2023 Most Focused Colleges for Music
1,374
Ranked Colleges
25,910
Degrees Awarded
$36,400
Avg Cost*
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Schools Highly Focused on Music Major” ranking is part of that endeavor.
Music is the 43rd most popular major in the country with 25,910 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, music graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $27,160 and had an average of $24,560 in loans still to pay off.
This year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Music Major” ranking looked at 1,374 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in music. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in music.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Schools Highly Focused on Music Major” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that 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.
Schools Highly Focused on Music Major
The colleges and universities below are the best for music students.
Top 25 Most Focused Colleges for Music
Out of the 1,374 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Music Major that were part of this year’s ranking, California Jazz Conservatory landed the #1 spot on the list. California Jazz Conservatory is a private not-for-profit institution located in Berkeley, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 11 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 5.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Music at California Jazz Conservatory
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The New England Conservatory of Music. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major list. Boston, Massachusetts is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s music degrees to 241 students in 2020-2021.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Music at The New England Conservatory of Music
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Cleveland Institute of Music. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major list. Cleveland Institute of Music is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Cleveland, Ohio. It awarded 93 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate 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. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Music at Cleveland Institute of Music
Out of the 1,374 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Music Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Los Angeles College of Music landed the #4 spot on the list. Los Angeles College of Music is a private for-profit institution located in Pasadena, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 67 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Full LACM Music Report
Out of the 1,374 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Music Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Manhattan School of Music landed the #5 spot on the list. Manhattan School of Music is a small private not-for-profit school situated in New York, New York. It awarded 252 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 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 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Music at Manhattan School of Music
San Francisco Conservatory of Music ranked #6 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Music Major list. San Francisco, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s music degrees to 132 students in 2020-2021.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full San Francisco Conservatory of Music Music Report
With a ranking of #7, Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major list. Located in San Juan, , this small public school handed out 44 degrees to qualified ’s music students in 2020-2021.
The undergraduate 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.
Read more about Music at Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music
The Juilliard School ranked #8 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Music Major list. This small school is located in New York, New York, and it awarded 208 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Juilliard Music Report
With a ranking of #9, Longy School of Music of Bard College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major list. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 83 diplomas to qualified ’s music students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.2% 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%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full Longy School of Music of Bard College Music Report
Curtis Institute of Music landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major ranking. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s music degrees to 19 students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 2 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read full report on Music at Curtis Institute of Music
International College of Broadcasting came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Music Major ranking. International College of Broadcasting is a small school located in Dayton, Ohio that handed out 23 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Full International College of Broadcasting Music Report
Los Angeles Film School landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major ranking. LA Film School is a medium-sized private for-profit school situated in Hollywood, California. It awarded 705 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
Full LA Film School Music Report
Berklee College of Music came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Music Major ranking. Boston, Massachusetts is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s music degrees to 692 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate 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.
Read full report on Music at Berklee College of Music
Atlanta Institute of Music and Media came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Music Major ranking. AIMM is a private for-profit institution located in Duluth, Georgia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 39 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Music at AIMM
Musicians Institute landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major ranking. Located in Hollywood, California, this small private for-profit school awarded 143 degrees to qualified ’s music students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 5.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Full Musicians Institute Music Report
Seattle Film Institute ranked #16 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Music Major list. Seattle Film Institute is a private for-profit institution located in Seattle, Washington. The school has a small population, and it awarded 10 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read full report on Music at Seattle Film Institute
With a ranking of #17, California Institute of the Arts did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major list. Located in Valencia, California, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 61 degrees to qualified ’s music students in 2020-2021.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Music at CalArts
Five Towns College ranked #18 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Music Major list. Five Towns College is a small private for-profit school situated in Dix Hills, New York. It awarded 23 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Full Five Towns College Music Report
The Baptist College of Florida came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Music Major ranking. Graceville, Florida is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s music degrees to 11 students in 2020-2021.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read more about Music at BCF
Lawrence University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major ranking, coming in at #20. Located in Appleton, Wisconsin, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 50 degrees to qualified ’s music students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read full report on Music at Lawrence University
University of North Carolina School of the Arts did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major ranking, coming in at #21. Located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, this small public school awarded 41 degrees to qualified ’s music students in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full UNCSA Music Report
Oberlin College came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Music Major ranking. This small school is located in Oberlin, Ohio, and it awarded 107 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read full report on Music at Oberlin
Cornish College of the Arts came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Music Major ranking. This small school is located in Seattle, Washington, and it awarded 16 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read full report on Music at Cornish College of the Arts
Oklahoma City University ranked #24 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Music Major list. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s music degrees to 92 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.6% 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 undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Full OCU Music Report
Bethesda University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major ranking, coming in at #25. Anaheim, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s music degrees to 9 students in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Full Bethesda University Music Report