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2022 Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region

25 Ranked Colleges
178 Degrees Awarded
$18,700 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor's in the Plains States Region

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

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

Across the Plains States region, there were 271 music performance graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 178 music performance graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,786 and $25,576 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region” ranking looked at 25 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.

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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Music Performance Schools

The music performance 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 Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region”.

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 Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for plains states region bachelor’s degree music performance students.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Music Performance in the Plains States Region

#1

Truman State University

Kirksville, Missouri
#3 in overall quality

Out of the 25 schools in the Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Truman State University landed the #1 spot on the list. This small school is located in Kirksville, Missouri, and it awarded 5 bachelors’s music performance degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Truman State, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Music Performance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Truman State is $12,462 for plains states region bachelor’s degree music performance students.

The low student loan default rate of 3.5% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Truman State University Music Performance Report

#2

Winona State University

Winona, Minnesota
#4 in overall quality

Out of the 25 schools in the Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Winona State University landed the #2 spot on the list. Winona State is located in Winona, Minnesota and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 2 bachelors’s music performance degrees to qualified students.

Winona State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Music Performance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Winona State University is $17,656 for plains states region bachelor’s degree music performance students.

The low student loan default rate of 3.4% 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 Winona State University

#3

University of South Dakota

Vermillion, South Dakota
#13 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of South Dakota. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region. This medium-sized school is located in Vermillion, South Dakota, and it awarded 5 bachelors’s music performance degrees in 2019-2020.

USD did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Music Performance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend USD is $18,555 for plains states region bachelor’s degree music performance students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Music Performance at University of South Dakota

#4

University of North Dakota

Grand Forks, North Dakota
#8 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of North Dakota. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region. This fairly large school is located in Grand Forks, North Dakota, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s music performance degrees in 2019-2020.

UND also took the #8 spot in our “Best Music Performance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UND is $15,738 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Music Performance students.

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%.

Read more about Music Performance at UND

#5

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, Iowa
#6 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Northern Iowa. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region. University of Northern Iowa is a public institution located in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 6 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UNI not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Music Performance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Northern Iowa is $15,620 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Music Performance students.

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 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Music Performance at UNI

#6

Saint Cloud State University

Saint Cloud, Minnesota
#12 in overall quality

With a ranking of #6, Saint Cloud State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region list. This fairly large school is located in Saint Cloud, Minnesota, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s music performance degrees in 2019-2020.

St. Cloud State University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Music Performance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Saint Cloud State University is $14,267 for plains states region bachelor’s degree music performance students.

Read full report on Music Performance at Saint Cloud State University

#9 in overall quality

University of Minnesota - Duluth did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #7. This fairly large school is located in Duluth, Minnesota, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s music performance degrees in 2019-2020.

UMN Duluth also made our “Best Music Performance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #9. The yearly cost to attend University of Minnesota - Duluth is $17,067 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Music Performance students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Music Performance at UMN Duluth

#19 in overall quality

With a ranking of #8, Missouri State University - Springfield did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region list. Located in Springfield, Missouri, this large public school awarded 6 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s music performance students in 2019-2020.

Missouri State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #19 on our “Best Music Performance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. It costs about $16,725 for plains states region bachelor’s degree music performance students per year to attend Missouri State University - Springfield.

Full Missouri State University - Springfield Music Performance Report

#14 in overall quality

University of Nebraska at Omaha did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #9. Omaha, Nebraska is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s music performance degrees to 3 students in 2019-2020.

UNOMAHA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Music Performance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Nebraska at Omaha is $14,040 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Music Performance students.

Full University of Nebraska at Omaha Music Performance Report

#10

Park University

Parkville, Missouri
#25 in overall quality

Park University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region list. Park University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Parkville, Missouri. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Park University also made our “Best Music Performance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #25. It costs about $15,579 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Music Performance students per year to attend Park University.

Full Park University Music Performance Report

#11

Evangel University

Springfield, Missouri
#11 in overall quality

Evangel University landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region ranking. Evangel University is a small school located in Springfield, Missouri that handed out 2 bachelors’s music performance degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our plains states region bachelor’s degree music performance students list, Evangel has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Music Performance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Evangel is $22,837 for plains states region bachelor’s degree music performance students.

The low student loan default rate of 5.0% 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 more about Music Performance at Evangel University

#12

Wichita State University

Wichita, Kansas
#21 in overall quality

Wichita State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #12. WSU is a public institution located in Wichita, Kansas. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 4 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

WSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #21 on our “Best Music Performance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for WSU is $14,382 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Music Performance students.

Read more about Music Performance at Wichita State University

#13

Washburn University

Topeka, Kansas
#22 in overall quality

Washburn University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region list. Washburn University is a public institution located in Topeka, Kansas. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 5 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Washburn University also made our “Best Music Performance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #22. It costs about $14,481 for plains states region bachelor’s degree music performance students per year to attend Washburn University.

Full Washburn University Music Performance Report

#14

North Central University

Minneapolis, Minnesota
#16 in overall quality

North Central University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #14. North Central University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The school has a small population, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

North Central University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #16 on our “Best Music Performance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend North Central University is $21,142 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Music Performance students.

The low student loan default rate of 3.3% 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 North Central University

#24 in overall quality

Missouri Southern State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #15. Missouri Southern State University is a public institution located in Joplin, Missouri. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 6 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Missouri Southern also made our “Best Music Performance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #24. The estimated yearly cost for Missouri Southern State University is $9,625 for plains states region bachelor’s degree music performance students.

Read more about Music Performance at Missouri Southern

#16

Pittsburg State University

Pittsburg, Kansas
#23 in overall quality

Pittsburg State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #16. Pittsburg State University is located in Pittsburg, Kansas and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 4 bachelors’s music performance degrees to qualified students.

Pitt State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #23 on our “Best Music Performance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. It costs about $14,436 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Music Performance students per year to attend Pittsburg State University.

Read full report on Music Performance at Pittsburg State University

#17

University of Missouri - Kansas City

Kansas City, Missouri
#15 in overall quality

University of Missouri - Kansas City came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region ranking. UMKC is a fairly large school located in Kansas City, Missouri that handed out 18 bachelors’s music performance degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UMKC, the school also landed the #15 spot in our “Best Music Performance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Missouri - Kansas City is $14,643 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Music Performance students.

Read full report on Music Performance at UMKC

#18

Webster University

Saint Louis, Missouri
#17 in overall quality

Webster University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #18. Webster University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Saint Louis, Missouri. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Webster not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #17 on our “Best Music Performance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Webster University is $22,768 for plains states region bachelor’s degree music performance students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Music Performance at Webster

#19

Clarke University

Dubuque, Iowa
#7 in overall quality

Clarke University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region ranking. Clarke University is a small school located in Dubuque, Iowa that handed out 1 bachelors’s music performance degrees in 2019-2020.

Clarke also took the #7 spot in our “Best Music Performance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Clarke University is $34,204 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Music Performance students.

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%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Full Clarke University Music Performance Report

#20

University of Northwestern - St Paul

Saint Paul, Minnesota
#18 in overall quality

University of Northwestern - St Paul did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #20. University of Northwestern - St Paul is a private not-for-profit institution located in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The school has a small population, and it awarded 5 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our plains states region bachelor’s degree music performance students list, Northwestern has also earned the #18 rank in our “Best Music Performance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $21,871 for plains states region bachelor’s degree music performance students per year to attend Northwestern.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Music Performance at Northwestern

#21

Nebraska Wesleyan University

Lincoln, Nebraska
#10 in overall quality

With a ranking of #21, Nebraska Wesleyan University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region list. Nebraska Wesleyan University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Lincoln, Nebraska. It awarded 1 bachelors’s music performance degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at NWU, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Music Performance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend NWU is $23,847 for plains states region bachelor’s degree music performance students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Music Performance at Nebraska Wesleyan University

#22

Concordia College at Moorhead

Moorhead, Minnesota
#2 in overall quality

Concordia College at Moorhead came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in Moorhead, Minnesota, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 5 degrees to qualified bachelors’s music performance students in 2019-2020.

Concordia College Moorhead not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Music Performance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. It costs about $23,029 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Music Performance students per year to attend Concordia College at Moorhead.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Concordia College Moorhead Music Performance Report

#20 in overall quality

Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region ranking. Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota is a private not-for-profit institution located in Winona, Minnesota. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our plains states region bachelor’s degree music performance students list, SMU MN has also earned the #20 rank in our “Best Music Performance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $19,514 for Plains States Region Bachelor’s Degree Music Performance students per year to attend SMU MN.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full SMU MN Music Performance Report

#24

Drake University

Des Moines, Iowa
#5 in overall quality

Drake University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region list. Drake is located in Des Moines, Iowa and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 13 bachelors’s music performance degrees to qualified students.

Drake not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Music Performance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. It costs about $29,432 for plains states region bachelor’s degree music performance students per year to attend Drake University.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. 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%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read more about Music Performance at Drake

#25

St Olaf College

Northfield, Minnesota
#1 in overall quality

With a ranking of #25, St Olaf College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Performance Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Plains States Region list. Northfield, Minnesota is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s music performance degrees to 19 students in 2019-2020.

St. Olaf did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Music Performance Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend St Olaf College is $23,543 for plains states region bachelor’s degree music performance students.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Music Performance at St Olaf College

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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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