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2022 Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k

21 Ranked Colleges
467 Degrees Awarded
$14,100 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor's in California For Those Making $0-$30k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

Music Performance is the 103rd most popular major in the country with 7,957 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

Across California, there were 856 music performance graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 467 music performance graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 21 colleges that offered a degree in music performance. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality music performance programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the music performance program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college decision.

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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

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

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

Top 21 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Music Performance (Income $0-$30k) in California

#14 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Los Angeles. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. California State University - Los Angeles is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 20 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree music performance students whose families make $0-$30k list, Cal State LA has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Music Performance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $1,379 for california bachelor’s degree music performance students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State University - Los Angeles.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Music Performance at California State University - Los Angeles

#2

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#2 in overall quality

Out of the 21 schools in the Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Los Angeles landed the #2 spot on the list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s music performance degrees to 21 students in 2019-2020.

UCLA also took the #2 spot in our “Best Music Performance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UCLA is $8,553 for California Bachelor’s Degree Music Performance students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 1.0% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.

Full UCLA Music Performance Report

#5 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Irvine. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of California - Irvine is a large school located in Irvine, California that handed out 9 bachelors’s music performance degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Irvine did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Music Performance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Irvine is $9,558 for California Bachelor’s Degree Music Performance students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 full report on Music Performance at UC Irvine

#12 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Fullerton. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k. This large school is located in Fullerton, California, and it awarded 33 bachelors’s music performance degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal State Fullerton not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Music Performance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $4,291 for California Bachelor’s Degree Music Performance students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State University - Fullerton.

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 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Music Performance at California State University - Fullerton

#8 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Northridge. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Northridge, California, and it awarded 62 bachelors’s music performance degrees in 2019-2020.

CSUN did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Music Performance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Northridge is $5,945 for California Bachelor’s Degree Music Performance 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%.

Full California State University - Northridge Music Performance Report

#11 in overall quality

California State University - Long Beach landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Long Beach, California, this large public school awarded 104 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s music performance students in 2019-2020.

CSULB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Music Performance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Long Beach is $6,364 for california bachelor’s degree music performance students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 1.6% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Music Performance at California State University - Long Beach

#7

San Diego State University

San Diego, California
#9 in overall quality

San Diego State University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 61 bachelors’s music performance degrees in 2019-2020.

SDSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Music Performance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $8,870 for California Bachelor’s Degree Music Performance students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend San Diego State University.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full SDSU Music Performance Report

#19 in overall quality

With a ranking of #8, California State University - San Bernardino did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. CSUSB is a fairly large public school situated in San Bernardino, California. It awarded 3 bachelors’s music performance degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSUSB, the school also landed the #19 spot in our “Best Music Performance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - San Bernardino is $5,077 for california bachelor’s degree music performance students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Read full report on Music Performance at CSUSB

#21 in overall quality

California State University - Stanislaus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #9. Stan State is a fairly large school located in Turlock, California that handed out 3 bachelors’s music performance degrees in 2019-2020.

Stan State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #21 on our “Best Music Performance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Stan State is $3,410 for california bachelor’s degree music performance students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 4.3% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.

Read full report on Music Performance at Stan State

#15 in overall quality

California State University - Sacramento ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Sacramento, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s music performance degrees to 22 students in 2019-2020.

Sac State also took the #15 spot in our “Best Music Performance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Sac State is $6,819 for california bachelor’s degree music performance students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 more about Music Performance at Sac State

#11

San Jose State University

San Jose, California
#4 in overall quality

San Jose State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #11. San Jose, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s music performance degrees to 31 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree music performance students whose families make $0-$30k list, San Jose State has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Music Performance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $10,940 for california bachelor’s degree music performance students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend San Jose State.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Full San Jose State University Music Performance Report

#12

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California
#1 in overall quality

University of Southern California ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. USC is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 17 bachelors’s music performance degrees to qualified students.

USC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Music Performance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for USC is $14,668 for California Bachelor’s Degree Music Performance students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. 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.

Full University of Southern California Music Performance Report

#13

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California
#16 in overall quality

San Francisco State University landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. San Francisco, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s music performance degrees to 6 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree music performance students whose families make $0-$30k list, SFSU has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best Music Performance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for SFSU is $11,123 for california bachelor’s degree music performance students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full SFSU Music Performance Report

#14

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California
#17 in overall quality

University of California - Santa Cruz ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Santa Cruz, California, this fairly large public school awarded 14 degrees to qualified bachelors’s music performance students in 2019-2020.

UC Santa Cruz also took the #17 spot in our “Best Music Performance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Santa Cruz is $10,872 for California Bachelor’s Degree Music Performance students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Read more about Music Performance at UC Santa Cruz

#15

University of Redlands

Redlands, California
#7 in overall quality

University of Redlands came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Redlands is located in Redlands, California and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 4 bachelors’s music performance degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree music performance students whose families make $0-$30k list, University of Redlands has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Music Performance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Redlands is $21,763 for california bachelor’s degree music performance students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Redlands Music Performance Report

#20 in overall quality

Vanguard University of Southern California landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Vanguard University of Southern California is located in Costa Mesa, California and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1 bachelors’s music performance degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Vanguard, the school also landed the #20 spot in our “Best Music Performance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Vanguard University of Southern California is $15,222 for california bachelor’s degree music performance students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Music Performance at Vanguard

#17

University of the Pacific

Stockton, California
#13 in overall quality

With a ranking of #17, University of the Pacific did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of the Pacific is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Stockton, California. It awarded 9 bachelors’s music performance degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree music performance students whose families make $0-$30k list, Pacific has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Music Performance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $21,972 for California Bachelor’s Degree Music Performance students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Pacific.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Music Performance at University of the Pacific

#18

Biola University

La Mirada, California
#10 in overall quality

Biola University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #18. Biola is a private not-for-profit institution located in La Mirada, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 8 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Biola also took the #10 spot in our “Best Music Performance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $25,135 for california bachelor’s degree music performance students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Biola.

The low student loan default rate of 1.6% 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%.

Full Biola University Music Performance Report

#19

Dominican University of California

San Rafael, California
#18 in overall quality

With a ranking of #19, Dominican University of California did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. DUofC is a small private not-for-profit school situated in San Rafael, California. It awarded 1 bachelors’s music performance degrees in 2019-2020.

DUofC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #18 on our “Best Music Performance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Dominican University of California is $27,906 for California Bachelor’s Degree Music Performance students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.

Read full report on Music Performance at Dominican University of California

#20

Chapman University

Orange, California
#3 in overall quality

Chapman University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Chapman is a private not-for-profit institution located in Orange, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Chapman, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Music Performance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Chapman is $33,219 for california bachelor’s degree music performance students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Music Performance at Chapman

#21

California Institute of the Arts

Valencia, California
#6 in overall quality

California Institute of the Arts ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. This small school is located in Valencia, California, and it awarded 12 bachelors’s music performance degrees in 2019-2020.

CalArts also made our “Best Music Performance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #6. The yearly cost to attend CalArts is $43,576 for california bachelor’s degree music performance students whose families make $0-$30k.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. 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%.

Full California Institute of the Arts Music Performance Report

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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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