Music Performance is a field worth a close look when choosing where to study. A focused field like this rewards careful comparison of the schools that offer it.
To produce this 2027 ranking, College Factual evaluated 5 schools to find the best for music performance students.
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If you are not interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the music performance degrees they offer, see the list below.
Our analysis ranked Boston University the best school in the country for a degree in music performance. Boston University is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Boston. The six-year graduation rate is 89%. Boston University awarded about 119 music performance degrees in the most recent data year. Graduates of the music performance program make about $30,982 in their early career. Boston University graduates carry a median of $26,957 in student loans.
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Students looking for a strong music performance program will find one at University Of Massachusetts Amherst, which ranked #2. University Of Massachusetts Amherst is a very large public school located in the city of Amherst. Roughly 83% of students complete a degree within six years here. University Of Massachusetts Amherst awarded about 18 music performance degrees in the most recent data year. Music Performance graduates of University Of Massachusetts Amherst earn a median of $30,429 early in their careers. University Of Massachusetts Amherst graduates carry a median of $27,000 in student loans.
Read more about the music performance program at University Of Massachusetts Amherst
Longy School Of Music Of Bard College came in at #3 on our 2027 list of the best music performance schools. This small private not-for-profit university is located in the city of Cambridge. There were roughly 14 music performance students who graduated with this degree at Longy School Of Music Of Bard College in the most recent data year. Music Performance graduates of Longy School Of Music Of Bard College earn a median of $30,660 early in their careers.
See the full music performance program report for Longy School Of Music Of Bard College
A rank of #4 makes Berklee College Of Music one of the top schools for music performance. This moderately-sized private not-for-profit university is located in the city of Boston. Roughly 67% of students complete a degree within six years here. About 371 music performance degrees were awarded at Berklee College Of Music in the most recent year. Music Performance graduates of Berklee College Of Music earn a median of $21,670 early in their careers. Berklee College Of Music graduates carry a median of $24,979 in student loans.
Read more about the music performance program at Berklee College Of Music
Students looking for a strong music performance program will find one at The New England Conservatory Of Music, which ranked #5. Located in the city of Boston, The New England Conservatory Of Music is a small private not-for-profit university. About 73% of students finish within six years. The New England Conservatory Of Music awarded about 13 music performance degrees in the most recent data year. Music Performance graduates of The New England Conservatory Of Music earn a median of $24,499 early in their careers. Students borrow a median of $26,991 to complete this degree.
Get the full music performance details for The New England Conservatory Of Music
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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 · 5 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.
