2023 Best Value Colleges for Music (With Aid)
492
Ranked Colleges
25,910
Degrees Awarded
$9,600
Avg Net Price*
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. 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 For Those Getting Aid” 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.
This year’s “Best Value Music Schools For Those Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 492 colleges that offered a degree in music. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality music programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.
To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the music program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
One Size Does Not Fit All
When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Music Schools For Those Getting Aid” list to help you make the college decision.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Best Value Music Schools For Those Getting Aid
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Music Schools For Those Getting Aid.
Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Music (With Aid)
Out of the 492 schools in the Best Value Music Schools For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley landed the #1 spot on the list. The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is a public institution located in Edinburg, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 57 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend UT Rio Grande Valley is $3,743 for music students with aid.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Music at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Brooklyn College. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Music Schools For Those Getting Aid. Brooklyn College is a fairly large public school situated in Brooklyn, New York. It awarded 66 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $3,067 for music students with aid per year to attend Brooklyn College.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.5% 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%.
Full Brooklyn College Music Report
Out of the 492 schools in the Best Value Music Schools For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Valencia College landed the #3 spot on the list. This large school is located in Orlando, Florida, and it awarded 113 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $5,354 for music students with aid per year to attend Valencia College.
Read full report on Music at Valencia College
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Music Schools For Those Getting Aid. Seattle, Washington is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s music degrees to 51 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on this list, UW Seattle is in the top on our “Best Music Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best Music Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Washington - Seattle Campus is $12,017 for music students with aid.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, 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 93%.
Read more about Music at UW Seattle
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Florida. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Music Schools For Those Getting Aid list. UF is located in Gainesville, Florida and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 62 ’s music degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UF is also in the top of our “Best Music Schools” ranking. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend UF is $5,135 for music students with aid.
The low undergrad 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.
Read more about Music at University of Florida
Indiana University - Bloomington landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Best Value Music Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. IU Bloomington is a large public school situated in Bloomington, Indiana. It awarded 374 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our music students with aid list, IU Bloomington has also earned the #24 rank in our “Best Music Schools” ranking. It costs about $14,619 for Music students with aid per year to attend Indiana University - Bloomington.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.4% 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%.
Full IU Bloomington Music Report
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Music Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #7. Chapel Hill, North Carolina is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s music degrees to 50 students in 2020-2021.
UNC Chapel Hill also claimed a top spot on our “Best Music Schools” list. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. The estimated yearly cost for University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is $12,469 for Music students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Music at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
With a ranking of #8, Hunter College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Music Schools For Those Getting Aid list. New York, New York is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s music degrees to 39 students in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend Hunter College is $2,158 for music students with aid.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.1% 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%.
Read more about Music at Hunter College
With a ranking of #9, Florida State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Music Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Florida State University is a large public school situated in Tallahassee, Florida. It awarded 171 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
Florida State excels when it comes to music quality. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The estimated yearly cost for Florida State is $9,946 for music students with aid.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Florida State University Music Report
Michigan State University landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Best Value Music Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Michigan State is a public institution located in East Lansing, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 208 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Michigan State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Music Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Michigan State is $19,058 for Music students with aid.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. 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 full report on Music at Michigan State
California State University - Los Angeles landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Best Value Music Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. California State University - Los Angeles is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 57 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Los Angeles is $3,302 for Music students with aid.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Music at California State University - Los Angeles
The City College of New York landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Best Value Music Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. CCNY is a fairly large public school situated in New York, New York. It awarded 49 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend CCNY is $2,805 for music students with aid.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% 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 The City College of New York Music Report
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools For Those Getting Aid list. U-M is a large school located in Ann Arbor, Michigan that handed out 199 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our music students with aid list, U-M has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Music Schools” ranking. It costs about $14,878 for music students with aid per year to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% 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 96%.
Read full report on Music at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Yale University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Music Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #14. New Haven, Connecticut is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s music degrees to 141 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our music students with aid list, Yale has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Music Schools” ranking. It costs about $15,296 for Music students with aid per year to attend Yale.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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 Yale University
With a ranking of #15, The University of Texas at El Paso did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Music Schools For Those Getting Aid list. UTEP is a public institution located in El Paso, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 43 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $9,000 for music students with aid per year to attend UTEP.
Full UTEP Music Report
The University of Texas at Austin came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. UT Austin is a large public school situated in Austin, Texas. It awarded 140 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
UT Austin did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best Music Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for The University of Texas at Austin is $18,350 for music students with aid.
The low undergrad 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full The University of Texas at Austin Music Report
Lehman College came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Lehman College is located in Bronx, New York and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 11 ’s music degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for Lehman is $2,614 for music students with aid.
Read more about Music at Lehman College
University of California - Los Angeles came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. UCLA is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 114 ’s music degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCLA, the school also landed the #19 spot in our “Best Music Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UCLA is $15,023 for music students with aid.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of California - Los Angeles Music Report
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Champaign, Illinois, this large public school awarded 129 diplomas to qualified ’s music students in 2020-2021.
On top of its placing in this ranking, UIUC also did well on our “Best Music Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best Music Schools” list. It costs about $14,321 for music students with aid per year to attend UIUC.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Music at UIUC
Queens College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Music Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #20. Located in Queens, New York, this fairly large public school awarded 65 diplomas to qualified ’s music students in 2020-2021.
It costs about $3,469 for Music students with aid per year to attend QC.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full QC Music Report
El Centro College landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Best Value Music Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. This large school is located in Dallas, Texas, and it awarded 45 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for El Centro College is $4,739 for music students with aid.
Full El Centro College Music Report
California State University - Fullerton ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools For Those Getting Aid list. Cal State Fullerton is a public institution located in Fullerton, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 89 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $8,003 for music students with aid per year to attend Cal State Fullerton.
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 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full California State University - Fullerton Music Report
Brigham Young University - Provo came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Brigham Young University - Provo is a private not-for-profit institution located in Provo, Utah. The school has a large population, and it awarded 82 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on this list, BYU is in the top on our “Best Music Schools” list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The estimated yearly cost for BYU is $13,474 for Music students with aid.
The undergrad 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 92%.
Read full report on Music at Brigham Young University - Provo
California State University - Long Beach came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Long Beach, California, this large public school handed out 129 diplomas to qualified ’s music students in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Long Beach is $10,054 for music students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
Read more about Music at CSULB
With a ranking of #25, University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Music Schools For Those Getting Aid list. University of Wisconsin - Madison is located in Madison, Wisconsin and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 69 ’s music degrees to qualified students.
On top of its placing in this ranking, UW - Madison also did well on our “Best Music Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best Music Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison is $17,234 for Music students with aid.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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%.
Full University of Wisconsin - Madison Music Report
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