2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
In 2019-2020, 27,047 people earned their degree in music, making the major the 40th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, music graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $25,639 and had an average of $28,653 in loans still to pay off.
Across California, there were 3,681 music graduates with average earnings and debt of $20,710 and $32,646 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,553 music graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 54 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in music. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great music programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the music 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.
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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 Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college decision.
We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most 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 Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Music (Income $0-$30k) in California
Out of the 54 schools in the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Stanford University landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Stanford, California, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 8 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s music students in 2019-2020.
Stanford also made our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #1. The estimated yearly cost for Stanford University is $-1,387 for California Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $0-$30k. The negative number means the student will receive more financial aid on average than it costs to attend the school.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The low student loan default rate of 0.5% 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%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Los Angeles. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. California State University - Los Angeles is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 28 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Los Angeles is $1,379 for California Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of California - Berkeley is a large public school situated in Berkeley, California. It awarded 33 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Berkeley, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $8,392 for California Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of California - Berkeley.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of California - Los Angeles is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 67 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCLA, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UCLA is $8,553 for California Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Irvine. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k. UC Irvine is a large public school situated in Irvine, California. It awarded 16 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
UC Irvine also made our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #12. The yearly cost to attend UC Irvine is $9,558 for California Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. 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%.
California State University - Fullerton came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Cal State Fullerton is a public institution located in Fullerton, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 67 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Cal State Fullerton also took the #25 spot in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Fullerton is $4,291 for california bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $0-$30k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read more about Music at California State University - Fullerton
California State University - Fresno came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Fresno State is a large school located in Fresno, California that handed out 28 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Fresno State is $3,264 for California Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $0-$30k.
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 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Music at California State University - Fresno
California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is a large school located in San Luis Obispo, California that handed out 11 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also made our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #2. The estimated yearly cost for Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is $12,475 for California Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Music at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo
With a ranking of #9, California State University - Northridge did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. California State University - Northridge is a public institution located in Northridge, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 125 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
CSUN also made our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #21. It costs about $5,945 for california bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State University - Northridge.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Music at California State University - Northridge
California State University - Long Beach ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. CSULB is a large school located in Long Beach, California that handed out 113 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
CSULB also made our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #24. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Long Beach is $6,364 for California Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.
Read more about Music at California State University - Long Beach
California State University - Dominguez Hills landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Carson, California, this fairly large public school awarded 15 degrees to qualified bachelors’s music students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for CSUDH is $2,455 for California Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low student loan default rate of 2.6% 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%.
San Diego State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #12. SDSU is a large school located in San Diego, California that handed out 63 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
SDSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #22 on our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend SDSU is $8,870 for California Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, 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 89%.
University of California - Santa Barbara came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UCSB is a public institution located in Santa Barbara, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 32 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
UCSB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $10,316 for California Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of California - Santa Barbara.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.
Read more about Music at University of California - Santa Barbara
University of California - Riverside ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of California - Riverside is located in Riverside, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 23 bachelors’s music degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for UCR is $8,366 for california bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $0-$30k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
University of California - Davis came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Davis, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s music degrees to 21 students in 2019-2020.
UC Davis not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Davis is $9,842 for california bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 1.9% 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%.
California State Polytechnic University - Pomona ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is a public institution located in Pomona, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 60 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Cal Poly Pomona also made our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #16. The estimated yearly cost for California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is $8,596 for california bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
California State University - San Bernardino ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. This fairly large school is located in San Bernardino, California, and it awarded 19 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $5,077 for California Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend CSUSB.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read more about Music at California State University - San Bernardino
With a ranking of #18, University of California - San Diego did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. La Jolla, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s music degrees to 32 students in 2019-2020.
UCSD also made our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #20. The estimated yearly cost for UCSD is $9,280 for california bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.
California State University - Stanislaus landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Stan State is located in Turlock, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 3 bachelors’s music degrees to qualified students.
It costs about $3,410 for california bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Stan State.
The low student loan default rate of 4.3% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.
California State University - Sacramento came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Sac State is located in Sacramento, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 32 bachelors’s music degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend Sac State is $6,819 for California Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $0-$30k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Music at California State University - Sacramento
With a ranking of #21, San Jose State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. San Jose State is a large public school situated in San Jose, California. It awarded 44 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
San Jose State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for San Jose State is $10,940 for California Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, 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 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Occidental College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #22. Oxy is a private not-for-profit institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 11 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Oxy did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $13,146 for california bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Oxy.
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%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
California State University - East Bay came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. California State University - East Bay is a fairly large public school situated in Hayward, California. It awarded 14 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Cal State East Bay is $8,036 for california bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a ranking of #24, California State University - San Marcos did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. California State University - San Marcos is a public institution located in San Marcos, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 11 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend CSUSM is $9,517 for california bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of Southern California came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Southern California is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 61 bachelors’s music degrees to qualified students.
USC also made our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #3. It costs about $14,668 for California Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Southern California.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 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 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
- Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Music (Income $0-$30k) in the Far Western US Region
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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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