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2023 Best Value Music Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k

38 Ranked Colleges
1,308 Degrees Awarded
$11,800 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Music Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Music Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

Music is the 43rd most popular major in the country with 25,910 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. 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 the Plains States region, there were 1,308 music graduates with average earnings and debt of $30,383 and $23,796 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Music Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 38 colleges that offer 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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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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 in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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. 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 the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k

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

Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Music (Income $30-$48k) in the Plains States Region

1

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Washington University in St Louis. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Music Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Saint Louis, Missouri is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s music degrees to 15 students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at WUSTL, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Music Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend WUSTL is $2,446 for plains states region music students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad 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 undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read full report on Music at Washington University in St Louis

2

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Music Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k. UMN Twin Cities is a public institution located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The school has a large population, and it awarded 69 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UMN Twin Cities did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Music Schools in the Plains States Region” list. It costs about $8,609 for plains states region music students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UMN Twin Cities.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full UMN Twin Cities Music Report

3
Truman State crest
Truman State University
Kirksville, Missouri

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Truman State University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Music Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k. Truman State University is a small public school situated in Kirksville, Missouri. It awarded 30 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Truman State, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Music Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Truman State is $8,898 for Plains States Region 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Music at Truman State University

4
St. Olaf crest
St Olaf College
Northfield, Minnesota

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend St Olaf College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Music Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. St. Olaf is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Northfield, Minnesota. It awarded 53 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.

St. Olaf not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Music Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend St Olaf College is $11,138 for Plains States Region Music students whose families make $30-$48k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full St. Olaf Music Report

5

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Minnesota - Duluth. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Music Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. This medium-sized school is located in Duluth, Minnesota, and it awarded 16 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.

UMN Duluth did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best Music Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UMN Duluth is $8,697 for plains states region music students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%.

Read full report on Music at UMN Duluth

6

With a ranking of #6, University of Missouri - St Louis did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Music Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. UMSL is a public institution located in Saint Louis, Missouri. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 18 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for UMSL is $8,324 for plains states region music students whose families make $30-$48k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UMSL Music Report

7

University of Northern Iowa came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. University of Northern Iowa is a public institution located in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 36 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our plains states region music students whose families make $30-$48k list, UNI has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Music Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Northern Iowa is $13,175 for Plains States Region Music students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Music at University of Northern Iowa

8

With a ranking of #8, Iowa State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Music Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Iowa State University is a large public school situated in Ames, Iowa. It awarded 12 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.

Iowa State also took the #14 spot in our “Best Music Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Iowa State University is $11,427 for plains states region music students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.4% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.

Full Iowa State Music Report

9

North Dakota State University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Music Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #9. This fairly large school is located in Fargo, North Dakota, and it awarded 32 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.

North Dakota State University also made our “Best Music Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #7. The estimated yearly cost for North Dakota State University is $12,735 for plains states region 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%.

Read more about Music at North Dakota State University - Main Campus

10

University of Missouri - Kansas City landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Best Value Music Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. University of Missouri - Kansas City is a public institution located in Kansas City, Missouri. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 111 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UMKC, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Music Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Missouri - Kansas City is $13,751 for plains states region music students whose families make $30-$48k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Music at UMKC

11

University of Missouri - Columbia landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Best Value Music Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. University of Missouri - Columbia is a large public school situated in Columbia, Missouri. It awarded 26 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.

Mizzou did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Music Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Mizzou is $11,386 for Plains States Region 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 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%.

Read more about Music at Mizzou

12
Iowa crest
University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa

University of Iowa came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Iowa is a large public school situated in Iowa City, Iowa. It awarded 84 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.

Iowa also made our “Best Music Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #5. The yearly cost to attend University of Iowa is $15,508 for plains states region music students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low undergrad 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Music at University of Iowa

13

University of Nebraska - Lincoln landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Best Value Music Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. University of Nebraska - Lincoln is a large school located in Lincoln, Nebraska that handed out 57 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.

UNL also took the #11 spot in our “Best Music Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UNL is $13,453 for plains states region music students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Music at University of Nebraska - Lincoln

14

Wichita State University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Wichita State University is a fairly large public school situated in Wichita, Kansas. It awarded 29 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.

WSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #21 on our “Best Music Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Wichita State University is $12,272 for plains states region music students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full WSU Music Report

15
Winona State crest
Winona State University
Winona, Minnesota

Winona State University landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Best Value Music Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Winona, Minnesota is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s music degrees to 3 students in 2020-2021.

Winona State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #16 on our “Best Music Schools in the Plains States Region” list. It costs about $12,963 for Plains States Region Music students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Winona State.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.7% 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 Winona State

16

University of Nebraska at Omaha did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Music Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #16. UNOMAHA is a fairly large public school situated in Omaha, Nebraska. It awarded 35 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for UNOMAHA is $11,294 for Plains States Region Music students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 UNOMAHA

17
St. Cloud State University crest
Saint Cloud State University
Saint Cloud, Minnesota

Saint Cloud State University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. St. Cloud State University is a fairly large public school situated in Saint Cloud, Minnesota. It awarded 6 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.

It costs about $10,825 for plains states region music students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Saint Cloud State University.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.6% 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%.

Read full report on Music at St. Cloud State University

18

Missouri Southern State University ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Missouri Southern State University is a small school located in Joplin, Missouri that handed out 13 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend Missouri Southern is $7,731 for plains states region music students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on Music at Missouri Southern State University

19

Minnesota State University - Mankato ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Mankato, Minnesota, this fairly large public school handed out 3 diplomas to qualified ’s music students in 2020-2021.

The estimated yearly cost for Minnesota State University - Mankato is $12,263 for plains states region music students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 full report on Music at Minnesota State University - Mankato

20
K -State crest
Kansas State University
Manhattan, Kansas

Kansas State University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Manhattan, Kansas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s music degrees to 24 students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our plains states region music students whose families make $30-$48k list, K -State has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Music Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Kansas State University is $14,653 for Plains States Region Music students whose families make $30-$48k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 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 K -State Music Report

21
Luther crest
Luther College
Decorah, Iowa

Luther College landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Best Value Music Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Luther College is a small school located in Decorah, Iowa that handed out 30 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.

Luther also made our “Best Music Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #4. The estimated yearly cost for Luther is $20,153 for plains states region music students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Music at Luther

22

Missouri State University - Springfield landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Best Value Music Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Missouri State is located in Springfield, Missouri and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 47 ’s music degrees to qualified students.

Missouri State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #24 on our “Best Music Schools in the Plains States Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Missouri State is $13,144 for plains states region music students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Music at Missouri State

23

University of Nebraska at Kearney came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Kearney, Nebraska, this medium-sized public school handed out 17 degrees to qualified ’s music students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our plains states region music students whose families make $30-$48k list, UNK has also earned the #25 rank in our “Best Music Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. It costs about $14,018 for plains states region music students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UNK.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Music at UNK

24

Minnesota State University - Moorhead did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Music Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #24. Moorhead, Minnesota is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s music degrees to 6 students in 2020-2021.

It costs about $14,194 for plains states region music students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Minnesota State University - Moorhead.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.0% 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 Minnesota State University - Moorhead

25

Emporia State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Music Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #25. Emporia State University is a medium-sized school located in Emporia, Kansas that handed out 30 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.

The yearly cost to attend ESU is $12,971 for Plains States Region Music students whose families make $30-$48k.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Music at ESU

Notes and References

References

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