[Music Performance](/majors/visual-and-performing-arts/music/music-performance/) is a field worth comparing on the balance of cost and outcomes. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.
For its 2027 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 2 schools to find the best return on investment for music performance students.
What’s on this page:
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the music performance degrees they offer, see the list below.
For return on investment in music performance, no school beat New Mexico State University Main Campus this year. Located in the suburb of Las Cruces, New Mexico State University Main Campus is a large public university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $8,183, with out-of-state students paying around $25,307. Students borrow a median of $19,026 to complete the music performance program here. Early-career music performance graduates make about $41,860. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. New Mexico State University Main Campus admits about 89% of applicants.
A rank of #2 makes University Of New Mexico Main Campus one of the best values for music performance. Located in the city of Albuquerque, University Of New Mexico Main Campus is a very large public university. Students from in state pay about $10,140 in tuition and fees, with out-of-state students paying around $33,060. Typical student debt for music performance graduates is $19,738. Early-career music performance graduates make about $49,983. That is a strong return on a $19,738 median debt. The acceptance rate is 95%.
More Music Performance Rankings
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Notes and References
This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2027 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 2 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 2 ranked schools only.
- 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.
