2025 Best Music Bachelor's Degree Schools in New York
Ranked #34 in popularity,
music is one of the most sought-after bachelor's degree programs in the nation. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.
In 2025, College Factual analyzed 30 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Music Bachelor's Degree Schools in New York ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 1,143 bachelor's degrees in music to qualified students.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
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Featured Music Programs
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
MBA in Music Business
Earn the music business degree that fits into the business world – and partners Southern New Hampshire University with world-renowned Berklee College of Music.
Learn More
Choosing a Great Music School for Your Bachelor's Degree
The music bachelor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:
Quality Overall Is Important
The overall quality of a bachelor's degree school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To account for this we consider a school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a combination of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
Average Earnings
To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their bachelor's degree from the school. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their bachelor's degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.
Other Factors We Consider
The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.
- Major Focus - How much a school focuses on music students vs. other majors.
- Major Demand - The number of music students who choose to seek a bachelor's degree at the school.
- Educational Resources - How many resources are allocated to students. These resources may include educational expenditures per student, number of students per instructor, and graduation rate among other things.
- Student Debt - How much debt music students go into to obtain their bachelor's degree and how well they are able to pay back that debt.
- Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized music related body.
Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for music students working on their bachelor's degree.
More Ways to Rank Music Schools
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 the Best Music Bachelor's Degree Schools in New York.
In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you.
When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.
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Featured Music Programs
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
MBA in Music Business
Earn the music business degree that fits into the business world – and partners Southern New Hampshire University with world-renowned Berklee College of Music.
Learn More
Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Music in New York
The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in music.
10 Top New York Schools for a Bachelor's in Music
New York University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in music. NYU is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of New York.
Music bachelor's degree recipients from New York University get an earnings boost of approximately $2,896 over the average earnings of music graduates.
More information about a bachelor’s in music from New York University
University of Rochester is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in music. University of Rochester is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Rochester.
Soon after graduation, music bachelor's recipients generally earn an average of $14,310 in their early careers.
More information about a bachelor’s in music from University of Rochester
Ithaca College is one of the best schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in music. Located in the suburb of Ithaca, Ithaca is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the music program make around $23,119 for their early career.
More information about a bachelor’s in music from Ithaca College
Every student who is interested in a bachelor's degree in music has to take a look at The New School. Located in the large city of New York, New School University is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.
Soon after graduating, music bachelor's recipients generally make an average of $12,109 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a bachelor’s in music from The New School
Located in the city of New York, Juilliard is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.More information about a bachelor’s in music from The Juilliard School