2022 Best Value Colleges for Music in the Southwest Region (With Aid)
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Music Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid” 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.
Across the Southwest region, there were 2,964 music graduates with average earnings and debt of $33,126 and $28,647 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Music Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking looked at 56 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in music. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality music programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the music program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
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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 in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid” list to help you make the college decision.
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. 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 in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Music Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid.
Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Music in the Southwest Region (With Aid)
Out of the 56 schools in the Best Value Music Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley landed the #1 spot on the list. This large school is located in Edinburg, Texas, and it awarded 44 ’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
UT Rio Grande Valley also took the #3 spot in our “Best Music Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is $4,514 for Southwest Region 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%.
Read full report on Music at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Texas A&M International University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Music Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid list. Texas A&M International University is a medium-sized school located in Laredo, Texas that handed out 9 ’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
Texas A&M International University also made our “Best Music Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #21. It costs about $3,074 for Southwest Region Music students with aid per year to attend Texas A&M International University.
Read full report on Music at Texas A&M International University
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 in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid. UTEP is located in El Paso, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 29 ’s music degrees to qualified students.
UTEP did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #19 on our “Best Music Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $8,920 for southwest region music students with aid per year to attend UTEP.
Out of the 56 schools in the Best Value Music Schools 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 #3 spot on the list. Located in San Antonio, Texas, this large public school awarded 46 degrees to qualified ’s music students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UTSA, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Music Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for The University of Texas at San Antonio is $13,853 for southwest region music students with aid.
Out of the 56 schools in the Best Value Music Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, The University of Texas at Austin landed the #5 spot on the list. The University of Texas at Austin is a large school located in Austin, Texas that handed out 136 ’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our southwest region music students with aid list, UT Austin has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Music Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $18,023 for southwest region music students with aid per year to attend The University of Texas at Austin.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
With a ranking of #6, Collin County Community College District did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid list. Collin County Community College District is a large school located in McKinney, Texas that handed out 8 ’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $6,293 for southwest region music students with aid per year to attend Collin County Community College District.
Read more about Music at Collin County Community College District
Austin Community College District did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #7. Austin, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s music degrees to 5 students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $6,861 for southwest region music students with aid per year to attend Austin Community College District.
West Texas A&M University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Canyon, Texas, this fairly large public school awarded 55 diplomas to qualified ’s music students in 2019-2020.
West Texas A&M University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Music Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for West Texas A&M University is $12,761 for Southwest Region Music students with aid.
Stephen F Austin State University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid list. Nacogdoches, Texas is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s music degrees to 106 students in 2019-2020.
SFASU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Music Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for SFASU is $13,723 for Southwest Region Music students with aid.
Texas Woman’s University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. TWU is a public institution located in Denton, Texas. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 46 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $9,617 for southwest region music students with aid per year to attend Texas Woman’s University.
University of Houston did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #11. University of Houston is located in Houston, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 102 ’s music degrees to qualified students.
UH did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Music Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Houston is $12,838 for Southwest Region Music students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
With a ranking of #12, Texas State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid list. San Marcos, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s music degrees to 101 students in 2019-2020.
Texas State also took the #9 spot in our “Best Music Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $15,230 for Southwest Region Music students with aid per year to attend Texas State.
University of North Texas did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #13. University of North Texas is a large public school situated in Denton, Texas. It awarded 344 ’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our southwest region music students with aid list, UNT has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Music Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UNT is $15,086 for Southwest Region 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.
Texas A&M University - Kingsville did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #14. Kingsville, Texas is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s music degrees to 29 students in 2019-2020.
Texas A&M Kingsville also made our “Best Music Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #13. The yearly cost to attend Texas A&M Kingsville is $13,778 for southwest region music students with aid.
University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma is a small public school situated in Chickasha, Oklahoma. It awarded 4 ’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend USAO is $8,607 for southwest region music students with aid.
Texas Tech University ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid list. Texas Tech University is a public institution located in Lubbock, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 115 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Texas Tech also made our “Best Music Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #5. The yearly cost to attend Texas Tech is $17,571 for Southwest Region Music students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Sam Houston State University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. This large school is located in Huntsville, Texas, and it awarded 53 ’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our southwest region music students with aid list, SHSU has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Music Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for SHSU is $14,617 for southwest region music students with aid.
With a ranking of #18, Texas A&M University - Commerce did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid list. Texas A&M University - Commerce is located in Commerce, Texas and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 57 ’s music degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our southwest region music students with aid list, Texas A&M Commerce has also earned the #20 rank in our “Best Music Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $13,017 for Southwest Region Music students with aid per year to attend Texas A&M University - Commerce.
The University of Texas at Tyler ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid list. Tyler, Texas is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s music degrees to 14 students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $10,974 for Southwest Region Music students with aid per year to attend UT Tyler.
Rice University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Rice University is a medium-sized school located in Houston, Texas that handed out 87 ’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
Rice also took the #2 spot in our “Best Music Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Rice University is $16,999 for southwest region music students with aid.
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%. 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 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.
Tarleton State University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Tarleton State University is a fairly large public school situated in Stephenville, Texas. It awarded 18 ’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
Tarleton not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #17 on our “Best Music Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $18,979 for Southwest Region Music students with aid per year to attend Tarleton.
With a ranking of #22, Oklahoma State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid list. Oklahoma State University - Main Campus is a large public school situated in Stillwater, Oklahoma. It awarded 29 ’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our southwest region music students with aid list, OSU has also earned the #18 rank in our “Best Music Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend OSU is $14,648 for southwest region music students with aid.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
The University of Texas at Arlington did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #23. This large school is located in Arlington, Texas, and it awarded 66 ’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
UT Arlington also made our “Best Music Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #16. The estimated yearly cost for The University of Texas at Arlington is $14,246 for southwest region music students with aid.
San Jacinto Community College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #24. San Jacinto Community College is located in Pasadena, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 11 ’s music degrees to qualified students.
It costs about $8,692 for southwest region music students with aid per year to attend San Jacinto Community College.
Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools in the Southwest Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Texas A&M Corpus Christi is located in Corpus Christi, Texas and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 16 ’s music degrees to qualified students.
Texas A&M Corpus Christi also took the #22 spot in our “Best Music Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi is $16,332 for Southwest Region 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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