2023 Best Value Music Composition Schools in the Far Western US Region
17
Ranked Colleges
375
Degrees Awarded
$26,200
Avg Net Price*
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Music Composition Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
Music Theory & Composition is the 390th most popular major in the country with 1,175 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.
Across the Far Western US region, there were 375 music theory and composition graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Music Composition Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking looked at 17 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in music theory and composition. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great music theory and composition programs and cost less that 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.
More Ways to Rank Music Theory & Composition Schools
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 in the Far Western US Region” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that 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. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
Best Value Music Composition Schools in the Far Western US Region
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Music Composition Schools in the Far Western US Region.
Top 17 Best Value Colleges for Music Theory & Composition in the Far Western US Region
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Central Washington University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Music Composition Schools in the Far Western US Region list. This fairly large school is located in Ellensburg, Washington, and it awarded 5 ’s music composition degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at CWU, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Music Theory & Composition Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Central Washington University is $16,514 for far western us region music composition students.
Read full report on Music Theory & Composition at Central Washington University
Out of the 17 schools in the Best Value Music Composition Schools in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Western Washington University landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Bellingham, Washington, this fairly large public school awarded 4 diplomas to qualified ’s music composition students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our far western us region music composition students list, WWU has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Music Theory & Composition Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $17,070 for Far Western US Region Music Composition students per year to attend WWU.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% 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%.
Read more about Music Theory & Composition at WWU
Out of the 17 schools in the Best Value Music Composition Schools in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Washington State University landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Pullman, Washington, this large public school awarded 4 diplomas to qualified ’s music composition students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Wazzu, the school also landed the #15 spot in our “Best Music Theory & Composition Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Wazzu is $15,300 for far western us region music composition students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Music Theory & Composition at Wazzu
Out of the 17 schools in the Best Value Music Composition Schools in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Seattle, Washington, this large public school handed out 5 diplomas to qualified ’s music composition students in 2020-2021.
UW Seattle also took the #3 spot in our “Best Music Theory & Composition Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $12,017 for far western us region music composition students per year to attend UW Seattle.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.
Read full report on Music Theory & Composition at University of Washington - Seattle Campus
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Oregon. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Music Composition Schools in the Far Western US Region. This large school is located in Eugene, Oregon, and it awarded 9 ’s music composition degrees in 2020-2021.
UO did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Music Theory & Composition Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $18,047 for far western us region music composition students per year to attend UO.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Music Theory & Composition at UO
Portland State University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Composition Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. This large school is located in Portland, Oregon, and it awarded 3 ’s music composition degrees in 2020-2021.
Portland State University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best Music Theory & Composition Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Portland State University is $12,498 for Far Western US Region Music Composition students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Music Theory & Composition at Portland State University
University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Music Composition Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #7. Located in Santa Cruz, California, this fairly large public school awarded 2 diplomas to qualified ’s music composition students in 2020-2021.
UC Santa Cruz also made our “Best Music Theory & Composition Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #14. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Santa Cruz is $17,930 for Far Western US Region Music Composition students.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
Read more about Music Theory & Composition at UC Santa Cruz
Academy of Art University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Music Composition Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Academy of Art University is a medium-sized private for-profit school situated in San Francisco, California. It awarded 32 ’s music composition degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Academy of Art University, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best Music Theory & Composition Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Academy of Art University is $36,143 for far western us region music composition students.
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 full report on Music Theory & Composition at Academy of Art University
University of California - Los Angeles came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Composition Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. UCLA is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 2 ’s music composition degrees in 2020-2021.
UCLA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Music Theory & Composition Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $15,023 for far western us region music composition students per year to attend UCLA.
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%.
Read more about Music Theory & Composition at University of California - Los Angeles
Biola University landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Best Value Music Composition Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. 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.
In addition to being on our far western us region music composition students list, Biola has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Music Theory & Composition Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $33,269 for far western us region music composition students per year to attend Biola University.
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 University
University of Redlands ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Music Composition Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Redlands, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s music composition degrees to 3 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our far western us region music composition students list, University of Redlands has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Music Theory & Composition Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Redlands is $26,098 for far western us region music composition students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Music Theory & Composition at University of Redlands
University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Best Value Music Composition Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. UCSB is located in Santa Barbara, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 7 ’s music composition degrees to qualified students.
UCSB also took the #7 spot in our “Best Music Theory & Composition Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $16,252 for Far Western US Region Music Composition students per year to attend UCSB.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
Full UCSB Music Theory & Composition Report
California Institute of the Arts landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Best Value Music Composition Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. California Institute of the Arts is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Valencia, California. It awarded 32 ’s music composition degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at CalArts, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Music Theory & Composition Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for CalArts is $56,876 for Far Western US Region Music Composition students.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.5% 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%.
Full CalArts Music Theory & Composition Report
San Francisco Conservatory of Music came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Composition Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. San Francisco Conservatory of Music is a small school located in San Francisco, California that handed out 5 ’s music composition degrees in 2020-2021.
SFCM also made our “Best Music Theory & Composition Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #5. The estimated yearly cost for San Francisco Conservatory of Music is $39,165 for far western us region music composition students.
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 SFCM
With a ranking of #15, Lewis & Clark College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Music Composition Schools in the Far Western US Region list. This small school is located in Portland, Oregon, and it awarded 9 ’s music composition degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Lewis and Clark College, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Music Theory & Composition Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Lewis and Clark College is $36,638 for far western us region music composition students.
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%.
Full Lewis & Clark College Music Theory & Composition Report
Chapman University ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Music Composition Schools in the Far Western US Region list. This medium-sized school is located in Orange, California, and it awarded 2 ’s music composition degrees in 2020-2021.
Chapman also made our “Best Music Theory & Composition Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #4. It costs about $44,198 for Far Western US Region Music Composition students per year to attend Chapman.
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 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%.
Read full report on Music Theory & Composition at Chapman University
University of Southern California did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Music Composition Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #17. University of Southern California is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 12 ’s music composition degrees in 2020-2021.
USC also took the #1 spot in our “Best Music Theory & Composition Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $32,569 for Far Western US Region Music Composition students per year to attend University of Southern California.
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 school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read more about Music Theory & Composition at USC
Focus on a Specific Degree Level
Switch to a More General Major
Switch to a Similar Major
Switch to a Different Ranking Method
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
- *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.
college factual
