Music Performance degree programs prepare students for a range of careers in the field. While the number of schools offering the program varies, there are still top-quality ones to be found.
To produce this 2027 ranking, College Factual evaluated 13 schools to find the best for music performance students.
What’s on this page:
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest overall music performance education in New York.
Leading the list is New York University, our #1 school for music performance. Set in the city of New York, New York University is a very large private not-for-profit institution. Roughly 88% of students complete a degree within six years here. About 155 music performance degrees were awarded at New York University in the most recent year. Music Performance graduates of New York University earn a median of $28,287 early in their careers. Students borrow a median of $25,000 to complete this degree.
Read more about the music performance program at New York University
A rank of #2 makes Bard College one of the top schools for music performance. Bard College is a mid-sized private not-for-profit school located in the rural area of Annandale-On-Hudson. Roughly 68% of students complete a degree within six years here. About 55 music performance degrees were awarded at Bard College in the most recent year. Students who receive their music performance degree from Bard College earn around $30,660 in the first couple years of their career. Typical student debt for the program is $26,402.
Get the full music performance details for Bard College
Students looking for a strong music performance program will find one at Ithaca College, which ranked #3. Ithaca College is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Ithaca. Roughly 76% of students complete a degree within six years here. There were roughly 24 music performance students who graduated with this degree at Ithaca College in the most recent data year. Graduates of the music performance program make about $23,119 in their early career. Ithaca College graduates carry a median of $27,000 in student loans.
Read more about the music performance program at Ithaca College
Students looking for a strong music performance program will find one at Cuny Hunter College, which ranked #4. Set in the city of New York, Cuny Hunter College is a very large public institution. The six-year graduation rate is 57%. Cuny Hunter College awarded about 14 music performance degrees in the most recent data year. Students who receive their music performance degree from Cuny Hunter College earn around $33,384 in the first couple years of their career. Cuny Hunter College graduates carry a median of $11,091 in student loans.
Get the full music performance details for Cuny Hunter College
A rank of #5 makes Stony Brook University one of the top schools for music performance. Located in the suburb of Stony Brook, Stony Brook University is a very large public university. The six-year graduation rate is 76%. About 46 music performance degrees were awarded at Stony Brook University in the most recent year. Graduates of the music performance program make about $34,264 in their early career. Typical student debt for the program is $20,537.
More information about a degree in music performance from Stony Brook University
The New School placed #6 among the best music performance schools. The New School is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of New York. Roughly 70% of students complete a degree within six years here. About 77 music performance degrees were awarded at The New School in the most recent year. Students who receive their music performance degree from The New School earn around $15,510 in the first couple years of their career. Typical student debt for the program is $24,000.
More information about a degree in music performance from The New School
Suny At Fredonia earned the #7 position for music performance this year. This mid-sized public university is located in the town of Fredonia. Suny At Fredonia graduates 50% of students within six years. Suny At Fredonia awarded about 35 music performance degrees in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, music performance degree recipients from Suny At Fredonia generally make around $35,849. Typical student debt for the program is $27,000.
Read more about the music performance program at Suny At Fredonia
University Of Rochester earned the #8 position for music performance this year. University Of Rochester is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Rochester. Roughly 85% of students complete a degree within six years here. University Of Rochester awarded about 166 music performance degrees in the most recent data year. Graduates of the music performance program make about $27,409 in their early career. Typical student debt for the program is $26,769.
Read more about the music performance program at University Of Rochester
Cuny Laguardia Community College placed #9 among the best music performance schools. This large public university is located in the city of Long Island City. About 10 music performance degrees were awarded at Cuny Laguardia Community College in the most recent year. Soon after graduation, music performance degree recipients from Cuny Laguardia Community College generally make around $31,437. Typical student debt for the program is $8,858.
See the full music performance program report for Cuny Laguardia Community College
Suny At Purchase College landed the #10 spot for music performance this year. Suny At Purchase College is a mid-sized public school located in the suburb of Purchase. Suny At Purchase College graduates 63% of students within six years. Suny At Purchase College awarded about 15 music performance degrees in the most recent data year. Graduates of the music performance program make about $22,569 in their early career. Typical student debt for the program is $22,179.
See the full music performance program report for Suny At Purchase College
Cuny Queens College ranked #11 on our 2027 list of the best music performance schools. This large public university is located in the city of Queens. The six-year graduation rate is 53%. Cuny Queens College awarded about 25 music performance degrees in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, music performance degree recipients from Cuny Queens College generally make around $27,902. Typical student debt for the program is $12,157.
Read more about the music performance program at Cuny Queens College
Onondaga Community College earned the #12 position for music performance this year. This large public university is located in the suburb of Syracuse. About 12 music performance degrees were awarded at Onondaga Community College in the most recent year. Soon after graduation, music performance degree recipients from Onondaga Community College generally make around $35,781. Typical student debt for the program is $12,000.
More information about a degree in music performance from Onondaga Community College
Five Towns College came in at #13 for music performance this year. Set in the suburb of Dix Hills, Five Towns College is a small private for-profit institution. The six-year graduation rate is 55%. There were roughly 15 music performance students who graduated with this degree at Five Towns College in the most recent data year. Students who receive their music performance degree from Five Towns College earn around $25,315 in the first couple years of their career. Five Towns College graduates carry a median of $27,750 in student loans.
More information about a degree in music performance from Five Towns College
More Music Performance Rankings
View All Music Performance Rankings >
Notes and References
This list is compiled by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2027 edition. The methodology weighs graduation rate, post-graduation earnings, cost, and program quality, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Top Ranked · 13 schools evaluated.
- 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.
