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2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k

29 Ranked Colleges
623 Degrees Awarded
$16,000 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor's in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

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 Pennsylvania, there were 945 music graduates with average earnings and debt of $24,158 and $28,123 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 623 music graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 29 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in music. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality music 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 program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college decision.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. 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 Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Music (Income $0-$30k) in Pennsylvania

#1

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
#4 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Pennsylvania. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Pennsylvania is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 8 bachelors’s music degrees to qualified students.

UPenn not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list. The yearly cost to attend UPenn is $3,181 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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.

Full UPenn Music Report

#2

Lafayette College

Easton, Pennsylvania
#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Lafayette College. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k list. Lafayette is a private not-for-profit institution located in Easton, Pennsylvania. The school has a small population, and it awarded 4 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our pennsylvania bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $0-$30k list, Lafayette has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Lafayette College is $6,934 for pennsylvania 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 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default 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 more about Music at Lafayette College

#3

Dickinson College

Carlisle, Pennsylvania
#2 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Dickinson College. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k list. Dickinson is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. It awarded 5 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

Dickinson also took the #2 spot in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. It costs about $11,046 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Dickinson College.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Full Dickinson Music Report

#4

Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
#3 in overall quality

Out of the 29 schools in the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Carnegie Mellon University landed the #4 spot on the list. Carnegie Mellon is a fairly large school located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that handed out 19 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

Carnegie Mellon also made our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list, coming in at #3. The estimated yearly cost for Carnegie Mellon University is $12,542 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Carnegie Mellon Music Report

#5

Mansfield University of Pennsylvania

Mansfield, Pennsylvania

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Mansfield University of Pennsylvania. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k list. Mansfield University of Pennsylvania is a small school located in Mansfield, Pennsylvania that handed out 26 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

Mansfield University also took the #24 spot in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. It costs about $15,083 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Mansfield University.

Full Mansfield University Music Report

#6

West Chester University of Pennsylvania

West Chester, Pennsylvania

West Chester University of Pennsylvania ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k list. WCUPA is a fairly large school located in West Chester, Pennsylvania that handed out 71 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

WCUPA also took the #5 spot in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for West Chester University of Pennsylvania is $16,531 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 4.4% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Music at West Chester University of Pennsylvania

#7

Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania

Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania

With a ranking of #7, Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k list. This medium-sized school is located in Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 23 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

SRU also made our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list, coming in at #10. It costs about $14,088 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania.

Read full report on Music at SRU

#8

Edinboro University of Pennsylvania

Edinboro, Pennsylvania

With a ranking of #8, Edinboro University of Pennsylvania did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k list. Edinboro is a small public school situated in Edinboro, Pennsylvania. It awarded 5 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Edinboro is $13,169 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Music at Edinboro

#9

Lycoming College

Williamsport, Pennsylvania
#22 in overall quality

Lycoming College ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 4 degrees to qualified bachelors’s music students in 2019-2020.

Lycoming did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #22 on our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list. The yearly cost to attend Lycoming College is $13,906 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Lycoming College Music Report

#10

Millersville University of Pennsylvania

Millersville, Pennsylvania

Millersville University of Pennsylvania ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k list. Millersville University of Pennsylvania is a medium-sized public school situated in Millersville, Pennsylvania. It awarded 38 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

Millersville did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list. The yearly cost to attend Millersville is $16,878 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Music at Millersville

#14 in overall quality

University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #11. Pitt is a public institution located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The school has a large population, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Pitt also took the #14 spot in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus is $20,075 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Music at Pitt

#12

Messiah University

Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania
#8 in overall quality

Messiah University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 18 degrees to qualified bachelors’s music students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our pennsylvania bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $0-$30k list, Messiah has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. It costs about $20,824 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Messiah University.

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 student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Messiah Music Report

#13

Muhlenberg College

Allentown, Pennsylvania
#11 in overall quality

Muhlenberg College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #13. This small school is located in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 10 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Muhlenberg, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Muhlenberg College is $14,567 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Muhlenberg College Music Report

#14

Susquehanna University

Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania
#12 in overall quality

Susquehanna University landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Susquehanna is a private not-for-profit institution located in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania. The school has a small population, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Susquehanna did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list. It costs about $19,823 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Susquehanna University.

The low student loan default rate of 3.8% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Music at Susquehanna

#15

Moravian College

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

With a ranking of #15, Moravian College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k list. This small school is located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 11 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

Moravian not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list. It costs about $22,333 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Moravian.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Music at Moravian

#16

Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania

Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania
#20 in overall quality

Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #16. Bloomsburg is a public institution located in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 9 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Bloomsburg also took the #20 spot in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania is $15,638 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Music at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania

#17

York College of Pennsylvania

York, Pennsylvania
#15 in overall quality

York College of Pennsylvania landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in York, Pennsylvania, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 3 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s music students in 2019-2020.

YCP did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list. The yearly cost to attend YCP is $16,618 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full YCP Music Report

#18

California University of Pennsylvania

California, Pennsylvania

California University of Pennsylvania came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Cal U is a medium-sized public school situated in California, Pennsylvania. It awarded 13 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal U not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #23 on our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list. It costs about $14,841 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Cal U.

Read full report on Music at Cal U

#19

Albright College

Reading, Pennsylvania

With a ranking of #19, Albright College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k list. Albright College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Reading, Pennsylvania. The school has a small population, and it awarded 10 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Albright College is $15,077 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Albright College Music Report

#20

Temple University

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Temple University ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k list. Temple University is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 65 bachelors’s music degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Temple, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. It costs about $18,315 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Temple University.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Music at Temple University

#21

Lancaster Bible College

Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Lancaster Bible College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #21. Lancaster Bible College is a small school located in Lancaster, Pennsylvania that handed out 3 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

Lancaster Bible College also made our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list, coming in at #18. The yearly cost to attend Lancaster Bible College is $18,669 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Music at Lancaster Bible College

#22

Kutztown University of Pennsylvania

Kutztown, Pennsylvania
#17 in overall quality

Kutztown University of Pennsylvania came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Kutztown University of Pennsylvania is located in Kutztown, Pennsylvania and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 15 bachelors’s music degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our pennsylvania bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $0-$30k list, Kutztown University has also earned the #17 rank in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. It costs about $17,384 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Kutztown University of Pennsylvania.

Read more about Music at Kutztown University

#23

Lebanon Valley College

Annville, Pennsylvania

Lebanon Valley College ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Annville, Pennsylvania, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 27 degrees to qualified bachelors’s music students in 2019-2020.

LVC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list. The yearly cost to attend Lebanon Valley College is $22,993 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Music at LVC

#24

Duquesne University

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Duquesne University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #24. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s music degrees to 24 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Duquesne, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Duquesne University is $21,862 for Pennsylvania Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.5% 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 86%.

Full Duquesne University Music Report

Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Main Campus landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Pennsylvania For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. IUP is a public institution located in Indiana, Pennsylvania. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 38 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

IUP also took the #19 spot in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. The yearly cost to attend IUP is $18,177 for pennsylvania bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full IUP Music Report

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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