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2022 Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

9 Ranked Colleges
23 Degrees Awarded
$16,800 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Bachelor's in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

In 2019-2020, 1,117 people earned their degree in music theory and composition, making the major the 415th most popular in the United States.

Across Illinois, there were 27 music theory and composition graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 23 music theory and composition graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,319 and $24,183 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 9 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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois bachelor’s degree music composition students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 9 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Music Theory & Composition (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois
#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Northwestern is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Evanston, Illinois. It awarded 7 bachelors’s music composition degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Northwestern, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Music Theory & Composition Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Northwestern University is $1,866 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Music Composition students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, 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 97%. The impressive 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.

Read more about Music Theory & Composition at Northwestern

#3 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is located in Champaign, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1 bachelors’s music composition degrees to qualified students.

UIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Music Theory & Composition Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $5,477 for illinois bachelor’s degree music composition students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UIUC.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, 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 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

#3

Wheaton College Illinois

Wheaton, Illinois
#2 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Wheaton College Illinois. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. This small school is located in Wheaton, Illinois, and it awarded 2 bachelors’s music composition degrees in 2019-2020.

Wheaton College Illinois not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Music Theory & Composition Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Wheaton College Illinois is $18,440 for illinois bachelor’s degree music composition students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The 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.

Read more about Music Theory & Composition at Wheaton College Illinois

#4

Elmhurst University

Elmhurst, Illinois
#6 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Elmhurst University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Elmhurst University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Elmhurst, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Elmhurst, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Music Theory & Composition Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Elmhurst is $16,903 for illinois bachelor’s degree music composition students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Music Theory & Composition at Elmhurst

#5

Olivet Nazarene University

Bourbonnais, Illinois
#5 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Olivet Nazarene University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. Located in Bourbonnais, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 2 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s music composition students in 2019-2020.

Olivet Nazarene not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Music Theory & Composition Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $15,806 for illinois bachelor’s degree music composition students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Olivet Nazarene University.

The low student loan default rate of 3.4% 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%.

Read full report on Music Theory & Composition at Olivet Nazarene

#6

Illinois Wesleyan University

Bloomington, Illinois
#4 in overall quality

Illinois Wesleyan University landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Bloomington, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 2 degrees to qualified bachelors’s music composition students in 2019-2020.

Illinois Wesleyan also made our “Best Music Theory & Composition Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #4. It costs about $18,570 for illinois bachelor’s degree music composition students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Illinois Wesleyan.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low 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%.

Read full report on Music Theory & Composition at Illinois Wesleyan

#7

Columbia College Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
#8 in overall quality

Columbia College Chicago ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Columbia College Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 4 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Columbia did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Music Theory & Composition Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $27,120 for illinois bachelor’s degree music composition students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Columbia.

Read more about Music Theory & Composition at Columbia

#8

Roosevelt University

Chicago, Illinois
#9 in overall quality

Roosevelt University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 1 degrees to qualified bachelors’s music composition students in 2019-2020.

Roosevelt not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Music Theory & Composition Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $20,398 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Music Composition students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Roosevelt.

Read more about Music Theory & Composition at Roosevelt University

#9

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois
#7 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, DePaul University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. DePaul is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 1 bachelors’s music composition degrees in 2019-2020.

DePaul not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Music Theory & Composition Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $26,173 for illinois bachelor’s degree music composition students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend DePaul University.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Music Theory & Composition at DePaul University

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Notes and References

References

  • 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).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

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