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2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid

81 Ranked Colleges
2,059 Degrees Awarded
$11,500 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor's in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid

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 a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

In 2019-2020, 27,047 people earned their degree in music, making the major the 40th most popular in the United States. 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 the Far Western US region, there were 4,534 music graduates with average earnings and debt of $21,228 and $32,045 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 2,059 music graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,083 and $22,209 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 81 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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Music Schools

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

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 for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for far western us region bachelor’s degree music students with aid.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Music in the Far Western US Region (With Aid)

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Los Angeles. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid list. Los Angeles, 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.

It costs about $2,768 for far western us region bachelor’s degree music students with aid per year to attend Cal State LA.

The low student loan default rate of 1.4% 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 California State University - Los Angeles

#8 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid list. UW Seattle is a public institution located in Seattle, Washington. The school has a large population, and it awarded 26 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW Seattle, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UW Seattle is $13,297 for far western us region bachelor’s degree music students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, 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 93%.

Read full report on Music at University of Washington - Seattle Campus

#3

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#1 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Stanford University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid. Stanford is a fairly large school located in Stanford, California that handed out 8 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

Stanford not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $11,496 for far western us region bachelor’s degree music students with aid per year to attend Stanford University.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Music at Stanford University

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Northridge. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid. California State University - Northridge is a public institution located in Northridge, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 125 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $8,414 for far western us region bachelor’s degree music students with aid 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%.

Full CSUN Music Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Fullerton. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid. Cal State Fullerton is a large school located in Fullerton, California that handed out 67 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $7,991 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Music students with aid per year to attend Cal State Fullerton.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Music at California State University - Fullerton

With a ranking of #6, California State University - Fresno did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid list. California State University - Fresno is a public institution located in Fresno, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 28 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $5,464 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Music students with aid per year to attend California State University - Fresno.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Music at California State University - Fresno

With a ranking of #7, University of Nevada - Las Vegas did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid list. UNLV is a large public school situated in Las Vegas, Nevada. It awarded 25 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

UNLV not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Nevada - Las Vegas is $11,424 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Music students with aid.

Full University of Nevada - Las Vegas Music Report

California State University - Dominguez Hills landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. California State University - Dominguez Hills is located in Carson, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 15 bachelors’s music degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Dominguez Hills is $4,215 for far western us region bachelor’s degree music students with aid.

The 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 CSUDH

California State University - Long Beach came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. California State University - Long Beach is located in Long Beach, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 113 bachelors’s music degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Long Beach is $9,622 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Music students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 1.6% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Music at CSULB

#10

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

University of California - Los Angeles did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #10. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 67 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

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 the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Los Angeles is $14,279 for far western us region bachelor’s degree music students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Music at UCLA

University of California - Irvine landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of California - Irvine is located in Irvine, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 16 bachelors’s music degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree music students with aid list, UC Irvine has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UC Irvine is $14,783 for far western us region bachelor’s degree music students with aid.

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 low 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%.

Full UC Irvine Music Report

#2 in overall quality

California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid 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.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree music students with aid list, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is $21,595 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Music students with aid.

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 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%.

Read more about Music at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo

#13

California State University - San Bernardino

San Bernardino, California

California State University - San Bernardino came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. California State University - San Bernardino is a fairly large public school situated in San Bernardino, California. It awarded 19 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $7,342 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Music students with aid per year to attend California State University - San Bernardino.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Music at California State University - San Bernardino

#14

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

San Diego State University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid list. SDSU is a large public school situated in San Diego, California. It awarded 63 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend San Diego State University is $14,788 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Music students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Music at San Diego State University

California State Polytechnic University - Pomona came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Cal Poly Pomona is located in Pomona, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 60 bachelors’s music degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree music students with aid list, Cal Poly Pomona has also earned the #20 rank in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is $12,734 for far western us region bachelor’s degree music students with aid.

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

Full Cal Poly Pomona Music Report

#16

San Jose State University

San Jose, California

San Jose State University landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. San Jose State University is a large public school situated in San Jose, California. It awarded 44 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

San Jose State also took the #11 spot in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $14,928 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Music students with aid per year to attend San Jose State.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, 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 86%.

Full San Jose State University Music Report

California State University - Sacramento ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid list. California State University - Sacramento is a public institution located in Sacramento, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 32 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Sacramento is $9,979 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Music students with aid.

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 full report on Music at California State University - Sacramento

#18

University of California - Riverside

Riverside, California

University of California - Riverside landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Riverside, California, this large public school handed out 23 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s music students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend UCR is $12,871 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Music students with aid.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Music at University of California - Riverside

#19

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California

University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #19. This large school is located in Santa Barbara, California, and it awarded 32 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCSB, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Santa Barbara is $15,884 for far western us region bachelor’s degree music students with aid.

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

Full UCSB Music Report

#20

University of California - Berkeley

Berkeley, California
#5 in overall quality

With a ranking of #20, University of California - Berkeley did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid list. University of California - Berkeley is a public institution located in Berkeley, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 33 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Berkeley also took the #5 spot in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $15,329 for far western us region bachelor’s degree music students with aid per year to attend UC Berkeley.

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

Read more about Music at University of California - Berkeley

California State University - East Bay did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #21. Located in Hayward, California, this fairly large public school handed out 14 degrees to qualified bachelors’s music students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - East Bay is $11,116 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Music students with aid.

Read more about Music at California State University - East Bay

California State University - Stanislaus came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Turlock, California, this fairly large public school awarded 3 degrees to qualified bachelors’s music students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Stanislaus is $6,019 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Music students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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 more about Music at Stan State

#23

University of Alaska Anchorage

Anchorage, Alaska

University of Alaska Anchorage did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #23. UAA is located in Anchorage, Alaska and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 6 bachelors’s music degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for UAA is $12,995 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Music students with aid.

Full University of Alaska Anchorage Music Report

University of California - San Diego came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in La Jolla, California, this large public school handed out 32 degrees to qualified bachelors’s music students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend UCSD is $14,232 for far western us region bachelor’s degree music students with aid.

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 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 University of California - San Diego Music Report

With a ranking of #25, California State University - San Marcos did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid list. California State University - San Marcos is a public institution located in San Marcos, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 11 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $13,399 for far western us region bachelor’s degree music students with aid per year to attend CSUSM.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Music at California State University - San Marcos

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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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