2024 Best Value Colleges for Music Education in Illinois
17
Ranked Colleges
239
Degrees Awarded
$22,600
Avg Net Price*
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Music Teacher Education Schools in Illinois” ranking - to help you make that decision.
Music Education is the 151st most popular major in the country with 4,761 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.
Across Illinois, there were 239 music education graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Music Teacher Education Schools in Illinois” ranking analyzed 17 colleges that offered a degree in music education. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality music education 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 education program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
More Ways to Rank Music Education 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 Teacher Education Schools in Illinois” list to help you make the college decision.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our 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.
Best Value Music Teacher Education Schools in Illinois
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Music Teacher Education Schools in Illinois.
Top 17 Best Value Colleges for Music Education in Illinois
Out of the 17 schools in the Best Value Music Teacher Education Schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Illinois State University landed the #1 spot on the list. Illinois State University is a public institution located in Normal, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 39 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Illinois State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Music Education Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Illinois State University is $20,830 for illinois music teacher education students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% 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%.
Read more about Music Education at Illinois State
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Music Teacher Education Schools in Illinois. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a public institution located in Champaign, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 39 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIUC, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Music Education Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UIUC is $14,321 for illinois music teacher education students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Music Education at UIUC
Out of the 17 schools in the Best Value Music Teacher Education Schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, VanderCook College of Music landed the #3 spot on the list. VanderCook College of Music is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 52 ’s music teacher education degrees in 2020-2021.
VanderCook College of Music did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Music Education Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $25,393 for Illinois Music Teacher Education students per year to attend VanderCook College of Music.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read full report on Music Education at VanderCook College of Music
Out of the 17 schools in the Best Value Music Teacher Education Schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Concordia University, Chicago landed the #4 spot on the list. Concordia University, Chicago is located in River Forest, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 4 ’s music teacher education degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Concordia University, Chicago, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Music Education Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $17,051 for illinois music teacher education students per year to attend Concordia University, Chicago.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.1% 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 Concordia University, Chicago Music Education Report
Out of the 17 schools in the Best Value Music Teacher Education Schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Bradley University landed the #5 spot on the list. Bradley University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Peoria, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 9 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our illinois music teacher education students list, Bradley has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Music Education Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Bradley is $25,196 for Illinois Music Teacher Education students.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
Read more about Music Education at Bradley University
DePaul University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Music Teacher Education Schools in Illinois list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s music teacher education degrees to 11 students in 2020-2021.
DePaul not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Music Education Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend DePaul is $31,174 for Illinois Music Teacher Education students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.7% 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%.
Read more about Music Education at DePaul
Olivet Nazarene University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Music Teacher Education Schools in Illinois list. Olivet Nazarene University is a small school located in Bourbonnais, Illinois that handed out 3 ’s music teacher education degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our illinois music teacher education students list, Olivet Nazarene has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Music Education Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Olivet Nazarene University is $19,470 for illinois music teacher education students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.7% 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%.
Read full report on Music Education at Olivet Nazarene University
North Park University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Teacher Education Schools in Illinois ranking. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 2 degrees to qualified ’s music teacher education students in 2020-2021.
North Park also took the #16 spot in our “Best Music Education Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $18,282 for Illinois Music Teacher Education students per year to attend North Park.
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%. 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 North Park University Music Education Report
With a ranking of #9, McKendree University did quite well on the 2024 Best Value Music Teacher Education Schools in Illinois list. McKendree University is a small school located in Lebanon, Illinois that handed out 2 ’s music teacher education degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our illinois music teacher education students list, McKendree has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Music Education Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $19,956 for Illinois Music Teacher Education students per year to attend McKendree University.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.5% 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%.
Read more about Music Education at McKendree
Elmhurst University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Teacher Education Schools in Illinois ranking. Elmhurst, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s music teacher education degrees to 9 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our illinois music teacher education students list, Elmhurst has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Music Education Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Elmhurst University is $20,100 for Illinois Music Teacher Education students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Music Education at Elmhurst
With a ranking of #11, Wheaton College Illinois did quite well on the 2024 Best Value Music Teacher Education Schools in Illinois list. Wheaton College Illinois is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Wheaton, Illinois. It awarded 5 ’s music teacher education degrees in 2020-2021.
Wheaton College Illinois also took the #12 spot in our “Best Music Education Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $25,692 for illinois music teacher education students per year to attend Wheaton College Illinois.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full Wheaton College Illinois Music Education Report
Roosevelt University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Music Teacher Education Schools in Illinois list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s music teacher education degrees to 4 students in 2020-2021.
Roosevelt also took the #17 spot in our “Best Music Education Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Roosevelt is $21,678 for Illinois Music Teacher Education students.
Read full report on Music Education at Roosevelt University
North Central College ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Music Teacher Education Schools in Illinois list. This small school is located in Naperville, Illinois, and it awarded 9 ’s music teacher education degrees in 2020-2021.
North Central not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Music Education Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend North Central is $25,199 for illinois music teacher education students.
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%.
Read full report on Music Education at North Central
Millikin University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Music Teacher Education Schools in Illinois list. Millikin is a small school located in Decatur, Illinois that handed out 11 ’s music teacher education degrees in 2020-2021.
Millikin also took the #13 spot in our “Best Music Education Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $19,135 for Illinois Music Teacher Education students per year to attend Millikin University.
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 Millikin University Music Education Report
Augustana College ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Music Teacher Education Schools in Illinois list. Augustana College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Rock Island, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 16 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Augustana also made our “Best Music Education Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #4. The estimated yearly cost for Augustana is $23,489 for illinois music teacher education students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full Augustana College Music Education Report
Illinois Wesleyan University landed the #16 spot on the 2024 Best Value Music Teacher Education Schools in Illinois ranking. Illinois Wesleyan is a small school located in Bloomington, Illinois that handed out 6 ’s music teacher education degrees in 2020-2021.
Illinois Wesleyan not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Music Education Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Illinois Wesleyan University is $34,738 for Illinois Music Teacher Education students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.4% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full Illinois Wesleyan Music Education Report
Northwestern University landed the #17 spot on the 2024 Best Value Music Teacher Education Schools in Illinois ranking. Northwestern University is located in Evanston, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 9 ’s music teacher education degrees to qualified students.
Northwestern not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Music Education Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Northwestern University is $23,279 for Illinois Music Teacher Education students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% 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%. 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. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 99%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Music Education at Northwestern
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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
- *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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