2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking is part of that endeavor.
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.
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 Getting Aid” 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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
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The music school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid”.
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 in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid
The colleges and universities below are the best for southwest region bachelor’s degree music students with aid.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Music in the Southwest Region (With Aid)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Edinburg, Texas, and it awarded 39 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
UT Rio Grande Valley also made our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #4. The yearly cost to attend UT Rio Grande Valley is $4,514 for southwest region bachelor’s degree music students with aid.
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%.
Out of the 49 schools in the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Texas A&M International University landed the #2 spot on the list. This medium-sized school is located in Laredo, Texas, and it awarded 9 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Texas A&M International University, the school also landed the #21 spot in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Texas A&M International University is $3,074 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Music students with aid.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend The University of Texas at El Paso. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid. El Paso, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s music degrees to 21 students in 2019-2020.
UTEP did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $8,920 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Music students with aid per year to attend UTEP.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend The University of Texas at Austin. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid. Austin, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s music degrees to 59 students 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 $18,023 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Music students with aid per year to attend UT Austin.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Music at The University of Texas at Austin
Out of the 49 schools in the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, The University of Texas at San Antonio landed the #5 spot on the list. 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.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UTSA, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $13,853 for southwest region bachelor’s degree music students with aid per year to attend The University of Texas at San Antonio.
University of Houston came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. 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.
UH did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend UH is $12,838 for southwest region bachelor’s degree music students with aid.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
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 Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #7. Stephen F Austin State University is a fairly large school located in Nacogdoches, Texas that handed out 83 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
SFASU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Stephen F Austin State University is $13,723 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Music students with aid.
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 Getting Aid ranking. Texas State is located in San Marcos, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 74 bachelors’s music degrees to qualified students.
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. It costs about $15,230 for southwest region bachelor’s degree music students with aid per year to attend Texas State.
University of North Texas landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Denton, Texas, this large public school handed out 186 degrees to qualified bachelors’s music students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UNT, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of North Texas is $15,086 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Music students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
West Texas A&M University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid list. West Texas A&M University is located in Canyon, Texas and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 51 bachelors’s music degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree music students with aid list, West Texas A&M University has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for West Texas A&M University is $12,761 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Music students with aid.
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 Getting Aid ranking. Denton, Texas is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s music degrees to 27 students in 2019-2020.
TWU also made our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #22. The estimated yearly cost for TWU is $9,617 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Music students with aid.
Texas Tech University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #12. Texas Tech is a large school located in Lubbock, Texas that handed out 63 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Texas Tech, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Texas Tech is $17,571 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Music students with aid.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Texas A&M University - Kingsville ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid list. Texas A&M Kingsville is a medium-sized school located in Kingsville, Texas that handed out 27 bachelors’s music 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 $13,778 for southwest region bachelor’s degree music students with aid.
Texas A&M University - Commerce 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 Getting Aid ranking. Located in Commerce, Texas, this fairly large public school handed out 39 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s music students in 2019-2020.
Texas A&M Commerce also made our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #16. The yearly cost to attend Texas A&M Commerce is $13,017 for southwest region bachelor’s degree music students with aid.
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 Getting Aid list. University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma is a public institution located in Chickasha, Oklahoma. The school has a small population, and it awarded 4 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma is $8,607 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Music students with aid.
Sam Houston State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #16. Sam Houston State University is a large school located in Huntsville, Texas that handed out 44 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree music students with aid list, SHSU has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend SHSU is $14,617 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Music students with aid.
The University of Texas at Tyler landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. The University of Texas at Tyler is a medium-sized school located in Tyler, Texas that handed out 14 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend The University of Texas at Tyler is $10,974 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Music students with aid.
Oklahoma State University - Main Campus came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Oklahoma State University - Main Campus is a public institution located in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The school has a large population, and it awarded 19 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
OSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #20 on our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Oklahoma State University - Main Campus is $14,648 for southwest region bachelor’s degree music students with aid.
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 Oklahoma State University - Main Campus
The University of Texas at Arlington did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #19. UT Arlington is located in Arlington, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 50 bachelors’s music degrees to qualified students.
UT Arlington also took the #17 spot in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for The University of Texas at Arlington is $14,246 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Music students with aid.
Rice University ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid list. Houston, Texas is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s music degrees to 25 students 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 University is $16,999 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Music students with aid.
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. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.
Tarleton State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #21. Tarleton State University is a public institution located in Stephenville, Texas. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 18 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree music students with aid list, Tarleton has also earned the #19 rank in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Tarleton is $18,979 for southwest region bachelor’s degree music students with aid.
Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid list. Texas A&M Corpus Christi is a public institution located in Corpus Christi, Texas. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 16 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Texas A&M Corpus Christi also took the #25 spot in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi is $16,332 for southwest region bachelor’s degree music students with aid.
Read more about Music at Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi
Eastern New Mexico University - Main Campus ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid list. Eastern New Mexico University - Main Campus is a public institution located in Portales, New Mexico. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 16 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for ENMU - Main Campus is $9,516 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Music students with aid.
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 Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #24. ASU - Tempe is located in Tempe, Arizona and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 60 bachelors’s music degrees to qualified students.
It costs about $11,706 for southwest region bachelor’s degree music students with aid per year to attend Arizona State University - Tempe.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Northeastern State University landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, this medium-sized public school awarded 1 degrees to qualified bachelors’s music students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for NSU is $9,994 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Music students with aid.
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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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