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2023 Best Value Colleges for Music (Income $30-$48k) in Virginia

11 Ranked Colleges
632 Degrees Awarded
$16,700 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Music Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Music Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

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.

For this year’s “Best Value Music Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 11 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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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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 Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k”.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

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

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Music Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k.

Top 11 Best Value Colleges for Music (Income $30-$48k) 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 $30-$48k list. University of Virginia is a public institution located in Charlottesville, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 46 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our virginia music students whose families make $30-$48k list, University of Virginia has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Music Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Virginia - Main Campus is $10,063 for virginia music students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, 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 97%.

Read full report on Music at University of Virginia - Main Campus

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 $30-$48k. This large school is located in Blacksburg, Virginia, and it awarded 19 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.

Virginia Tech also took the #3 spot in our “Best Music Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Virginia Tech is $14,003 for Virginia Music students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%.

Read more about Music at Virginia Tech

3
JMU crest
James Madison University
Harrisonburg, Virginia

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend James Madison University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Music Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k list. Harrisonburg, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s music degrees to 77 students in 2020-2021.

JMU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Music Schools in Virginia” list. It costs about $14,985 for virginia music students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend James Madison University.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad 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 JMU

4
Radford crest
Radford University
Radford, Virginia

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Radford University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Music Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k list. Radford is a medium-sized school located in Radford, Virginia that handed out 29 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.

Radford did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Music Schools in Virginia” list. The estimated yearly cost for Radford is $13,026 for Virginia Music students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Music at Radford University

5
GMU crest
George Mason University
Fairfax, Virginia

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend George Mason University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Music Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k. George Mason University is located in Fairfax, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 83 ’s music degrees to qualified students.

GMU also made our “Best Music Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #5. The estimated yearly cost for GMU is $15,979 for virginia music students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, 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.

Read more about Music at George Mason University

6
Old Dominion crest
Old Dominion University
Norfolk, Virginia

With a ranking of #6, Old Dominion University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Music Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Norfolk, Virginia, this large public school awarded 26 degrees to qualified ’s music students in 2020-2021.

Old Dominion also made our “Best Music Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #10. The yearly cost to attend Old Dominion University is $13,574 for Virginia Music students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full Old Dominion Music Report

7

Virginia Commonwealth University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Music Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #7. VCU is a large public school situated in Richmond, Virginia. It awarded 50 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our virginia music students whose families make $30-$48k list, VCU has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Music Schools in Virginia” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Virginia Commonwealth University is $15,891 for Virginia Music students whose families make $30-$48k.

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

Full VCU Music Report

8
UMW crest
University of Mary Washington
Fredericksburg, Virginia

With a ranking of #8, University of Mary Washington did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Music Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Fredericksburg, Virginia, this small public school handed out 12 diplomas to qualified ’s music students in 2020-2021.

UMW not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Music Schools in Virginia” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Mary Washington is $16,459 for virginia music students whose families make $30-$48k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Mary Washington Music Report

9
CNU crest
Christopher Newport University
Newport News, Virginia

Christopher Newport University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Music Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #9. CNU is a public institution located in Newport News, Virginia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 7 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

CNU also made our “Best Music Schools in Virginia” list, coming in at #11. It costs about $15,990 for virginia music students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Christopher Newport University.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, 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 87%.

Read full report on Music at Christopher Newport University

10
Shenandoah crest
Shenandoah University
Winchester, Virginia

Shenandoah University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Music Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #10. Shenandoah is located in Winchester, Virginia and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 67 ’s music degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our virginia music students whose families make $30-$48k list, Shenandoah has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Music Schools in Virginia” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Shenandoah is $26,784 for Virginia Music students whose families make $30-$48k.

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. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Music at Shenandoah University

11
Liberty University crest
Liberty University
Lynchburg, Virginia

Liberty University landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Best Value Music Schools in Virginia For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Lynchburg, Virginia, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 119 diplomas to qualified ’s music students in 2020-2021.

Liberty University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Music Schools in Virginia” list. It costs about $27,251 for virginia music students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Liberty University.

Read full report on Music at Liberty University

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

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