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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Music (Income $48-$75k) in California

54 Ranked Colleges
1,553 Degrees Awarded
$18,864 Avg Salary
Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor's in California For Those Making $48-$75k

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 California For Those Making $48-$75k” 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 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 $48-$75k” ranking looked at 54 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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 for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k”.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. 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 for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k

The colleges and universities below are the best for california bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $48-$75k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Music (Income $48-$75k) in California

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. This fairly large school is located in Stanford, California, and it awarded 8 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

Stanford also took the #1 spot in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Stanford is $1,959 for California Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $48-$75k.

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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. 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 Stanford

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Los Angeles. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k. Cal State LA 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 $5,644 for California Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $48-$75k.

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%.

Read more about Music at California State University - Los Angeles

#3

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

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 $48-$75k. University of California - Los Angeles is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 67 bachelors’s music degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCLA, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UCLA is $13,081 for California Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 1.0% 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 full report on Music at University of California - Los Angeles

#5 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. This large school is located in Berkeley, California, and it awarded 33 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Berkeley also made our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #5. The yearly cost to attend UC Berkeley is $13,081 for california bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $48-$75k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.

Full University of California - Berkeley Music Report

Out of the 54 schools in the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Fullerton landed the #5 spot on the list. California State University - Fullerton is located in Fullerton, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 67 bachelors’s music degrees to qualified students.

Cal State Fullerton also made our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #25. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Fullerton is $9,427 for California Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $48-$75k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The low 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 California State University - Fullerton

#2 in overall quality

With a ranking of #6, California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k 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 also made our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #2. The yearly cost to attend Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is $19,407 for California Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $48-$75k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. 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%.

Full California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo Music Report

With a ranking of #7, California State University - Fresno did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. Fresno, 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 Fresno State is $7,549 for california bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $48-$75k.

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 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%.

Read full report on Music at California State University - Fresno

California State University - Northridge did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #8. CSUN is a public institution located in Northridge, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 125 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

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 $10,783 for california bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend California State University - Northridge.

The low student loan default rate of 2.0% 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 full report on Music at CSUN

With a ranking of #9, University of California - Irvine did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of California - Irvine is a large school located in Irvine, California that handed out 16 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Irvine not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for UC Irvine is $13,648 for California Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $48-$75k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, 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 94%.

Read more about Music at University of California - Irvine

California State University - Long Beach came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Long Beach, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s music degrees to 113 students in 2019-2020.

CSULB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #24 on our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $10,807 for california bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend CSULB.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. 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%.

Full California State University - Long Beach Music Report

With a ranking of #11, California State University - Dominguez Hills did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. CSUDH is a public institution located in Carson, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 15 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend CSUDH is $6,907 for California Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $48-$75k.

The low 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%.

Full California State University - Dominguez Hills Music Report

#12

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California

University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Santa Barbara, California, this large public school handed out 32 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s music students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCSB, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UCSB is $15,343 for california bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $48-$75k.

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

Read full report on Music at UCSB

#13

University of California - Riverside

Riverside, California

University of California - Riverside landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. University of California - Riverside is a public institution located in Riverside, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 23 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Riverside is $12,290 for california bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Music at UCR

University of California - Davis did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #14. Located in Davis, California, this large public school awarded 21 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s music students in 2019-2020.

UC Davis not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $13,578 for california bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend UC Davis.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. 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%.

Read more about Music at UC Davis

#15

Occidental College

Los Angeles, California
#6 in overall quality

Occidental College ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k 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.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $48-$75k list, Oxy has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Oxy is $19,364 for California Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $48-$75k.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. 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%.

Full Occidental College Music Report

University of California - San Diego landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This large school is located in La Jolla, California, and it awarded 32 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCSD, the school also landed the #20 spot in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UCSD is $14,071 for California Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $48-$75k.

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

Full University of California - San Diego Music Report

#17

California State University - San Bernardino

San Bernardino, California

California State University - San Bernardino did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #17. Located in San Bernardino, California, this fairly large public school awarded 19 degrees to qualified bachelors’s music students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for CSUSB is $8,924 for California Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $48-$75k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Read more about Music at CSUSB

#18

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

With a ranking of #18, San Diego State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. San Diego State University is located in San Diego, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 63 bachelors’s music degrees to qualified students.

SDSU also took the #22 spot in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend San Diego State University is $14,730 for California Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.

Read full report on Music at SDSU

With a ranking of #19, California State University - Sacramento did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. California State University - Sacramento is a large public school situated in Sacramento, California. It awarded 32 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $11,413 for California Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend California State University - Sacramento.

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 Sac State

California State University - Stanislaus came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. California State University - Stanislaus is a fairly large school located in Turlock, California that handed out 3 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $7,772 for california bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend California State University - Stanislaus.

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

#21

San Jose State University

San Jose, California

San Jose State University landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. San Jose State is a public institution located in San Jose, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 44 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $48-$75k list, San Jose State has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for San Jose State is $16,397 for california bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 3.7% 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 San Jose State University

With a ranking of #22, California State Polytechnic University - Pomona did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. Cal Poly Pomona is a large public school situated in Pomona, California. It awarded 60 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal Poly Pomona also took the #16 spot in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is $14,012 for California Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $48-$75k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, 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 87%.

Full Cal Poly Pomona Music Report

California State University - San Marcos ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. This fairly large school is located in San Marcos, California, and it awarded 11 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend CSUSM is $14,582 for California Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $48-$75k.

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%.

Read more about Music at California State University - San Marcos

#24

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California
#3 in overall quality

With a ranking of #24, University of Southern California did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of Southern California is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 61 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree music students whose families make $48-$75k list, USC has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Southern California is $20,050 for California Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $48-$75k.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Music at University of Southern California

With a ranking of #25, California State University - East Bay did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. 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 yearly cost to attend California State University - East Bay is $13,048 for California Bachelor’s Degree Music students whose families make $48-$75k.

Full California State University - East Bay Music Report

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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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