2027 Best Music Education Schools in New York
Music Education programs are offered at a focused set of schools across the country. A focused field like this rewards careful comparison of the schools that offer it.
To produce this 2027 ranking, College Factual evaluated 15 schools to find the best for music education students.
What’s on this page:
Best Schools for Music Education in New York
If you are not interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the music education degrees they offer, see the list below.
Top Schools in Music Education
Our analysis ranked Cuny Hunter College the best school in the country for a degree in music education. Set in the city of New York, Cuny Hunter College is a very large public institution. The six-year graduation rate is 57%. About 10 music education degrees were awarded at Cuny Hunter College in the most recent year. Graduates of the music education program make about $61,604 in their early career. Typical student debt for the program is $12,000.
Get the full music education details for Cuny Hunter College
Cuny Brooklyn College came in at #2 on our 2027 list of the best music education schools. Located in the city of Brooklyn, Cuny Brooklyn College is a large public university. Roughly 54% of students complete a degree within six years here. About 14 music education degrees were awarded at Cuny Brooklyn College in the most recent year. Music Education graduates of Cuny Brooklyn College earn a median of $61,164 early in their careers. Cuny Brooklyn College graduates carry a median of $13,178 in student loans.
Read more about the music education program at Cuny Brooklyn College
Students looking for a strong music education program will find one at Cuny Queens College, which ranked #3. Set in the city of Queens, Cuny Queens College is a large public institution. The six-year graduation rate is 53%. About 42 music education degrees were awarded at Cuny Queens College in the most recent year. Music Education graduates of Cuny Queens College earn a median of $67,212 early in their careers. Students borrow a median of $16,000 to complete this degree.
Read more about the music education program at Cuny Queens College
Students looking for a strong music education program will find one at Hofstra University, which ranked #4. Located in the suburb of Hempstead, Hofstra University is a large private not-for-profit university. About 68% of students finish within six years. There were roughly 15 music education students who graduated with this degree at Hofstra University in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, music education degree recipients from Hofstra University generally make around $52,451. Typical student debt for the program is $23,517.
Get the full music education details for Hofstra University
Students looking for a strong music education program will find one at New York University, which ranked #5. This very large private not-for-profit university is located in the city of New York. New York University graduates 88% of students within six years. About 32 music education degrees were awarded at New York University in the most recent year. Soon after graduation, music education degree recipients from New York University generally make around $56,866. Students borrow a median of $25,403 to complete this degree.
Get the full music education details for New York University
University Of Rochester placed #6 among the best music education schools. Set in the city of Rochester, University Of Rochester is a large private not-for-profit institution. The six-year graduation rate is 85%. University Of Rochester awarded about 11 music education degrees in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, music education degree recipients from University Of Rochester generally make around $53,127. University Of Rochester graduates carry a median of $21,517 in student loans.
Read more about the music education program at University Of Rochester
Syracuse University came in at #7 for music education this year. Syracuse University is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Syracuse. Roughly 84% of students complete a degree within six years here. About 13 music education degrees were awarded at Syracuse University in the most recent year. Music Education graduates of Syracuse University earn a median of $53,557 early in their careers. Typical student debt for the program is $26,664.
Read more about the music education program at Syracuse University
Teachers College At Columbia University landed the #8 spot for music education this year. Set in the city of New York, Teachers College At Columbia University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit institution. There were roughly 76 music education students who graduated with this degree at Teachers College At Columbia University in the most recent data year. Music Education graduates of Teachers College At Columbia University earn a median of $82,636 early in their careers.
See the full music education program report for Teachers College At Columbia University
Cuny Lehman College landed the #9 spot for music education this year. This large public university is located in the city of Bronx. Roughly 51% of students complete a degree within six years here. Cuny Lehman College awarded about 10 music education degrees in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, music education degree recipients from Cuny Lehman College generally make around $90,725. Students borrow a median of $13,213 to complete this degree.
Get the full music education details for Cuny Lehman College
Ithaca College ranked #10 on our 2027 list of the best music education schools. Set in the suburb of Ithaca, Ithaca College is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit institution. The six-year graduation rate is 76%. Ithaca College awarded about 35 music education degrees in the most recent data year. Graduates of the music education program make about $53,562 in their early career. Students borrow a median of $26,500 to complete this degree.
More information about a degree in music education from Ithaca College
University At Buffalo earned the #11 position for music education this year. University At Buffalo is a very large public school located in the suburb of Buffalo. About 75% of students finish within six years. About 16 music education degrees were awarded at University At Buffalo in the most recent year. Students who receive their music education degree from University At Buffalo earn around $50,041 in the first couple years of their career. University At Buffalo graduates carry a median of $22,232 in student loans.
Read more about the music education program at University At Buffalo
Suny College At Potsdam placed #12 among the best music education schools. Suny College At Potsdam is a mid-sized public school located in the town of Potsdam. About 45% of students finish within six years. About 89 music education degrees were awarded at Suny College At Potsdam in the most recent year. Music Education graduates of Suny College At Potsdam earn a median of $47,071 early in their careers. Suny College At Potsdam graduates carry a median of $27,000 in student loans.
Get the full music education details for Suny College At Potsdam
Nazareth College came in at #13 for music education this year. Located in the suburb of Rochester, Nazareth College is a mid-sized private not-for-profit university. Roughly 73% of students complete a degree within six years here. About 24 music education degrees were awarded at Nazareth College in the most recent year. Music Education graduates of Nazareth College earn a median of $51,360 early in their careers. Students borrow a median of $27,000 to complete this degree.
See the full music education program report for Nazareth College
Suny At Fredonia earned the #14 position for music education this year. Set in the town of Fredonia, Suny At Fredonia is a mid-sized public institution. Suny At Fredonia graduates 50% of students within six years. There were roughly 69 music education students who graduated with this degree at Suny At Fredonia in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, music education degree recipients from Suny At Fredonia generally make around $41,456. Suny At Fredonia graduates carry a median of $27,000 in student loans.
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Suny College At Buffalo earned the #15 position for music education this year. This moderately-sized public university is located in the city of Buffalo. About 33% of students finish within six years. Suny College At Buffalo awarded about 13 music education degrees in the most recent data year. Graduates of the music education program make about $43,844 in their early career. Typical student debt for the program is $25,000.
More information about a degree in music education from Suny College At Buffalo
More Music Education Rankings
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2027 edition. Schools are scored on a blend of student outcomes (graduation rate, post-graduation earnings), affordability, and program focus, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Top Ranked · 15 schools evaluated.
- 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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
