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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Music (Income $30-$48k) in the Far Western US Region

81 Ranked Colleges
2,059 Degrees Awarded
$8,400 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor's in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

Music is the 40th most popular major in the country with 27,047 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. 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 the Far Western US region, there were 4,534 music graduates with average earnings and debt of $21,228 and $32,045 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 2,059 music graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,083 and $22,209 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking looked at 81 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.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the music program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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 the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Music (Income $30-$48k) in the Far Western US Region

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#1 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Stanford University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k. Stanford is located in Stanford, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 8 bachelors’s music degrees to qualified students.

Stanford also took the #1 spot in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Stanford is $1,145 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. 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.

Full Stanford University Music Report

#8 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in Seattle, Washington, and it awarded 26 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

UW Seattle also took the #8 spot in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus is $7,467 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Music at University of Washington - Seattle Campus

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Los Angeles. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k. California State University - Los Angeles is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 28 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Cal State LA is $2,117 for far western us region bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%.

Full Cal State LA Music Report

#4

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

Out of the 81 schools in the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Los Angeles landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school handed out 67 degrees to qualified bachelors’s music students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $30-$48k list, UCLA has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UCLA is $9,254 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%.

Read more about Music at UCLA

#5 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k. University of California - Berkeley is a large public school situated in Berkeley, California. It awarded 33 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Berkeley also made our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #5. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Berkeley is $9,130 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The low 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 full report on Music at UC Berkeley

With a ranking of #6, California State University - Fullerton did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Fullerton, California, this large public school handed out 67 degrees to qualified bachelors’s music students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Fullerton is $6,100 for far western us region bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Music at California State University - Fullerton

California State University - Fresno ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. California State University - Fresno is a large public school situated in Fresno, California. It awarded 28 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Fresno State is $3,731 for far western us region bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low student loan default rate of 4.7% 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 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Music at Fresno State

University of California - Irvine landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This large school is located in Irvine, California, and it awarded 16 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Irvine not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The yearly cost to attend UC Irvine is $10,373 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low 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%.

Full UC Irvine Music Report

#2 in overall quality

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a large public school situated in San Luis Obispo, California. It awarded 11 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $14,680 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Music at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo

California State University - Northridge ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. California State University - Northridge is a large school located in Northridge, California that handed out 125 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Northridge is $6,883 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $30-$48k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Music at CSUN

California State University - Dominguez Hills came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. CSUDH is a fairly large public school situated in Carson, California. It awarded 15 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Dominguez Hills is $3,115 for far western us region bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $30-$48k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Music at California State University - Dominguez Hills

California State University - Long Beach landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Long Beach, California, this large public school awarded 113 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s music students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $7,595 for far western us region bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend California State University - Long Beach.

The low student loan default rate of 1.6% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.

Read more about Music at California State University - Long Beach

University of Nevada - Las Vegas ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in Las Vegas, Nevada, and it awarded 25 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

UNLV not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UNLV is $9,880 for far western us region bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full UNLV Music Report

#14

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California

University of California - Santa Barbara ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. UCSB is located in Santa Barbara, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 32 bachelors’s music degrees to qualified students.

UCSB also took the #9 spot in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UCSB is $11,895 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.

Read full report on Music at University of California - Santa Barbara

#15

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

San Diego State University landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. SDSU is a large school located in San Diego, California that handed out 63 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend San Diego State University is $10,594 for far western us region bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%.

Read more about Music at San Diego State University

#16

University of California - Riverside

Riverside, California

University of California - Riverside landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. UCR is a large school located in Riverside, California that handed out 23 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend UCR is $9,151 for far western us region bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.

Read more about Music at University of California - Riverside

#17

Occidental College

Los Angeles, California
#6 in overall quality

With a ranking of #17, Occidental College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Oxy is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 11 bachelors’s music degrees to qualified students.

Oxy also made our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #6. The estimated yearly cost for Occidental College is $17,662 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low student loan default rate of 1.6% 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%. 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.

Read more about Music at Occidental College

#18

Washington State University

Pullman, Washington

Washington State University landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Pullman, Washington is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s music degrees to 13 students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $11,337 for far western us region bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Washington State University.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Washington State University Music Report

#19

California State University - San Bernardino

San Bernardino, California

With a ranking of #19, California State University - San Bernardino did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. California State University - San Bernardino is a public institution located in San Bernardino, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 19 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $5,869 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend California State University - San Bernardino.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Music at California State University - San Bernardino

With a ranking of #20, University of California - Davis did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in Davis, California, and it awarded 21 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Davis, the school also landed the #19 spot in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Davis is $10,769 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $30-$48k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 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 at University of California - Davis

With a ranking of #21, California State University - Stanislaus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Stan State is a fairly large public school situated in Turlock, California. It awarded 3 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Stanislaus is $3,958 for far western us region bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $30-$48k.

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

Full California State University - Stanislaus Music Report

#22

Western Washington University

Bellingham, Washington

Western Washington University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Bellingham, Washington, and it awarded 26 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Western Washington University is $11,228 for far western us region bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Music at Western Washington University

California State University - Sacramento did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #23. California State University - Sacramento 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.

It costs about $7,823 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Sac State.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Music at California State University - Sacramento

University of California - San Diego landed the #24 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in La Jolla, California, this large public school handed out 32 degrees to qualified bachelors’s music students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for UCSD is $9,974 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.

Read full report on Music at University of California - San Diego

#25

Eastern Washington University

Cheney, Washington

Eastern Washington University landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Eastern Washington University is a fairly large public school situated in Cheney, Washington. It awarded 14 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $8,821 for far western us region bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Eastern Washington University.

Read full report on Music at Eastern Washington University

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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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