2023 Best Music Colleges for Veterans in Illinois
17
Ranked Colleges
1,138
Degrees Awarded
$29,400
Avg Cost*
When it comes to choosing a college, veterans have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Music” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
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.
Across Illinois, there were 1,138 music graduates with average earnings and debt of $26,572 and $23,882 respectively.
For this year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Music” ranking, we looked at 17 colleges that offer a degree in music. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great music programs and a strong support system for veterans and active service members.
To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as veteran satisfaction, veteran affordability, and overall quality of the music program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
More Ways to Rank Music Schools
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Music” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that 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.
Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Music
The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois vets studying music.
Top 17 Best Music Colleges for Veterans in Illinois
Out of the 17 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Music that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #1 spot on the list. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a large school located in Champaign, Illinois that handed out 129 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our illinois vets studying music list, UIUC has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 10 of the 52,679 students enrolled at UIUC were GI Bill® students, of which 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $0. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. UIUC offers credit for military training for eligible students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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%.
Full UIUC Veteran Student Life Report
Out of the 17 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Music that were part of this year’s ranking, Illinois State University landed the #2 spot on the list. Illinois State University is a public institution located in Normal, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 75 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Illinois State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Of the 20,720 students enrolled at Illinois State, 530 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 163 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $6,997. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Illinois State does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Illinois State Veteran Student Life Report
Out of the 17 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Music that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville landed the #3 spot on the list. SIUE is a fairly large school located in Edwardsville, Illinois that handed out 29 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
SIUE did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.According to our most recent data, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville supports 12,860 students, and 3 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 2 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $23,082. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
Read More…
Out of the 17 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Music that were part of this year’s ranking, Columbia College Chicago landed the #4 spot on the list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s music degrees to 71 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Columbia, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, Columbia College Chicago supports 6,769 students, and 140 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 98 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $17,151. To help with additional expenses, 25 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Columbia]](/colleges/columbia-college-chicago/student-life/veterans/)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Music list. This fairly large school is located in Carbondale, Illinois, and it awarded 26 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our illinois vets studying music list, SIUC has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 11,366 students enrolled at SIUC, 1 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $0. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Read More…
DePaul University landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Music ranking. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s music degrees to 91 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our illinois vets studying music list, DePaul has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Of the 21,922 students enrolled at DePaul, 528 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 367 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $14,957. To help with additional expenses, 101 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. DePaul offers credit for military training for eligible students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full DePaul University Veteran Student Life Report
North Central College landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Music ranking. Located in Naperville, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 14 degrees to qualified ’s music students in 2020-2021.
North Central also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 2,832 students enrolled at North Central, 46 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 32 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $19,214. To help with additional expenses, 15 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read More…
University of Illinois at Chicago did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Music ranking, coming in at #8. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this large public school handed out 13 diplomas to qualified ’s music students in 2020-2021.
UIC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.According to our most recent data, University of Illinois at Chicago supports 33,518 students, and 1 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 1 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $23,878. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full UIC Veteran Student Life Report
Western Illinois University landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Music ranking. WIU is a medium-sized public school situated in Macomb, Illinois. It awarded 44 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
WIU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Of the 7,490 students enrolled at WIU, 330 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 62 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,652. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
Read More…
With a ranking of #10, Roosevelt University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Music list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 97 diplomas to qualified ’s music students in 2020-2021.
Roosevelt also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 4,680 students enrolled at Roosevelt, 95 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 43 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $12,071. During this same period, 20 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Roosevelt offers credit for military training for eligible students.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Roosevelt University]](/colleges/roosevelt-university/student-life/veterans/)
With a ranking of #11, Northern Illinois University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Music list. Northern Illinois University is located in Dekalb, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 64 ’s music degrees to qualified students.
NIU also took the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 480 of the 16,769 students enrolled at Northern Illinois University were GI Bill® students, of which 207 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $7,822. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
Full Northern Illinois University Veteran Student Life Report
Northwestern University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Music ranking, coming in at #12. This large school is located in Evanston, Illinois, and it awarded 156 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Northwestern, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 22,603 students enrolled at Northwestern University, 1 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $399. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Northwestern University]](/colleges/northwestern-university/student-life/veterans/)
Loyola University Chicago did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Music ranking, coming in at #13. Loyola University Chicago is a fairly large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 11 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
Loyola Chicago also made our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list, coming in at #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS].Among the 16,893 students enrolled at Loyola University Chicago, 261 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 165 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $17,263. During this same period, 78 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Loyola University Chicago Veteran Student Life Report
Eastern Illinois University landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Music ranking. Eastern Illinois University is a medium-sized public school situated in Charleston, Illinois. It awarded 37 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at EIU, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, Eastern Illinois University supports 8,626 students, and 184 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 46 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,730. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.
[Read full report on veteran student life at EIU]](/colleges/eastern-illinois-university/student-life/veterans/)
Olivet Nazarene University landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Music ranking. Olivet Nazarene University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Bourbonnais, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 10 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Olivet Nazarene not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] on our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” list.Among the 3,764 students enrolled at Olivet Nazarene, 57 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 35 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $12,334. On top of their other funding sources, 11 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read More…
Wheaton College Illinois ranked #16 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Music list. This small school is located in Wheaton, Illinois, and it awarded 41 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Wheaton College Illinois, the school also landed the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] spot in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.According to our most recent data, Wheaton College Illinois supports 2,908 students, and 56 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 45 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $20,675. During this same period, 29 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, 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 90%.
Read More…
Millikin University landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in Illinois for Music ranking. Millikin is a small school located in Decatur, Illinois that handed out 33 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our illinois vets studying music list, Millikin has also earned the #[COLLEGE_QUALITY_RANK_ALL_LEVELS] rank in our “[COLLEGE_QUALITY_NAME_ALL_LEVELS]” ranking.Among the 1,982 students enrolled at Millikin University, 24 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 20 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,013. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Millikin University does offer credit for military training for eligible students.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
[Read full report on veteran student life at Millikin University]](/colleges/millikin-university/student-life/veterans/)
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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).
- Veteran-specific data can be found at the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
- 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
- *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top schools only.
- **GI Bill® student total includes all chapters of the GI Bill® program (e.g., Post-9/11, Montgomery GI Bill, Reserve Education Assistance Program, and Veteran Readiness and Employment)
- 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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