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2023 Best Value Colleges for Music (Income $0-$30k) in Virginia

11 Ranked Colleges
632 Degrees Awarded
$16,400 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Music Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k

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 Virginia 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 Virginia, there were 632 music graduates with average earnings and debt of $27,058 and $26,582 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Music Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 11 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.

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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 in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k” 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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Music Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for virginia music students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 11 Best Value Colleges for Music (Income $0-$30k) in Virginia

1
University of Virginia crest
University of Virginia - Main Campus
Charlottesville, Virginia

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Virginia - Main Campus. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Music Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Virginia - Main Campus is a public institution located in Charlottesville, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 46 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

University of Virginia did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Music Schools in Virginia” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Virginia - Main Campus is $12,476 for Virginia Music students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full University of Virginia Music Report

2
Virginia Tech crest
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, Virginia

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Virginia Tech. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Music Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k. Virginia Tech is a large public school situated in Blacksburg, Virginia. It awarded 19 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.

Virginia Tech also made our “Best Music Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #3. The estimated yearly cost for Virginia Tech is $11,934 for virginia music students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Virginia Tech Music Report

3
JMU crest
James Madison University
Harrisonburg, Virginia

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend James Madison University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Music Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k. JMU is a large public school situated in Harrisonburg, Virginia. It awarded 77 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.

JMU also made our “Best Music Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #2. The yearly cost to attend JMU is $14,288 for Virginia Music students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Music at JMU

4
Radford crest
Radford University
Radford, Virginia

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Radford University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Music Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k. Radford University is a medium-sized school located in Radford, Virginia that handed out 29 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Radford, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Music Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $11,420 for virginia music students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Radford University.

Full Radford University Music Report

5
GMU crest
George Mason University
Fairfax, Virginia

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Music Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, George Mason University landed the #5 spot on the list. George Mason University is a large school located in Fairfax, Virginia that handed out 83 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.

GMU also made our “Best Music Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #5. The estimated yearly cost for George Mason University is $14,781 for virginia music students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Music at GMU

6
Old Dominion crest
Old Dominion University
Norfolk, Virginia

Old Dominion University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Music Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #6. Old Dominion is a public institution located in Norfolk, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 26 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Old Dominion not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Music Schools in Virginia” list. The yearly cost to attend Old Dominion University is $13,335 for virginia music students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Old Dominion University Music Report

7
UMW crest
University of Mary Washington
Fredericksburg, Virginia

University of Mary Washington landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Best Value Music Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UMW is a small public school situated in Fredericksburg, Virginia. It awarded 12 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.

UMW also made our “Best Music Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #9. The yearly cost to attend University of Mary Washington is $14,589 for virginia music students whose families make $0-$30k.

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 at University of Mary Washington

8

Virginia Commonwealth University landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Best Value Music Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Virginia Commonwealth University is located in Richmond, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 50 ’s music degrees to qualified students.

VCU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Music Schools in Virginia” list. The estimated yearly cost for Virginia Commonwealth University is $14,507 for Virginia Music students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low undergrad 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%.

Full VCU Music Report

9
CNU crest
Christopher Newport University
Newport News, Virginia

With a ranking of #9, Christopher Newport University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Music Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k list. Christopher Newport University is a small public school situated in Newport News, Virginia. It awarded 7 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our virginia music students whose families make $0-$30k list, CNU has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Music Schools in Virginia” ranking. It costs about $15,862 for virginia music students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend CNU.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Music at CNU

10
Shenandoah crest
Shenandoah University
Winchester, Virginia

Shenandoah University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k list. This small school is located in Winchester, Virginia, and it awarded 67 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.

Shenandoah also made our “Best Music Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #4. The estimated yearly cost for Shenandoah is $27,173 for Virginia Music students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 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 at Shenandoah University

11
Liberty University crest
Liberty University
Lynchburg, Virginia

Liberty University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools in Virginia For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Lynchburg, Virginia, and it awarded 119 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.

Liberty University also made our “Best Music Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #6. The estimated yearly cost for Liberty University is $29,786 for virginia music students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Liberty University Music Report

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

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