2026 Best Other Music Schools in California
Other Music is a field worth a close look when choosing where to study. While the number of schools offering the program varies, there are still top-quality ones to be found.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 14 schools to find the best for other music students.
What’s on this page:
Best Schools for Other Music in California
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 other music degrees they offer, see the list below.
Top Schools in Other Music
Leading the list is Concordia University Irvine, our #1 school for other music. Set in the city of Irvine, Concordia University Irvine is a mid-sized private not-for-profit institution. Roughly 58% of students complete a degree within six years here. There were roughly 13 other music students who graduated with this degree at Concordia University Irvine in the most recent data year. Students who receive their other music degree from Concordia University Irvine earn around $58,590 in the first couple years of their career. Students borrow a median of $26,085 to complete this degree.
More information about a degree in other music from Concordia University Irvine
Students looking for a strong other music program will find one at California State University Northridge, which ranked #2. This very large public university is located in the city of Northridge. About 57% of students finish within six years. There were roughly 19 other music students who graduated with this degree at California State University Northridge in the most recent data year. Students who receive their other music degree from California State University Northridge earn around $28,106 in the first couple years of their career. Typical student debt for the program is $15,933.
Read more about the other music program at California State University Northridge
Students looking for a strong other music program will find one at University Of Southern California, which ranked #3. University Of Southern California is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Los Angeles. Roughly 92% of students complete a degree within six years here. University Of Southern California awarded about 26 other music degrees in the most recent data year. Graduates of the other music program make about $23,244 in their early career. Typical student debt for the program is $20,976.
See the full other music program report for University Of Southern California
Biola University came in at #4 on our 2026 list of the best other music schools. Biola University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of La Mirada. Biola University graduates 68% of students within six years. Biola University awarded about 11 other music degrees in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, other music degree recipients from Biola University generally make around $19,978. Typical student debt for the program is $26,417.
Get the full other music details for Biola University
Musicians Institute came in at #5 on our 2026 list of the best other music schools. This small private for-profit university is located in the city of Hollywood. About 47% of students finish within six years. About 14 other music degrees were awarded at Musicians Institute in the most recent year.
Get the full other music details for Musicians Institute
More Other Music Rankings
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs graduation rate, post-graduation earnings, cost, and program quality, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Top Ranked · 14 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.
