2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Music (Income $30-$48k) in California
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 California For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking - to help you make that 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 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 $30-$48k” ranking analyzed 54 colleges that offered a degree in music. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great music programs and 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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Music (Income $30-$48k) in California
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 California For Those Making $30-$48k. Stanford, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s music degrees to 8 students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Stanford, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Stanford is $1,145 for California Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $30-$48k.
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 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
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 $30-$48k list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s music degrees to 28 students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Los Angeles is $2,117 for California Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $30-$48k.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, 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 - Los Angeles. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k. University of California - Los Angeles is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 67 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our california 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 California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Los Angeles is $9,254 for california 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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Music at University of California - Los Angeles
Out of the 54 schools in the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the #4 spot on the list. This large school is located in Berkeley, California, and it awarded 33 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
UC Berkeley did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Berkeley is $9,130 for California 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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Music at University of California - Berkeley
Out of the 54 schools in the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Fullerton landed the #5 spot on the list. Cal State Fullerton is a large public school situated in Fullerton, California. It awarded 67 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
Cal State Fullerton did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #25 on our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Cal State Fullerton is $6,100 for california bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $30-$48k.
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%. 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 California State University - Fullerton
California State University - Fresno ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Fresno State is located in Fresno, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 28 bachelors’s music degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend California State University - Fresno is $3,731 for California 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 87%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of California - Irvine came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Irvine, California, this large public school awarded 16 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s music students in 2019-2020.
UC Irvine also made our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #12. The estimated yearly cost for UC Irvine is $10,373 for California 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 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 Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. San Luis Obispo, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s music degrees to 11 students in 2019-2020.
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $14,680 for california bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The low student loan default rate of 1.1% 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 Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo Music Report
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 $30-$48k list. California State University - Northridge is located in Northridge, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 125 bachelors’s music degrees to qualified students.
CSUN not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #21 on our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $6,883 for California Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend California State University - Northridge.
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 more about Music at California State University - Northridge
California State University - Dominguez Hills did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #10. CSUDH is located in Carson, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 15 bachelors’s music degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend CSUDH is $3,115 for california bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Music at California State University - Dominguez Hills
California State University - Long Beach came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. California State University - Long Beach is a public institution located in Long Beach, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 113 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSULB, the school also landed the #24 spot in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Long Beach is $7,595 for California 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #12. Santa Barbara, 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.
UCSB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $11,895 for california bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UCSB.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, 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 91%.
San Diego State University landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in San Diego, California, this large public school handed out 63 degrees to qualified bachelors’s music students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at SDSU, the school also landed the #22 spot in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for San Diego State University is $10,594 for California Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low student loan default rate of 2.8% 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 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
University of California - Riverside did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #14. This large school is located in Riverside, California, and it awarded 23 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for UCR is $9,151 for california 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 91%. 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
Occidental College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #15. This small school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 11 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
Oxy also made our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #6. The estimated yearly cost for Oxy is $17,662 for California Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $30-$48k.
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. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
California State University - San Bernardino landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in San Bernardino, California, this fairly large public school handed out 19 degrees to qualified bachelors’s music students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $5,869 for california bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend California State University - San Bernardino.
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
University of California - Davis ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. 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.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Davis, the school also landed the #15 spot in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Davis is $10,769 for California 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 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%.
With a ranking of #18, California State University - Stanislaus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California 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 Stan State is $3,958 for California 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.
Read more about Music at California State University - Stanislaus
California State University - Sacramento ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. California State University - Sacramento is a large school located in Sacramento, California that handed out 32 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Sacramento is $7,823 for california bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $30-$48k.
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 full report on Music at California State University - Sacramento
University of California - San Diego landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in La Jolla, California, this large public school awarded 32 degrees to qualified bachelors’s music students in 2019-2020.
UCSD also took the #20 spot in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UCSD is $9,974 for california bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, 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 94%.
Read full report on Music at University of California - San Diego
San Jose State University ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in San Jose, California, and 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 University is $11,752 for California Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $30-$48k.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
With a ranking of #22, University of Southern California did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of Southern California is a private not-for-profit institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 61 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
USC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Southern California is $16,252 for California Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $30-$48k.
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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.
Read full report on Music at University of Southern California
California State University - San Marcos landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. CSUSM is located in San Marcos, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 11 bachelors’s music degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend California State University - San Marcos is $10,347 for California Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $30-$48k.
The low student loan default rate of 4.2% 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 University - East Bay came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Cal State 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 $8,891 for california bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $30-$48k.
California State Polytechnic University - Pomona ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Cal Poly Pomona is a large school located in Pomona, California that handed out 60 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $30-$48k list, Cal Poly Pomona has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Cal Poly Pomona is $9,630 for California Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $30-$48k.
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 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 more about Music at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona
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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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