2023 Best Value Music Composition Schools For Those Making $0-$30k
109
Ranked Colleges
1,175
Degrees Awarded
$8,000
Avg Net Price*
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Music Composition Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.
In 2020-2021, 1,175 people earned their degree in music theory and composition, making the major the 390th most popular in the United States.
This year’s “Best Value Music Composition Schools For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 109 colleges that offered a degree in music theory and composition. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality music theory and composition programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the music theory and composition program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
One Size Does Not Fit All
The music composition school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Music Composition Schools For Those Making $0-$30k”.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
Best Value Music Composition Schools For Those Making $0-$30k
The colleges and universities below are the best for music composition students whose families make $0-$30k.
Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Music Theory & Composition (Income $0-$30k)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Music Composition Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Northwestern is a large school located in Evanston, Illinois that handed out 6 ’s music composition degrees in 2020-2021.
Northwestern also took the #1 spot in our “Best Music Theory & Composition Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Northwestern is $245 for Music Composition students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Full Northwestern Music Theory & Composition Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Yale University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Music Composition Schools For Those Making $0-$30k. Yale is located in New Haven, Connecticut and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 4 ’s music composition degrees to qualified students.
Yale not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Music Theory & Composition Schools” list. It costs about $961 for Music Composition students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Yale University.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read more about Music Theory & Composition at Yale
Out of the 109 schools in the Best Value Music Composition Schools For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Vanderbilt University landed the #3 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Nashville, Tennessee, and it awarded 3 ’s music composition degrees in 2020-2021.
Vanderbilt also made our “Best Music Theory & Composition Schools” list, coming in at #4. The yearly cost to attend Vanderbilt University is $3,176 for music composition students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Music Theory & Composition at Vanderbilt
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Music Composition Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and it awarded 13 ’s music composition degrees in 2020-2021.
U-M also made our “Best Music Theory & Composition Schools” list, coming in at #5. It costs about $2,670 for music composition students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Music Theory & Composition Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Johns Hopkins University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Music Composition Schools For Those Making $0-$30k. Baltimore, Maryland is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s music composition degrees to 21 students in 2020-2021.
Johns Hopkins also took the #7 spot in our “Best Music Theory & Composition Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Johns Hopkins University is $2,084 for music composition students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.
Read more about Music Theory & Composition at Johns Hopkins University
With a ranking of #6, Rice University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Music Composition Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Rice University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Houston, Texas. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 2 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our music composition students whose families make $0-$30k list, Rice has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Music Theory & Composition Schools” ranking. It costs about $4,443 for music composition students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Rice.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Full Rice University Music Theory & Composition Report
Michigan State University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Music Composition Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. East Lansing, Michigan is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s music composition degrees to 22 students in 2020-2021.
Michigan State also made our “Best Music Theory & Composition Schools” list, coming in at #8. It costs about $6,927 for music composition students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Michigan State.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Music Theory & Composition at Michigan State
With a ranking of #8, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Music Composition Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. UIUC is a public institution located in Champaign, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 2 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our music composition students whose families make $0-$30k list, UIUC has also earned the #24 rank in our “Best Music Theory & Composition Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UIUC is $4,858 for music composition students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read full report on Music Theory & Composition at UIUC
Florida State University landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Best Value Music Composition Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Tallahassee, Florida is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s music composition degrees to 14 students in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend Florida State University is $4,950 for music composition students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full Florida State Music Theory & Composition Report
Brooklyn College landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Best Value Music Composition Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Brooklyn, New York, this fairly large public school handed out 26 diplomas to qualified ’s music composition students in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for Brooklyn College is $1,547 for music composition students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Music Theory & Composition at Brooklyn College
Oberlin College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Music Composition Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #11. Oberlin College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Oberlin, Ohio. The school has a small population, and it awarded 2 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Oberlin also made our “Best Music Theory & Composition Schools” list, coming in at #10. The yearly cost to attend Oberlin is $8,756 for Music Composition students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Music Theory & Composition at Oberlin
University of California - Los Angeles did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Music Composition Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #12. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s music composition degrees to 2 students in 2020-2021.
UCLA also made our “Best Music Theory & Composition Schools” list, coming in at #15. The yearly cost to attend UCLA is $9,037 for Music Composition students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full UCLA Music Theory & Composition Report
Columbia University in the City of New York ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Music Composition Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. New York, New York is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s music composition degrees to 6 students in 2020-2021.
Columbia did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Music Theory & Composition Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Columbia is $9,873 for music composition students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full Columbia Music Theory & Composition Report
University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Best Value Music Composition Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Seattle, Washington, and it awarded 5 ’s music composition degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $5,194 for music composition students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.1% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Full University of Washington - Seattle Campus Music Theory & Composition Report
University of Georgia came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Composition Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Georgia is a public institution located in Athens, Georgia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 3 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for UGA is $8,303 for Music Composition students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Music Theory & Composition at UGA
With a ranking of #16, Carnegie Mellon University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Music Composition Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. This fairly large school is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 4 ’s music composition degrees in 2020-2021.
Carnegie Mellon also made our “Best Music Theory & Composition Schools” list, coming in at #6. The estimated yearly cost for Carnegie Mellon University is $16,456 for Music Composition students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read more about Music Theory & Composition at Carnegie Mellon University
The University of Texas at Austin came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Composition Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UT Austin is a large school located in Austin, Texas that handed out 2 ’s music composition degrees in 2020-2021.
UT Austin also made our “Best Music Theory & Composition Schools” list, coming in at #13. It costs about $13,753 for music composition students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UT Austin.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Music Theory & Composition at The University of Texas at Austin
University of North Texas did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Music Composition Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #18. UNT is a large school located in Denton, Texas that handed out 9 ’s music composition degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for University of North Texas is $6,387 for Music Composition students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
Read more about Music Theory & Composition at University of North Texas
Converse College ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Music Composition Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Converse College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Spartanburg, South Carolina. It awarded 1 ’s music composition degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for Converse College is $20,672 for music composition students whose families make $0-$30k.
Full Converse College Music Theory & Composition Report
With a ranking of #20, Brigham Young University - Provo did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Music Composition Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. BYU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Provo, Utah. The school has a large population, and it awarded 5 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $9,445 for music composition students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend BYU.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%.
Full BYU Music Theory & Composition Report
Boston University ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Music Composition Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Boston University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Boston, Massachusetts. The school has a large population, and it awarded 12 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Boston U did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Music Theory & Composition Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Boston U is $12,982 for Music Composition students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Full Boston University Music Theory & Composition Report
University of Southern California ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Music Composition Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Southern California is a private not-for-profit institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 12 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
USC also took the #3 spot in our “Best Music Theory & Composition Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Southern California is $17,287 for music composition students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full USC Music Theory & Composition Report
Ohio State University - Main Campus came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Composition Schools For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Ohio State University - Main Campus is a large school located in Columbus, Ohio that handed out 2 ’s music composition degrees in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend Ohio State is $7,068 for music composition students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Music Theory & Composition at Ohio State University - Main Campus
Arizona State University - Tempe ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Music Composition Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Tempe, Arizona, this large public school handed out 7 degrees to qualified ’s music composition students in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend ASU - Tempe is $8,969 for music composition students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full ASU - Tempe Music Theory & Composition Report
With a ranking of #25, University of Rochester did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Music Composition Schools For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Rochester is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Rochester, New York. It awarded 11 ’s music composition degrees in 2020-2021.
University of Rochester also made our “Best Music Theory & Composition Schools” list, coming in at #9. The estimated yearly cost for University of Rochester is $12,915 for Music Composition students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Music Theory & Composition at University of Rochester
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