Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Find Schools Near

2022 Best Value Colleges for Music (Income $30-$48k) in Massachusetts

24 Ranked Colleges
1,743 Degrees Awarded
$15,300 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Music Schools in Massachusetts For Those Making $30-$48k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Music Schools in Massachusetts For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

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 Massachusetts, there were 1,743 music graduates with average earnings and debt of $25,450 and $31,150 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Music Schools in Massachusetts For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 24 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.

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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

The music school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Music Schools in Massachusetts For Those Making $30-$48k”.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Music Schools in Massachusetts For Those Making $30-$48k

The colleges and universities below are the best for massachusetts music students whose families make $30-$48k.

Top 24 Best Value Colleges for Music (Income $30-$48k) in Massachusetts

#1

Harvard University

Cambridge, Massachusetts

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Harvard University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Music Schools in Massachusetts For Those Making $30-$48k. Harvard is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It awarded 22 ’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

Harvard also made our “Best Music Schools in Massachusetts” list, coming in at #12. It costs about $1,010 for Massachusetts Music students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Harvard University.

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 school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Music at Harvard University

#2

Williams College

Williamstown, Massachusetts

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Williams College. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Music Schools in Massachusetts For Those Making $30-$48k. Williams is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It awarded 9 ’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Williams, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Music Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. It costs about $2,223 for Massachusetts Music students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Williams College.

The low student loan default rate of 2.3% 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%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%.

Read more about Music at Williams College

#3

Boston College

Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Boston College. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Music Schools in Massachusetts For Those Making $30-$48k. Boston College is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. It awarded 6 ’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

Boston College not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Music Schools in Massachusetts” list. The estimated yearly cost for Boston College is $8,951 for massachusetts music students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low student loan default rate of 1.2% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Music at Boston College

#4

Wellesley College

Wellesley, Massachusetts

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Wellesley College. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Music Schools in Massachusetts For Those Making $30-$48k list. This small school is located in Wellesley, Massachusetts, and it awarded 9 ’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

Wellesley also made our “Best Music Schools in Massachusetts” list, coming in at #5. It costs about $4,519 for massachusetts music students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Wellesley College.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. 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%.

Full Wellesley Music Report

#5

Northeastern University

Boston, Massachusetts

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northeastern University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Music Schools in Massachusetts For Those Making $30-$48k. Boston, Massachusetts is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s music degrees to 43 students in 2019-2020.

Northeastern also made our “Best Music Schools in Massachusetts” list, coming in at #7. The yearly cost to attend Northeastern is $12,823 for Massachusetts Music students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 2.2% 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%.

Read more about Music at Northeastern

#6

Tufts University

Medford, Massachusetts

Tufts University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools in Massachusetts For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Tufts is a private not-for-profit institution located in Medford, Massachusetts. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 18 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Tufts also took the #6 spot in our “Best Music Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Tufts is $6,516 for massachusetts music students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%.

Read more about Music at Tufts University

#7

Boston University

Boston, Massachusetts

With a ranking of #7, Boston University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools in Massachusetts For Those Making $30-$48k list. Boston, Massachusetts is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s music degrees to 142 students in 2019-2020.

Boston U did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Music Schools in Massachusetts” list. The estimated yearly cost for Boston University is $13,256 for Massachusetts Music students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Boston University Music Report

#8

Smith College

Northampton, Massachusetts

Smith College ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools in Massachusetts For Those Making $30-$48k list. This small school is located in Northampton, Massachusetts, and it awarded 4 ’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

Smith also took the #15 spot in our “Best Music Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. It costs about $10,169 for Massachusetts Music students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Smith.

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%. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 7 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 Smith College

#9

University of Massachusetts Amherst

Amherst, Massachusetts

University of Massachusetts Amherst did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Schools in Massachusetts For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #9. UMass Amherst is a large public school situated in Amherst, Massachusetts. It awarded 83 ’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

UMass Amherst also took the #8 spot in our “Best Music Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UMass Amherst is $14,474 for massachusetts music students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UMass Amherst Music Report

#10

College of the Holy Cross

Worcester, Massachusetts

With a ranking of #10, College of the Holy Cross did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools in Massachusetts For Those Making $30-$48k list. Holy Cross is a private not-for-profit institution located in Worcester, Massachusetts. The school has a small population, and it awarded 4 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Holy Cross not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Music Schools in Massachusetts” list. The yearly cost to attend Holy Cross is $19,031 for massachusetts music students whose families make $30-$48k.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 10 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 89%. 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%.

Read full report on Music at Holy Cross

#11

Holyoke Community College

Holyoke, Massachusetts

Holyoke Community College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Schools in Massachusetts For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #11. Holyoke Community College is located in Holyoke, Massachusetts and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1 ’s music degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Holyoke Community College, the school also landed the #25 spot in our “Best Music Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Holyoke Community College is $6,815 for Massachusetts Music students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full Holyoke Community College Music Report

#12

Mount Holyoke College

South Hadley, Massachusetts

Mount Holyoke College ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools in Massachusetts For Those Making $30-$48k list. This small school is located in South Hadley, Massachusetts, and it awarded 6 ’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

Mt. Holyoke not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Music Schools in Massachusetts” list. The yearly cost to attend Mt. Holyoke is $17,192 for massachusetts music students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive 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.

Read full report on Music at Mount Holyoke College

#13

University of Massachusetts - Lowell

Lowell, Massachusetts

University of Massachusetts - Lowell ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools in Massachusetts For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of Massachusetts - Lowell is a fairly large school located in Lowell, Massachusetts that handed out 54 ’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our massachusetts music students whose families make $30-$48k list, UMass Lowell has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Music Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UMass Lowell is $12,330 for massachusetts music students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Music at University of Massachusetts - Lowell

#14

Westfield State University

Westfield, Massachusetts

Westfield State University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools in Massachusetts For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Westfield State University is a public institution located in Westfield, Massachusetts. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 13 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Westfield also took the #16 spot in our “Best Music Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. It costs about $14,071 for massachusetts music students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Westfield.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Music at Westfield State University

#15

Bridgewater State University

Bridgewater, Massachusetts

Bridgewater State University ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools in Massachusetts For Those Making $30-$48k list. Bridgewater State University is located in Bridgewater, Massachusetts and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 4 ’s music degrees to qualified students.

Bridgewater State also took the #20 spot in our “Best Music Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Bridgewater State University is $14,707 for massachusetts music students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on Music at Bridgewater State University

#16

Brandeis University

Waltham, Massachusetts

Brandeis University ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools in Massachusetts For Those Making $30-$48k list. This medium-sized school is located in Waltham, Massachusetts, and it awarded 11 ’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

Brandeis not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Music Schools in Massachusetts” list. The yearly cost to attend Brandeis University is $16,074 for Massachusetts Music students whose families make $30-$48k.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 2.3% 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 Brandeis

#17

Wheaton College Massachusetts

Norton, Massachusetts

With a ranking of #17, Wheaton College Massachusetts did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools in Massachusetts For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Norton, Massachusetts, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 11 degrees to qualified ’s music students in 2019-2020.

Wheaton College Massachusetts also made our “Best Music Schools in Massachusetts” list, coming in at #10. The yearly cost to attend Wheaton College Massachusetts is $22,008 for Massachusetts Music students whose families make $30-$48k.

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

Full Wheaton College Massachusetts Music Report

#18

Salem State University

Salem, Massachusetts

Salem State University ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools in Massachusetts For Those Making $30-$48k list. This medium-sized school is located in Salem, Massachusetts, and it awarded 8 ’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Salem State, the school also landed the #22 spot in our “Best Music Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Salem State University is $16,416 for massachusetts music students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Music at Salem State

#19

Clark University

Worcester, Massachusetts

Clark University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Schools in Massachusetts For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #19. Clark University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Worcester, Massachusetts. The school has a small population, and it awarded 9 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Clark did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #19 on our “Best Music Schools in Massachusetts” list. The estimated yearly cost for Clark University is $20,581 for Massachusetts 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 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full Clark Music Report

#20

University of Massachusetts - Boston

Boston, Massachusetts

With a ranking of #20, University of Massachusetts - Boston did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools in Massachusetts For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of Massachusetts - Boston is a fairly large public school situated in Boston, Massachusetts. It awarded 13 ’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our massachusetts music students whose families make $30-$48k list, UMass Boston has also earned the #24 rank in our “Best Music Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UMass Boston is $15,055 for Massachusetts Music students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full UMass Boston Music Report

#21

University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth

North Dartmouth, Massachusetts

University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Schools in Massachusetts For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #21. University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth is a public institution located in North Dartmouth, Massachusetts. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 6 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UMass Dartmouth not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #23 on our “Best Music Schools in Massachusetts” list. The yearly cost to attend UMass Dartmouth is $15,219 for massachusetts music students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on Music at UMass Dartmouth

#22

Gordon College

Wenham, Massachusetts

Gordon College came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools in Massachusetts For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Gordon College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Wenham, Massachusetts. It awarded 8 ’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

Gordon College also took the #14 spot in our “Best Music Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Gordon College is $23,286 for Massachusetts Music students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read more about Music at Gordon College

#23

Berklee College of Music

Boston, Massachusetts

Berklee College of Music did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Schools in Massachusetts For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #23. This medium-sized school is located in Boston, Massachusetts, and it awarded 810 ’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

Berklee College of Music not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #17 on our “Best Music Schools in Massachusetts” list. It costs about $40,455 for massachusetts music students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Berklee College of Music.

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 Berklee College of Music

#24

Emerson College

Boston, Massachusetts

With a ranking of #24, Emerson College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools in Massachusetts For Those Making $30-$48k list. This medium-sized school is located in Boston, Massachusetts, and it awarded 1 ’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

Emerson also made our “Best Music Schools in Massachusetts” list, coming in at #18. The yearly cost to attend Emerson is $39,843 for Massachusetts Music students whose families make $30-$48k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Emerson 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.

Featured Performing Arts Schools

Find Schools Near You