238 for bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Dartmouth.

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%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.

Full Dartmouth Music Report

#10

Williams College

Williamstown, Massachusetts
Top 5% in overall quality

With a ranking of #10, Williams College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k list. Williams College is a small school located in Williamstown, Massachusetts that handed out 9 bachelors’s music degrees 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 reviewed in that analysis. It costs about $14,653 for Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Williams.

The low student loan default rate of 2.3% 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 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.

Read full report on Music at Williams College

Texas A&M International University landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Texas A&M International University is a public institution located in Laredo, Texas. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 9 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $8,807 for bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Texas A&M International University.

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

#12

University of Florida

Gainesville, Florida

University of Florida landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Located in Gainesville, Florida, this large public school awarded 44 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s music students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UF is also in the top of our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category. The estimated yearly cost for UF is $12,685 for Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $75-$110k.

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 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Florida Music Report

#13

Baruch College

New York, New York

With a ranking of #13, Baruch College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k list. Baruch College is located in New York, New York and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 12 bachelors’s music degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for Baruch is $11,501 for Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $75-$110k.

With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive 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 Baruch College

#14

Hunter College

New York, New York

With a ranking of #14, Hunter College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k list. Hunter is located in New York, New York and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 32 bachelors’s music degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $9,385 for bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Hunter.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Music at Hunter

#15

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, Michigan

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. U-M is a large school located in Ann Arbor, Michigan that handed out 81 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $75-$110k list, U-M has also earned the #18 rank in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $18,039 for Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 1.2% 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 U-M Music Report

#16

Truman State University

Kirksville, Missouri
Top 10% in overall quality

Truman State University ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k list. Truman State University is a small public school situated in Kirksville, Missouri. It awarded 23 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on this list, Truman State 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. It costs about $13,624 for Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Truman State University.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 3.5% 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%.

Read full report on Music at Truman State University

Top 5% in overall quality

With a ranking of #17, 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 $75-$110k list. Columbia University in the City of New York is a large private not-for-profit school situated in New York, New York. It awarded 16 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

Columbia also claimed a top spot 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 Columbia University in the City of New York is $18,637 for bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $75-$110k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. 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 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Music at Columbia University in the City of New York

California State University - Los Angeles came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s music degrees to 28 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Cal State LA is $9,576 for bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $75-$110k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Cal State LA Music Report

#19

Florida State University

Tallahassee, Florida

Florida State University landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Tallahassee, Florida is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s music degrees to 87 students in 2019-2020.

Florida State also claimed a top spot 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 $15,074 for bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Florida State University.

With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Music at Florida State

With a ranking of #20, Brigham Young University - Idaho did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k list. Brigham Young University - Idaho is a large school located in Rexburg, Idaho that handed out 37 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Brigham Young University - Idaho is $9,850 for bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $75-$110k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Music at Brigham Young University - Idaho

#21

Cornell University

Ithaca, New York
#5 in overall quality

Cornell University ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k list. Cornell University is located in Ithaca, New York and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 10 bachelors’s music degrees to qualified students.

Cornell also took the #5 spot in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Cornell University is $23,128 for Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $75-$110k.

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%. 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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.

Read more about Music at Cornell University

#22

Lafayette College

Easton, Pennsylvania
#9 in overall quality

Lafayette College landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Lafayette is located in Easton, Pennsylvania and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 4 bachelors’s music degrees to qualified students.

Lafayette also made our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #9. The yearly cost to attend Lafayette College is $26,450 for bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $75-$110k.

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. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Music at Lafayette

#23

Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, Maryland

Johns Hopkins University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Johns Hopkins is a large school located in Baltimore, Maryland that handed out 60 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $75-$110k list, Johns Hopkins has also earned the #17 rank in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $19,177 for bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Johns Hopkins University.

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 low student loan default rate of 1.3% 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 Johns Hopkins University

#24

The City College of New York

New York, New York

With a ranking of #24, The City College of New York did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k list. CCNY is a public institution located in New York, New York. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 47 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $9,546 for Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend The City College of New York.

Read full report on Music at CCNY

#25

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, North Carolina

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. UNC Chapel Hill is located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 47 bachelors’s music degrees to qualified students.

UNC Chapel Hill also took the #16 spot in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is $18,354 for bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $75-$110k.

The low student loan default rate of 1.9% 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 UNC Chapel Hill

Rest of the Best 50 in Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k

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

#28

Lehman College

Bronx, New York
#29

Queens College

Queens, New York
#31

Beloit College

Beloit, Wisconsin
#36

University of Wisconsin - Whitewater

Whitewater, Wisconsin
#37

University of Central Florida

Orlando, Florida
#38

University of Wisconsin - La Crosse

La Crosse, Wisconsin
#40

Brooklyn College

Brooklyn, New York
#41

University of Wisconsin - Platteville

Platteville, Wisconsin
#42

The University of West Florida

Pensacola, Florida
#44

Elizabeth City State University

Elizabeth City, North Carolina
#45

University of Virginia - Main Campus

Charlottesville, Virginia
#48

University of Houston

Houston, Texas

Rest of the Top 15% Colleges in Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $75-$110k

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

Rank College Location
51 University of North Texas Denton, TX
52 University of Wisconsin - Green Bay Green Bay, WI
53 University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA
54 California State University - Northridge Northridge, CA
55 SUNY Fredonia Fredonia, NY
56 Rice University Houston, TX
56 Northern Kentucky University Highland Heights, KY
58 California State University - Long Beach Long Beach, CA
59 St Olaf College Northfield, MN
60 University of Georgia Athens, GA
61 University of North Carolina School of the Arts Winston-Salem, NC
62 College of Staten Island CUNY Staten Island, NY
63 Colgate University Hamilton, NY
64 California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, CA
65 University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT
Rank College Location
66 McNeese State University Lake Charles, LA
67 Augusta University Augusta, GA
68 University of California - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA
69 University of Wyoming Laramie, WY
70 University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire Eau Claire, WI
71 University of Alaska Fairbanks Fairbanks, AK
72 University of Northern Iowa Cedar Falls, IA
73 Texas Woman’s University Denton, TX
74 Murray State University Murray, KY
75 University of Minnesota - Morris Morris, MN
76 California State University - Dominguez Hills Carson, CA
77 Iowa State University Ames, IA
78 Washington University in St Louis Saint Louis, MO
79 Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX
80 Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, FL
81 Winona State University Winona, MN
82 William & Mary Williamsburg, VA
83 Middle Tennessee State University Murfreesboro, TN
84 Texas A&M University - Kingsville Kingsville, TX
85 University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point Stevens Point, WI
86 University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma Chickasha, OK
87 University of Chicago Chicago, IL
88 Eastern Illinois University Charleston, IL
89 Texas State University San Marcos, TX
90 University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh Oshkosh, WI
Rank College Location
91 University of South Florida - Main Campus Tampa, FL
92 West Virginia University Morgantown, WV
93 Florida Gulf Coast University Fort Myers, FL
94 University of Arkansas Fayetteville, AR
95 University of Missouri - St Louis Saint Louis, MO
96 University of Wisconsin - River Falls River Falls, WI

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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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