[Music Performance](/majors/visual-and-performing-arts/music/music-performance/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. The schools below stand out for delivering a strong music performance education at a price that pays off.
To produce this 2027 ranking, College Factual evaluated 4 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes for music performance students.
What’s on this page:
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in music performance, balancing cost against outcomes.
Leading the list is University Of Minnesota Duluth, our #1 best value for music performance in Minnesota. Located in the city of Duluth, University Of Minnesota Duluth is a moderately-sized public university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $14,608, compared with $20,134 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for music performance graduates is $24,427. Early-career music performance graduates make about $31,780. Set against $24,427 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 89% of applicants are accepted.
St Olaf College is a great value for students pursuing a degree in music performance, landing the #2 spot this year. Set in the town of Northfield, St Olaf College is a mid-sized private not-for-profit institution. In-state tuition and fees average $59,760. Students borrow a median of $23,750 to complete the music performance program here. Soon after graduation, music performance degree recipients from St Olaf College generally make around $24,732. Set against $23,750 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 48%.
Concordia College At Moorhead is a great value for students pursuing a degree in music performance, landing the #3 spot this year. Located in the suburb of Moorhead, Concordia College At Moorhead is a mid-sized private not-for-profit university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $31,170. Students borrow a median of $27,000 to complete the music performance program here. Soon after graduation, music performance degree recipients from Concordia College At Moorhead generally make around $44,611. That is a strong return on a $27,000 median debt. Concordia College At Moorhead admits about 63% of applicants.
Students looking for strong value in music performance will find it at University Of St Thomas Minnesota, which ranked #4. University Of St Thomas Minnesota is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Saint Paul. In-state tuition and fees average $54,398. Music Performance graduates carry a median of $23,923 in student loans. Soon after graduation, music performance degree recipients from University Of St Thomas Minnesota generally make around $65,183. Set against $23,923 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 85% of applicants are accepted.
More Music Performance Rankings
View All Music Performance Rankings >
Notes and References
The ranking above is published 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 · 4 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 4 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.
