[Music Performance](/majors/visual-and-performing-arts/music/music-performance/) is a field worth comparing on the balance of cost and outcomes. The schools below stand out for delivering a strong music performance education at a price that pays off.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 10 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes 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 Wichita State University this year. Set in the city of Wichita, Wichita State University is a large public institution. Students from in state pay about $9,684 in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay about $19,869. Music Performance graduates carry a median of $24,262 in student loans. Music Performance graduates of Wichita State University earn a median of $49,278 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 94% of applicants are accepted.
More Music Performance Rankings
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 10 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 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.
