by our College Data Analytics Team
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Most Well Attended Music Major in the Southeast Region” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
In 2020-2021, 25,910 people earned their degree in music, making the major the 43rd most popular in the United States. 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.
Across the Southeast region, there were 5,336 music graduates with average earnings and debt of $25,836 and $24,882 respectively.
This year’s “Most Well Attended Music Major in the Southeast Region” ranking analyzed 325 colleges that offered a degree in music. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have one of the most popular music programs in the United States.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
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 “Most Well Attended Music Major in the Southeast Region”.
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. 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.
The colleges and universities below are the best for southeast region music students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Full Sail University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Music Major in the Southeast Region list. Full Sail University is a large school located in Winter Park, Florida that handed out 244 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
Out of the 325 schools in the Most Well Attended Music Major in the Southeast Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Miami landed the #2 spot on the list. University of Miami is located in Coral Gables, Florida and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 192 ’s music degrees to qualified students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Florida State University. The school came in at #3 for the Most Well Attended Music Major in the Southeast Region. Located in Tallahassee, Florida, this large public school handed out 171 diplomas to qualified ’s music students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.8% 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%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Middle Tennessee State University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Music Major in the Southeast Region list. Located in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, this large public school awarded 148 degrees to qualified ’s music students in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Music at Middle Tennessee State University
Out of the 325 schools in the Most Well Attended Music Major in the Southeast Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Liberty University landed the #5 spot on the list. Liberty University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Lynchburg, Virginia. It awarded 119 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
Belmont University landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Music Major in the Southeast Region ranking. Belmont is a medium-sized school located in Nashville, Tennessee that handed out 112 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.5% 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%.
With a ranking of #7, University of Memphis did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Music Major in the Southeast Region list. This large school is located in Memphis, Tennessee, and it awarded 97 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
University of South Carolina - Columbia did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Music Major in the Southeast Region ranking, coming in at #8. UofSC is a large school located in Columbia, South Carolina that handed out 105 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Music at University of South Carolina - Columbia
George Mason University ranked #9 on this year’s Most Well Attended Music Major in the Southeast Region list. Fairfax, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s music degrees to 83 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Music Major in the Southeast Region ranking. Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College is a public institution located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 80 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of North Carolina at Greensboro came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Music Major in the Southeast Region ranking. University of North Carolina at Greensboro is a public institution located in Greensboro, North Carolina. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 86 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #12, James Madison University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Music Major in the Southeast Region list. James Madison University is a large public school situated in Harrisonburg, Virginia. It awarded 77 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, 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 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of Georgia landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Music Major in the Southeast Region ranking. University of Georgia is a large school located in Athens, Georgia that handed out 71 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad 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%.
West Virginia University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Music Major in the Southeast Region ranking. This large school is located in Morgantown, West Virginia, and it awarded 68 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
Shenandoah University landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Music Major in the Southeast Region ranking. This small school is located in Winchester, Virginia, and it awarded 67 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 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 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of Southern Mississippi ranked #15 on this year’s Most Well Attended Music Major in the Southeast Region list. University of Southern Mississippi is a public institution located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 67 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Georgia State University ranked #17 on this year’s Most Well Attended Music Major in the Southeast Region list. Georgia State University is located in Atlanta, Georgia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 71 ’s music degrees to qualified students.
The University of Tennessee - Knoxville did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Music Major in the Southeast Region ranking, coming in at #17. The University of Tennessee - Knoxville is a large public school situated in Knoxville, Tennessee. It awarded 66 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Music at The University of Tennessee - Knoxville
University of Florida landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Music Major in the Southeast Region ranking. This large school is located in Gainesville, Florida, and it awarded 62 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% 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 97%.
University of Kentucky did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Music Major in the Southeast Region ranking, coming in at #20. University of Kentucky is a public institution located in Lexington, Kentucky. The school has a large population, and it awarded 60 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
University of Central Florida came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Music Major in the Southeast Region ranking. University of Central Florida is a large public school situated in Orlando, Florida. It awarded 53 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, 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 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
The University of Alabama did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Music Major in the Southeast Region ranking, coming in at #22. UA is a large public school situated in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. It awarded 51 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Virginia Commonwealth University landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Music Major in the Southeast Region ranking. This large school is located in Richmond, Virginia, and it awarded 50 ’s music degrees 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%.
University of Louisville did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Music Major in the Southeast Region ranking, coming in at #23. UofL is a large public school situated in Louisville, Kentucky. It awarded 50 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.4% 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%.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Music Major in the Southeast Region ranking, coming in at #23. UNC Chapel Hill is located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 50 ’s music degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 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 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
Read more about our data sources and methodologies