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2023 Best Value Colleges for Music Theory & Composition in California (With Aid)

11 Ranked Colleges
328 Degrees Awarded
$31,800 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Music Composition Schools in California For Those Getting Aid

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 in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking - to help you make that decision.

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.

Across California, there were 328 music theory and composition graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Music Composition Schools in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 11 colleges that offered a degree in music theory and composition. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent music theory and composition programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the music theory and composition program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Music Composition Schools in California For Those Getting Aid” list to help you make the college decision.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. 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 in California For Those Getting Aid

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

Top 11 Best Value Colleges for Music Theory & Composition in California (With Aid)

1

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Music Composition Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school awarded 2 degrees to qualified ’s music composition students in 2020-2021.

UCLA also made our “Best Music Theory & Composition Schools in California” list, coming in at #2. The estimated yearly cost for UCLA is $15,023 for California 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 undergrad student loan default rate of 1.6% 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%.

Full University of California - Los Angeles Music Theory & Composition Report

2

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Santa Barbara. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Music Composition Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. Santa Barbara, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s music composition degrees to 7 students in 2020-2021.

UCSB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Music Theory & Composition Schools in California” list. It costs about $16,252 for california music composition students with aid per year to attend University of California - Santa Barbara.

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 low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% 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 UCSB

3

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Music Composition Schools in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Santa Cruz landed the #3 spot on the list. Santa Cruz, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s music composition degrees to 2 students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california music composition students with aid list, UC Santa Cruz has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Music Theory & Composition Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $17,930 for California Music Composition students with aid per year to attend UC Santa Cruz.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, 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 85%.

Read full report on Music Theory & Composition at UC Santa Cruz

4
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Southern California. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Music Composition Schools in California For Those Getting Aid. USC is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 12 ’s music composition degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at USC, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Music Theory & Composition Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $32,569 for California Music Composition students with aid per year to attend USC.

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. 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 91%.

Read full report on Music Theory & Composition at USC

5
University of Redlands crest
University of Redlands
Redlands, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Redlands. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Music Composition Schools in California For Those Getting Aid. Located in Redlands, California, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 3 degrees to qualified ’s music composition students in 2020-2021.

University of Redlands also took the #6 spot in our “Best Music Theory & Composition Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Redlands is $26,098 for california music composition students with aid.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.6% 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%.

Full University of Redlands Music Theory & Composition Report

6
Biola crest
Biola University
La Mirada, California

Biola University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Music Composition Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #6. Located in La Mirada, California, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 4 degrees to qualified ’s music composition students in 2020-2021.

Biola also took the #8 spot in our “Best Music Theory & Composition Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $33,269 for california music composition students with aid per year to attend Biola.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Music Theory & Composition at Biola

7
Academy of Art University crest
Academy of Art University
San Francisco, California

Academy of Art University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Music Composition Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. Academy of Art University is a private for-profit institution located in San Francisco, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 32 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california music composition students with aid list, Academy of Art University has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Music Theory & Composition Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Academy of Art University is $36,143 for California Music Composition students with aid.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 5.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

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

8
SFCM crest
San Francisco Conservatory of Music
San Francisco, California

With a ranking of #8, San Francisco Conservatory of Music did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Music Composition Schools 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 5 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california music composition students with aid list, SFCM has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Music Theory & Composition Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for SFCM is $39,165 for california music composition students with aid.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.1% 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%. The impressive undergraduate 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.

Read more about Music Theory & Composition at San Francisco Conservatory of Music

9
Chapman crest
Chapman University
Orange, California

Chapman University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Composition Schools in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Chapman is located in Orange, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 2 ’s music composition degrees to qualified students.

Chapman also made our “Best Music Theory & Composition Schools in California” list, coming in at #3. The yearly cost to attend Chapman is $44,198 for california music composition students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Music Theory & Composition at Chapman University

10

California Institute of the Arts ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Music Composition Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. CalArts is a private not-for-profit institution located in Valencia, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 32 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

CalArts did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Music Theory & Composition Schools in California” list. It costs about $56,876 for California Music Composition students with aid per year to attend CalArts.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full California Institute of the Arts Music Theory & Composition Report

11
LA Film School crest
Los Angeles Film School
Hollywood, California

With a ranking of #11, Los Angeles Film School did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Music Composition Schools in California For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Hollywood, California, this medium-sized private for-profit school awarded 181 degrees to qualified ’s music composition students in 2020-2021.

LA Film School also took the #11 spot in our “Best Music Theory & Composition Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $32,723 for California Music Composition students with aid per year to attend LA Film School.

Read more about Music Theory & Composition at LA Film School

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