2023 Best Value Colleges for Music (Income $0-$30k) in California
38
Ranked Colleges
3,612
Degrees Awarded
$8,200
Avg Net Price*
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Music Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking.
In 2020-2021, 25,910 people earned their degree in music, making the major the 43rd most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, music graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $27,160 and had an average of $24,560 in loans still to pay off.
Across California, there were 3,612 music graduates with average earnings and debt of $23,084 and $22,049 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Music Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 38 colleges that offer a degree in music. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent music programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the music program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
More Ways to Rank Music Schools
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 in California For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college 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 Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k
The colleges and universities below are the best for california music students whose families make $0-$30k.
Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Music (Income $0-$30k) in California
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 Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 114 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCLA, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Music Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Los Angeles is $9,037 for california 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 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 at University of California - Los Angeles
Out of the 38 schools in the Best Value Music Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Berkeley, California, this large public school awarded 54 degrees to qualified ’s music students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Berkeley, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Music Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Berkeley is $8,450 for California Music students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Music at University of California - Berkeley
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Fullerton. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Music Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k. California State University - Fullerton is a public institution located in Fullerton, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 89 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Cal State Fullerton also took the #17 spot in our “Best Music Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Fullerton is $4,590 for california music students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The low undergrad 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%.
Read more about Music at California State University - Fullerton
Out of the 38 schools in the Best Value Music Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Los Angeles landed the #4 spot on the list. California State University - Los Angeles is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 57 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $1,887 for california music students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State University - Los Angeles.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% 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 California State University - Los Angeles Music Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Southern California. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Music Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k. University of Southern California is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 182 ’s music degrees to qualified students.
USC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Music Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Southern California is $17,287 for California Music students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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 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 University of Southern California Music Report
California State University - Long Beach came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Long Beach, California, and it awarded 129 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
CSULB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Music Schools in California” list. It costs about $6,663 for California Music students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State University - Long Beach.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.4% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.
Read full report on Music at California State University - Long Beach
University of California - Irvine did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Music Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #7. UC Irvine is located in Irvine, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 42 ’s music degrees to qualified students.
UC Irvine did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Music Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Irvine is $6,540 for California Music students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Music at University of California - Irvine
California State University - Fresno ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. California State University - Fresno is a large school located in Fresno, California that handed out 52 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend California State University - Fresno is $3,859 for california music students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Music at California State University - Fresno
California State University - Northridge came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Northridge, California, and it awarded 174 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
CSUN not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #20 on our “Best Music Schools in California” list. It costs about $6,266 for California Music students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State University - Northridge.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.7% 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%.
Full CSUN Music Report
University of California - San Diego came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of California - San Diego is a public institution located in La Jolla, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 27 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UCSD did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Music Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - San Diego is $9,823 for California 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 undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Music at UCSD
University of California - Davis ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Davis, California, and it awarded 21 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
UC Davis did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Music Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Davis is $10,006 for california music students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Music at UC Davis
San Diego State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Music Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #12. San Diego State University is a public institution located in San Diego, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 71 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at SDSU, the school also landed the #14 spot in our “Best Music Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend SDSU is $7,169 for california music students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Music at San Diego State University
California State University - Sacramento did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Music Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #13. Sac State is a public institution located in Sacramento, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 56 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Sac State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #23 on our “Best Music Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Sacramento is $8,163 for california music students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Music at California State University - Sacramento
University of California - Santa Barbara ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Santa Barbara, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s music degrees to 38 students in 2020-2021.
UCSB also made our “Best Music Schools in California” list, coming in at #9. It costs about $10,568 for California Music students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of California - Santa Barbara.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 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.
Read more about Music at UCSB
With a ranking of #15, University of California - Riverside did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Music Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. UCR is located in Riverside, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 26 ’s music degrees to qualified students.
UCR not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #18 on our “Best Music Schools in California” list. It costs about $6,810 for California Music students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UCR.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 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.
Read full report on Music at UCR
With a ranking of #16, California State University - Stanislaus did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Music Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. California State University - Stanislaus is a fairly large public school situated in Turlock, California. It awarded 20 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend Stan State is $4,122 for california music students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Music at California State University - Stanislaus
California State University - San Bernardino came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. San Bernardino, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s music degrees to 14 students in 2020-2021.
It costs about $5,985 for California Music students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend CSUSB.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Music at CSUSB
San Jose State University ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. San Jose State University is a large school located in San Jose, California that handed out 52 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
San Jose State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Music Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for San Jose State University is $12,158 for California Music students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. 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%.
Full San Jose State Music Report
University of California - Santa Cruz landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Best Value Music Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UC Santa Cruz is a fairly large public school situated in Santa Cruz, California. It awarded 25 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Santa Cruz, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best Music Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UC Santa Cruz is $11,038 for california music students whose families make $0-$30k.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Music at UC Santa Cruz
California State Polytechnic University - Pomona landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Best Value Music Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Cal Poly Pomona is a large school located in Pomona, California that handed out 39 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california music students whose families make $0-$30k list, Cal Poly Pomona has also earned the #24 rank in our “Best Music Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $10,349 for California Music students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Cal Poly Pomona.
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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full California State Polytechnic University - Pomona Music Report
California State University - Dominguez Hills ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. CSUDH is a public institution located in Carson, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 13 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Dominguez Hills is $2,657 for California Music students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Music at California State University - Dominguez Hills
With a ranking of #22, California State University - East Bay did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Music Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. California State University - East Bay is a public institution located in Hayward, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 22 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $9,975 for California Music students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Cal State East Bay.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Music at California State University - East Bay
San Francisco State University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in San Francisco, California, and it awarded 32 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our california music students whose families make $0-$30k list, SFSU has also earned the #21 rank in our “Best Music Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $10,705 for california music students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend SFSU.
The low undergrad 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%.
Read more about Music at SFSU
California State University - Chico did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Music Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #24. Chico, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s music degrees to 48 students in 2020-2021.
Chico State also made our “Best Music Schools in California” list, coming in at #25. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Chico is $11,754 for california music students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Music at California State University - Chico
California State University - Monterey Bay came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Seaside, California, this medium-sized public school handed out 15 diplomas to qualified ’s music students in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for CSUMB is $9,192 for California Music students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.9% 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%.
Full California State University - Monterey Bay Music Report
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