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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Music (Income $0-$30k) in California

46 Ranked Colleges
793 Degrees Awarded
$7,800 Avg Net Price*
Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor's in California For Those Making $0-$30k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

General Music is the 68th most popular major in the country with 11,573 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

Across California, there were 1,596 general music graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 793 general music graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 46 colleges that offer a degree in general music. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great general music programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the general music program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank General Music Schools

The general 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 “Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k”.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Music (Income $0-$30k) in California

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Stanford, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s general music degrees to 8 students in 2019-2020.

Stanford also made our “Best General Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #1. It costs about $-1,387 for California Bachelor’s Degree General Music students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Stanford. The negative number means the student will receive more financial aid on average than it costs to attend the school.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read full report on General Music at Stanford University

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Los Angeles. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s general music degrees to 8 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Cal State LA is $1,379 for California Bachelor’s Degree General Music students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Cal State LA General Music Report

#5 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k. Berkeley, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s general music degrees to 33 students in 2019-2020.

UC Berkeley did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best General Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for UC Berkeley is $8,392 for California Bachelor’s Degree General Music students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about General Music at UC Berkeley

#4

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#4 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Los Angeles. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k. University of California - Los Angeles is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 22 bachelors’s general music degrees in 2019-2020.

UCLA also took the #4 spot in our “Best General Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Los Angeles is $8,553 for california bachelor’s degree general music students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Music at University of California - Los Angeles

#12 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Irvine. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k. University of California - Irvine is a large public school situated in Irvine, California. It awarded 7 bachelors’s general music degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Irvine not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best General Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Irvine is $9,558 for California Bachelor’s Degree General Music students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 1.3% 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 General Music at University of California - Irvine

#23 in overall quality

California State University - Fullerton came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Fullerton, California, and it awarded 34 bachelors’s general music degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree general music students whose families make $0-$30k list, Cal State Fullerton has also earned the #23 rank in our “Best General Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $4,291 for California Bachelor’s Degree General Music students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State University - Fullerton.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low 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 more about General Music at Cal State Fullerton

California State University - Fresno came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Fresno, California, this large public school awarded 28 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s general music students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Fresno State is $3,264 for california bachelor’s degree general music students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The low student loan default rate of 4.7% 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 General Music at California State University - Fresno

#2 in overall quality

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a large school located in San Luis Obispo, California that handed out 11 bachelors’s general music degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best General Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $12,475 for California Bachelor’s Degree General Music students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on General Music at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

#20 in overall quality

California State University - Northridge came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Northridge, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s general music degrees to 63 students in 2019-2020.

CSUN did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #20 on our “Best General Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Northridge is $5,945 for California Bachelor’s Degree General Music students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.0% 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 General Music at California State University - Northridge

#22 in overall quality

California State University - Long Beach did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #10. California State University - Long Beach is located in Long Beach, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 9 bachelors’s general music degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSULB, the school also landed the #22 spot in our “Best General Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Long Beach is $6,364 for california bachelor’s degree general music students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default 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 CSULB General Music Report

California State University - Dominguez Hills came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. CSUDH is located in Carson, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 15 bachelors’s general music degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $2,455 for California Bachelor’s Degree General Music students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend CSUDH.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full CSUDH General Music Report

#12

San Diego State University

San Diego, California
#21 in overall quality

San Diego State University landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. SDSU is a large school located in San Diego, California that handed out 2 bachelors’s general music degrees in 2019-2020.

SDSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #21 on our “Best General Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for San Diego State University is $8,870 for california bachelor’s degree general music students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full SDSU General Music Report

#13

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California
#8 in overall quality

University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #13. UCSB is a public institution located in Santa Barbara, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 29 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UCSB also made our “Best General Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #8. It costs about $10,316 for california bachelor’s degree general music students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of California - Santa Barbara.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of California - Santa Barbara General Music Report

#14

University of California - Riverside

Riverside, California

University of California - Riverside ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. UCR is a public institution located in Riverside, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 20 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for UCR is $8,366 for california bachelor’s degree general music students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The low student loan default rate of 2.1% 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%.

Read more about General Music at University of California - Riverside

#14 in overall quality

With a ranking of #15, University of California - Davis did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. UC Davis is a public institution located in Davis, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 21 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Davis not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best General Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Davis is $9,842 for california bachelor’s degree general music students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The low 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%.

Full University of California - Davis General Music Report

#15 in overall quality

With a ranking of #16, California State Polytechnic University - Pomona did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Cal Poly Pomona is a large school located in Pomona, California that handed out 60 bachelors’s general music degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal Poly Pomona, the school also landed the #15 spot in our “Best General Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Cal Poly Pomona is $8,596 for California Bachelor’s Degree General Music students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The low 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%.

Read full report on General Music at Cal Poly Pomona

#17

California State University - San Bernardino

San Bernardino, California

California State University - San Bernardino ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. California State University - San Bernardino is located in San Bernardino, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 16 bachelors’s general music degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - San Bernardino is $5,077 for california bachelor’s degree general music students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full CSUSB General Music Report

#19 in overall quality

University of California - San Diego came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. La Jolla, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s general music degrees to 32 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree general music students whose families make $0-$30k list, UCSD has also earned the #19 rank in our “Best General Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $9,280 for California Bachelor’s Degree General Music students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UCSD.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 1.5% 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%.

Full University of California - San Diego General Music Report

California State University - Sacramento did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #19. This large school is located in Sacramento, California, and it awarded 10 bachelors’s general music degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $6,819 for california bachelor’s degree general music students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Sac State.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Music at Sac State

#20

San Jose State University

San Jose, California
#10 in overall quality

With a ranking of #20, San Jose State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. San Jose State University is located in San Jose, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 13 bachelors’s general music degrees to qualified students.

San Jose State also made our “Best General Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #10. The estimated yearly cost for San Jose State is $10,940 for california bachelor’s degree general music students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Music at San Jose State

#21

Occidental College

Los Angeles, California
#6 in overall quality

Occidental College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #21. This small school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 11 bachelors’s general music degrees in 2019-2020.

Oxy also took the #6 spot in our “Best General Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Oxy is $13,146 for California Bachelor’s Degree General Music students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read more about General Music at Oxy

California State University - East Bay came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Hayward, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s general music degrees to 14 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - East Bay is $8,036 for California Bachelor’s Degree General Music students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full California State University - East Bay General Music Report

With a ranking of #23, California State University - San Marcos did quite well on the 2022 Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in San Marcos, California, this fairly large public school handed out 11 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s general music students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $9,517 for California Bachelor’s Degree General Music students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State University - San Marcos.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Music at CSUSM

#24

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California
#3 in overall quality

University of Southern California came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. USC is a private not-for-profit institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

USC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best General Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $14,668 for California Bachelor’s Degree General Music students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Southern California.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on General Music at University of Southern California

#25 in overall quality

California State University - Chico did quite well in the 2022 Best Value General Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #25. California State University - Chico is a fairly large public school situated in Chico, California. It awarded 44 bachelors’s general music degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Chico State, the school also landed the #25 spot in our “Best General Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $10,260 for california bachelor’s degree general music students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State University - Chico.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Music at California State University - Chico

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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

Footnotes

  • *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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