2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Music in North Carolina (With Aid)

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina For Those Getting Aid” 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 North Carolina, there were 553 music graduates with average earnings and debt of $27,820 and $28,120 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 414 music graduates with average earnings and debt of $35,192 and $24,368 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina For Those Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 23 colleges that offered a degree in music. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality music programs that also have a lower cost than 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.
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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 in North Carolina For Those Getting Aid” 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. 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 North Carolina For Those Getting Aid
The colleges and universities below are the best for north carolina bachelor’s degree music students with aid.
Top 23 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Music in North Carolina (With Aid)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina For Those Getting Aid 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 did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” list. It costs about $12,352 for North Carolina Bachelor’s Degree Music students with aid per year to attend University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Elizabeth City State University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina For Those Getting Aid list. ECSU is a public institution located in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. The school has a small population, and it awarded 4 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our north carolina bachelor’s degree music students with aid list, ECSU has also earned the #17 rank in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for ECSU is $2,350 for North Carolina Bachelor’s Degree Music students with aid.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of North Carolina School of the Arts. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina For Those Getting Aid. University of North Carolina School of the Arts is located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 25 bachelors’s music degrees to qualified students.
UNCSA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” list. The yearly cost to attend UNCSA is $13,885 for north carolina bachelor’s degree music students with aid.
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 low student loan default rate of 4.1% 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 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of North Carolina at Greensboro. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina For Those Getting Aid list. University of North Carolina at Greensboro is located in Greensboro, North Carolina and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 40 bachelors’s music degrees to qualified students.
UNC Greensboro not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” list. The yearly cost to attend University of North Carolina at Greensboro is $12,748 for North Carolina Bachelor’s Degree Music students with aid.
Read more about Music at University of North Carolina at Greensboro
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Appalachian State University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina For Those Getting Aid. Appalachian State is located in Boone, North Carolina and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 17 bachelors’s music degrees to qualified students.
Appalachian State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” list. The yearly cost to attend Appalachian State University is $13,920 for north carolina bachelor’s degree music students with aid.
The low student loan default rate of 3.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Western Carolina University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina For Those Getting Aid ranking. Western Carolina University is a fairly large public school situated in Cullowhee, North Carolina. It awarded 33 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
WCU also took the #6 spot in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Western Carolina University is $13,722 for North Carolina Bachelor’s Degree Music students with aid.
Duke University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #7. Duke University is located in Durham, North Carolina and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 8 bachelors’s music degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our north carolina bachelor’s degree music students with aid list, Duke has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” ranking. It costs about $27,020 for North Carolina Bachelor’s Degree Music students with aid per year to attend Duke.
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. The low 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%.
North Carolina A & T State University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina For Those Getting Aid list. This fairly large school is located in Greensboro, North Carolina, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
NC A&T did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #19 on our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” list. It costs about $10,274 for North Carolina Bachelor’s Degree Music students with aid per year to attend North Carolina A & T State University.
East Carolina University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina For Those Getting Aid ranking. Greenville, North Carolina is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s music degrees to 20 students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at ECU, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for East Carolina University is $15,844 for North Carolina Bachelor’s Degree Music students with aid.
University of North Carolina at Asheville ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina For Those Getting Aid list. University of North Carolina at Asheville is located in Asheville, North Carolina and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 18 bachelors’s music degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our north carolina bachelor’s degree music students with aid list, UNCA has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UNCA is $12,061 for North Carolina Bachelor’s Degree Music students with aid.
Winston - Salem State University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina For Those Getting Aid ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and it awarded 2 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our north carolina bachelor’s degree music students with aid list, WSSU has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” ranking. The yearly cost to attend WSSU is $12,286 for North Carolina Bachelor’s Degree Music students with aid.
With a ranking of #12, University of North Carolina at Charlotte did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina For Those Getting Aid list. Charlotte, North Carolina is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s music degrees to 30 students in 2019-2020.
UNC Charlotte also took the #10 spot in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of North Carolina at Charlotte is $16,529 for North Carolina Bachelor’s Degree Music students with aid.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
University of North Carolina at Wilmington ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina For Those Getting Aid list. University of North Carolina at Wilmington is located in Wilmington, North Carolina and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 21 bachelors’s music degrees to qualified students.
UNCW not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” list. The yearly cost to attend University of North Carolina at Wilmington is $19,055 for north carolina bachelor’s degree music students with aid.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #14, Wake Forest University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina For Those Getting Aid list. Wake Forest University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It awarded 2 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our north carolina bachelor’s degree music students with aid list, Wake Forest University has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Wake Forest University is $29,990 for north carolina bachelor’s degree music students with aid.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
With a ranking of #15, North Carolina Central University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina For Those Getting Aid list. North Carolina Central University is located in Durham, North Carolina and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 8 bachelors’s music degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our north carolina bachelor’s degree music students with aid list, North Carolina Central University has also earned the #21 rank in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for North Carolina Central University is $14,732 for north carolina bachelor’s degree music students with aid.
Read full report on Music at North Carolina Central University
With a ranking of #16, Catawba College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina For Those Getting Aid list. Salisbury, North Carolina is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s music degrees to 18 students in 2019-2020.
Catawba did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” list. It costs about $18,185 for north carolina bachelor’s degree music students with aid per year to attend Catawba.
Greensboro College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #17. This small school is located in Greensboro, North Carolina, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
Greensboro College not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #22 on our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” list. The yearly cost to attend Greensboro College is $18,764 for north carolina bachelor’s degree music students with aid.
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.
Salem College came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 4 degrees to qualified bachelors’s music students in 2019-2020.
Salem not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #20 on our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” list. The yearly cost to attend Salem College is $18,010 for North Carolina Bachelor’s Degree Music students with aid.
Meredith College landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina For Those Getting Aid ranking. Meredith is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Raleigh, North Carolina. It awarded 4 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
Meredith did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” list. It costs about $23,683 for North Carolina Bachelor’s Degree Music students with aid per year to attend Meredith College.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, 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 86%.
Queens University of Charlotte did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #20. Charlotte, North Carolina is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s music degrees to 4 students in 2019-2020.
Queens also took the #14 spot in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Queens University of Charlotte is $25,078 for North Carolina Bachelor’s Degree Music students with aid.
Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Campbell University landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina For Those Getting Aid ranking. Campbell is a medium-sized school located in Buies Creek, North Carolina that handed out 6 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
Campbell also made our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” list, coming in at #15. The yearly cost to attend Campbell is $24,544 for North Carolina Bachelor’s Degree Music students with aid.
Guilford College landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina For Those Getting Aid ranking. This small school is located in Greensboro, North Carolina, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our north carolina bachelor’s degree music students with aid list, Guilford has also earned the #23 rank in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” ranking. It costs about $22,996 for north carolina bachelor’s degree music students with aid per year to attend Guilford College.
High Point University ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in North Carolina For Those Getting Aid list. This medium-sized school is located in High Point, North Carolina, and it awarded 6 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
High Point also took the #12 spot in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for High Point University is $37,255 for north carolina bachelor’s degree music students with aid.
The low student loan default rate of 4.0% 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%.
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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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