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2022 Best Value Colleges for Music Theory & Composition (Income $30-$48k) in Illinois

9 Ranked Colleges
27 Degrees Awarded
$17,300 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Music Composition Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. 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 in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

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.

This year’s “Best Value Music Composition Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking looked at 9 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the music theory and composition program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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 in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k”.

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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Music Composition Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Music Composition Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k.

Top 9 Best Value Colleges for Music Theory & Composition (Income $30-$48k) in Illinois

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northwestern University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Music Composition Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k. Located in Evanston, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 8 diplomas to qualified ’s music composition students in 2019-2020.

Northwestern also took the #1 spot in our “Best Music Theory & Composition Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Northwestern is $3,995 for Illinois Music Composition students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. 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%.

Read full report on Music Theory & Composition at Northwestern University

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 in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k. Located in Champaign, Illinois, this large public school awarded 1 degrees to qualified ’s music composition students in 2019-2020.

UIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Music Theory & Composition Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for UIUC is $8,464 for Illinois Music Composition students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Music Theory & Composition at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

#3

Wheaton College Illinois

Wheaton, Illinois

Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Music Composition Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Wheaton College Illinois landed the #3 spot on the list. Wheaton College Illinois is a small school located in Wheaton, Illinois that handed out 2 ’s music composition degrees in 2019-2020.

Wheaton College Illinois also made our “Best Music Theory & Composition Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #2. The estimated yearly cost for Wheaton College Illinois is $16,212 for Illinois Music Composition students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full Wheaton College Illinois Music Theory & Composition Report

#4

Olivet Nazarene University

Bourbonnais, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Olivet Nazarene University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Music Composition Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k. Bourbonnais, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s music composition degrees to 2 students in 2019-2020.

Olivet Nazarene also took the #5 spot in our “Best Music Theory & Composition Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Olivet Nazarene is $15,390 for illinois music composition students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 more about Music Theory & Composition at Olivet Nazarene University

#5

Elmhurst University

Elmhurst, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Elmhurst University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Music Composition Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. Elmhurst is located in Elmhurst, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 3 ’s music composition degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our illinois music composition students whose families make $30-$48k list, Elmhurst has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Music Theory & Composition Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Elmhurst University is $17,837 for illinois music composition students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low student loan default rate of 3.0% 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 Elmhurst Music Theory & Composition Report

#6

Illinois Wesleyan University

Bloomington, Illinois

Illinois Wesleyan University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Composition Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #6. Illinois Wesleyan is a private not-for-profit institution located in Bloomington, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 2 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Illinois Wesleyan also made our “Best Music Theory & Composition Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #4. It costs about $19,857 for illinois music composition students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Illinois Wesleyan University.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Illinois Wesleyan University Music Theory & Composition Report

#7

Roosevelt University

Chicago, Illinois

Roosevelt University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Composition Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #7. Roosevelt is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 3 ’s music composition degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our illinois music composition students whose families make $30-$48k list, Roosevelt has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Music Theory & Composition Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $20,330 for illinois music composition students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Roosevelt.

Read full report on Music Theory & Composition at Roosevelt University

#8

Columbia College Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

With a ranking of #8, Columbia College Chicago did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Composition Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s music composition degrees to 4 students in 2019-2020.

Columbia also made our “Best Music Theory & Composition Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #8. It costs about $27,397 for illinois music composition students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Columbia College Chicago.

Read full report on Music Theory & Composition at Columbia

#9

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois

DePaul University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Music Composition Schools in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s music composition degrees to 2 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at DePaul, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Music Theory & Composition Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $25,842 for Illinois Music Composition students whose families make $30-$48k 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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