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2022 Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region

31 Ranked Colleges
568 Degrees Awarded
$16,400 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor's in the Far Western US Region

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region” ranking is part of that endeavor.

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

Across the Far Western US region, there were 990 music performance graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 568 music performance graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,083 and $22,209 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region” ranking looked at 31 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in music performance. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great music performance 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 music performance program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Music Performance Schools

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for far western us region bachelor’s degree music performance students.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Music Performance in the Far Western US Region

#12 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Northridge. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region. Northridge, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s music performance degrees to 62 students in 2019-2020.

CSUN also took the #12 spot in our “Best Music Performance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Northridge is $8,414 for far western us region bachelor’s degree music performance students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Music Performance at California State University - Northridge

#16 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Long Beach. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region. This large school is located in Long Beach, California, and it awarded 104 bachelors’s music performance degrees in 2019-2020.

CSULB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Music Performance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Long Beach is $9,622 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Music Performance students.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.

Full CSULB Music Performance Report

#3

San Jose State University

San Jose, California
#5 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend San Jose State University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region. San Jose State is a large school located in San Jose, California that handed out 31 bachelors’s music performance degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree music performance students list, San Jose State has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Music Performance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend San Jose State University is $14,928 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Music Performance students.

The low 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Music Performance at San Jose State

#18 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 the Far Western US Region. Cal State Fullerton is a public institution located in Fullerton, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 33 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal State Fullerton also took the #18 spot in our “Best Music Performance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Fullerton is $7,991 for far western us region bachelor’s degree music performance students.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Music Performance at Cal State Fullerton

#5

Western Washington University

Bellingham, Washington
#9 in overall quality

Out of the 31 schools in the Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Western Washington University landed the #5 spot on the list. Western Washington University is a fairly large public school situated in Bellingham, Washington. It awarded 10 bachelors’s music performance degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at WWU, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Music Performance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $16,529 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Music Performance students per year to attend Western Washington University.

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%.

Full Western Washington University Music Performance Report

#20 in overall quality

University of Nevada - Reno ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. University of Nevada - Reno is a large public school situated in Reno, Nevada. It awarded 5 bachelors’s music performance degrees in 2019-2020.

UNR also made our “Best Music Performance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #20. It costs about $15,081 for far western us region bachelor’s degree music performance students per year to attend University of Nevada - Reno.

Full University of Nevada - Reno Music Performance Report

#21 in overall quality

California State University - Los Angeles did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #7. 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.

Cal State LA also made our “Best Music Performance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #21. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Los Angeles is $2,768 for far western us region bachelor’s degree music performance students.

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 California State University - Los Angeles Music Performance Report

#8

San Diego State University

San Diego, California
#13 in overall quality

San Diego State University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. SDSU is a public institution located in San Diego, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 61 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree music performance students list, SDSU has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Music Performance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for SDSU is $14,788 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Music Performance students.

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 Music Performance Report

#9

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California
#24 in overall quality

San Francisco State University landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. SFSU is a large school located in San Francisco, California that handed out 6 bachelors’s music performance degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree music performance students list, SFSU has also earned the #24 rank in our “Best Music Performance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for San Francisco State University is $15,113 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Music Performance students.

Read full report on Music Performance at SFSU

#10

California State University - San Bernardino

San Bernardino, California

California State University - San Bernardino did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #10. California State University - San Bernardino is a fairly large public school situated in San Bernardino, California. It awarded 3 bachelors’s music performance degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - San Bernardino is $7,342 for far western us region bachelor’s degree music performance students.

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 California State University - San Bernardino Music Performance Report

#23 in overall quality

California State University - Sacramento landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. Located in Sacramento, California, this large public school awarded 22 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s music performance students in 2019-2020.

Sac State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #23 on our “Best Music Performance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $9,979 for far western us region bachelor’s degree music performance students per year to attend California State University - Sacramento.

The low student loan default rate of 4.6% 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 Performance at Sac State

#12

Central Washington University

Ellensburg, Washington
#17 in overall quality

Central Washington University landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. Central Washington University is a public institution located in Ellensburg, Washington. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 16 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

CWU also took the #17 spot in our “Best Music Performance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for CWU is $15,397 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Music Performance students.

Read more about Music Performance at Central Washington University

#13

Washington State University

Pullman, Washington
#22 in overall quality

Washington State University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. Wazzu is a large public school situated in Pullman, Washington. It awarded 7 bachelors’s music performance degrees in 2019-2020.

Wazzu also took the #22 spot in our “Best Music Performance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Wazzu is $16,358 for far western us region bachelor’s degree music performance students.

The low student loan default rate of 4.6% 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 full report on Music Performance at Wazzu

California State University - Stanislaus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #14. Stan State is located in Turlock, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 3 bachelors’s music performance degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $6,019 for far western us region bachelor’s degree music performance students per year to attend California State University - Stanislaus.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full California State University - Stanislaus Music Performance Report

#15

Portland State University

Portland, Oregon

Portland State University landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. Portland State University is a public institution located in Portland, Oregon. The school has a large population, and it awarded 12 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Portland State University is $13,040 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Music Performance students.

Full Portland State University Music Performance Report

#16

Cornish College of the Arts

Seattle, Washington
#25 in overall quality

Cornish College of the Arts did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #16. Cornish College of the Arts is located in Seattle, Washington and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 17 bachelors’s music performance degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cornish College of the Arts, the school also landed the #25 spot in our “Best Music Performance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Cornish College of the Arts is $39,078 for far western us region bachelor’s degree music performance students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full Cornish College of the Arts Music Performance Report

#3 in overall quality

University of Washington - Seattle Campus ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. UW Seattle is a public institution located in Seattle, Washington. The school has a large population, and it awarded 5 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW Seattle, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Music Performance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus is $13,297 for far western us region bachelor’s degree music performance students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Music Performance at UW Seattle

#18

University of Oregon

Eugene, Oregon
#11 in overall quality

University of Oregon ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. University of Oregon is a large public school situated in Eugene, Oregon. It awarded 13 bachelors’s music performance degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree music performance students list, UO has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Music Performance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $16,461 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Music Performance students per year to attend University of Oregon.

The low student loan default rate of 4.2% 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 Performance at University of Oregon

Vanguard University of Southern California ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. Vanguard University of Southern California is a private not-for-profit institution located in Costa Mesa, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Vanguard University of Southern California is $20,051 for far western us region bachelor’s degree music performance students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Music Performance at Vanguard

#20

Biola University

La Mirada, California
#14 in overall quality

With a ranking of #20, Biola University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. Biola University 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.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree music performance students list, Biola has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Music Performance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $31,859 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Music Performance students 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%.

Read more about Music Performance at Biola

#21

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#2 in overall quality

University of California - Los Angeles landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. UCLA is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 21 bachelors’s music performance degrees in 2019-2020.

UCLA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Music Performance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Los Angeles is $14,279 for far western us region bachelor’s degree music performance students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. 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%.

Full UCLA Music Performance Report

#6 in overall quality

University of California - Irvine came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. University of California - Irvine is a large public school situated in Irvine, California. It awarded 9 bachelors’s music performance degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Irvine also took the #6 spot in our “Best Music Performance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UC Irvine is $14,783 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Music Performance students.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Read full report on Music Performance at UC Irvine

#23

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California

With a ranking of #23, University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. UC Santa Cruz is a public institution located in Santa Cruz, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 14 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Santa Cruz is $18,186 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Music Performance students.

The low student loan default rate of 2.9% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Music Performance at University of California - Santa Cruz

#24

Whitman College

Walla Walla, Washington
#15 in overall quality

Whitman College ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. Whitman College is located in Walla Walla, Washington and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 3 bachelors’s music performance degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Whitman, the school also landed the #15 spot in our “Best Music Performance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $38,672 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Music Performance students per year to attend Whitman College.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. 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%.

Read full report on Music Performance at Whitman College

#25

University of the Pacific

Stockton, California
#19 in overall quality

University of the Pacific ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. Located in Stockton, California, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 9 degrees to qualified bachelors’s music performance students in 2019-2020.

Pacific did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #19 on our “Best Music Performance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Pacific is $28,929 for far western us region bachelor’s degree music performance students.

The low student loan default rate of 1.8% 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 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full University of the Pacific 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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