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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Music Theory & Composition in California (With Aid)

13 Ranked Colleges
82 Degrees Awarded
$31,800 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Bachelor's in California For Those Getting Aid

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. 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 a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid” 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 California, there were 253 music theory and composition graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 82 music theory and composition graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking looked at 13 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.

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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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 California For Those Getting Aid” 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 by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for california bachelor’s degree music composition students with aid.

Top 13 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Music Theory & Composition in California (With Aid)

#1

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#2 in overall quality

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

UCLA also took the #2 spot in our “Best Music Theory & Composition Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UCLA is $14,279 for California Bachelor’s Degree Music Composition students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The low student loan default rate of 1.0% 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 University of California - Los Angeles Music Theory & Composition Report

#2

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California
#3 in overall quality

Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #2 spot on the list. UCSB is a large public school situated in Santa Barbara, California. It awarded 3 bachelors’s music composition degrees in 2019-2020.

UCSB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Music Theory & Composition Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend UCSB is $15,884 for california bachelor’s degree music composition students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 1.5% 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 University of California - Santa Barbara

#3

University of Redlands

Redlands, California
#8 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Redlands. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid. University of Redlands is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Redlands, California. It awarded 3 bachelors’s music composition degrees in 2019-2020.

University of Redlands also took the #8 spot in our “Best Music Theory & Composition Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Redlands is $27,958 for california bachelor’s degree music composition students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Music Theory & Composition at University of Redlands

#4

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California
#1 in overall quality

Out of the 13 schools in the Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Southern California landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 7 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s music composition students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at USC, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Music Theory & Composition Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $29,528 for California Bachelor’s Degree Music Composition students with aid per year to attend USC.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, 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 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The 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.

Read full report on Music Theory & Composition at University of Southern California

#5

University of the Pacific

Stockton, California
#10 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of the Pacific. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Pacific is a private not-for-profit institution located in Stockton, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Pacific did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Music Theory & Composition Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Pacific is $28,929 for California Bachelor’s Degree Music Composition students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Music Theory & Composition at Pacific

#6

Biola University

La Mirada, California
#9 in overall quality

Biola University landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Biola University is a private not-for-profit institution located in La Mirada, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Biola did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Music Theory & Composition Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Biola is $31,859 for california bachelor’s degree music composition students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Biola Music Theory & Composition Report

#7

Point Loma Nazarene University

San Diego, California
#11 in overall quality

Point Loma Nazarene University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. PLNU is located in San Diego, California and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1 bachelors’s music composition degrees to qualified students.

PLNU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Music Theory & Composition Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for PLNU is $33,044 for california bachelor’s degree music composition students with aid.

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%.

Full Point Loma Nazarene University Music Theory & Composition Report

#8

Academy of Art University

San Francisco, California
#12 in overall quality

With a ranking of #8, Academy of Art University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Academy of Art University is a medium-sized school located in San Francisco, California that handed out 18 bachelors’s music composition degrees in 2019-2020.

Academy of Art University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Music Theory & Composition Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Academy of Art University is $34,145 for California Bachelor’s Degree Music Composition students with aid.

Read more about Music Theory & Composition at Academy of Art University

#9

San Francisco Conservatory of Music

San Francisco, California
#6 in overall quality

San Francisco Conservatory of Music ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. San Francisco Conservatory of Music is a private not-for-profit institution located in San Francisco, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 2 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

SFCM also took the #6 spot in our “Best Music Theory & Composition Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for SFCM is $37,649 for California Bachelor’s Degree Music Composition students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Full SFCM Music Theory & Composition Report

#10

Chapman University

Orange, California
#4 in overall quality

Chapman University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Orange, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s music composition degrees to 5 students in 2019-2020.

Chapman also took the #4 spot in our “Best Music Theory & Composition Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Chapman is $41,350 for California Bachelor’s Degree Music Composition students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Music Theory & Composition at Chapman

#11

Pepperdine University

Malibu, California
#5 in overall quality

With a ranking of #11, Pepperdine University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Pepperdine is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Malibu, California. It awarded 1 bachelors’s music composition degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Pepperdine, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Music Theory & Composition Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Pepperdine University is $36,996 for california bachelor’s degree music composition students with aid.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 1.1% 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 Pepperdine University Music Theory & Composition Report

#12

California Institute of the Arts

Valencia, California
#7 in overall quality

California Institute of the Arts ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. CalArts is located in Valencia, California and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 16 bachelors’s music composition degrees to qualified students.

CalArts not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Music Theory & Composition Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for CalArts is $50,412 for California Bachelor’s Degree Music Composition students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The 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 full report on Music Theory & Composition at California Institute of the Arts

#13

Los Angeles Film School

Hollywood, California
#13 in overall quality

With a ranking of #13, Los Angeles Film School did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Composition Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Los Angeles Film School is a medium-sized school located in Hollywood, California that handed out 6 bachelors’s music composition degrees in 2019-2020.

LA Film School did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Music Theory & Composition Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for Los Angeles Film School is $30,793 for california bachelor’s degree music composition students with aid.

Read more about Music Theory & Composition at Los Angeles Film School

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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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