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2022 Best Value Music Schools in Massachusetts For Those Getting Aid

25 Ranked Colleges
1,743 Degrees Awarded
$26,100 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Music Schools in Massachusetts For Those Getting Aid

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Music Schools in Massachusetts For Those Getting Aid” ranking is part of that endeavor.

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 Massachusetts, there were 1,743 music graduates with average earnings and debt of $25,450 and $31,150 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Music Schools in Massachusetts For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 25 colleges that offer a degree in music. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality music programs that also have a lower cost than 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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest 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 Massachusetts For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for massachusetts music students with aid.

Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Music in Massachusetts (With Aid)

#1

Holyoke Community College

Holyoke, Massachusetts

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Holyoke Community College. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Music Schools in Massachusetts For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Holyoke, Massachusetts, this small public school handed out 1 degrees to qualified ’s music students in 2019-2020.

Holyoke Community College did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #25 on our “Best Music Schools in Massachusetts” list. The estimated yearly cost for Holyoke Community College is $7,718 for Massachusetts Music students with aid.

Full Holyoke Community College Music Report

#2

Williams College

Williamstown, Massachusetts

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Williams College. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Music Schools in Massachusetts For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Williamstown, Massachusetts, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 9 degrees to qualified ’s music students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our massachusetts music students with aid list, Williams has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Music Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Williams College is $19,480 for Massachusetts Music students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on Music at Williams

#3

Harvard University

Cambridge, Massachusetts

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Harvard University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Music Schools in Massachusetts For Those Getting Aid list. Harvard University is a large school located in Cambridge, Massachusetts that handed out 22 ’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our massachusetts music students with aid list, Harvard has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Music Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Harvard is $15,386 for Massachusetts Music students with aid.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Music at Harvard

#4

Wellesley College

Wellesley, Massachusetts

Out of the 25 schools in the Best Value Music Schools in Massachusetts For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Wellesley College landed the #4 spot on the list. Wellesley College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Wellesley, Massachusetts. It awarded 9 ’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

Wellesley did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Music Schools in Massachusetts” list. It costs about $22,087 for Massachusetts Music students with aid per year to attend Wellesley College.

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 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full Wellesley College Music Report

#5

Westfield State University

Westfield, Massachusetts

Out of the 25 schools in the Best Value Music Schools in Massachusetts For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Westfield State University landed the #5 spot on the list. Westfield State University is located in Westfield, Massachusetts and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 13 ’s music degrees to qualified students.

Westfield not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #16 on our “Best Music Schools in Massachusetts” list. It costs about $19,167 for massachusetts music students with aid per year to attend Westfield State University.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Music at Westfield State University

#6

Bridgewater State University

Bridgewater, Massachusetts

With a ranking of #6, Bridgewater State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools in Massachusetts For Those Getting Aid list. Bridgewater State University is located in Bridgewater, Massachusetts and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 4 ’s music degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our massachusetts music students with aid list, Bridgewater State has also earned the #20 rank in our “Best Music Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Bridgewater State is $18,457 for massachusetts music students with aid.

Full Bridgewater State University Music Report

University of Massachusetts - Lowell ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools in Massachusetts For Those Getting Aid list. This fairly large school is located in Lowell, Massachusetts, and it awarded 54 ’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UMass Lowell, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Music Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Massachusetts - Lowell is $19,119 for Massachusetts Music students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Music at University of Massachusetts - Lowell

#8

University of Massachusetts Amherst

Amherst, Massachusetts

University of Massachusetts Amherst landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools in Massachusetts For Those Getting Aid ranking. This large school is located in Amherst, Massachusetts, and it awarded 83 ’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

UMass Amherst also made our “Best Music Schools in Massachusetts” list, coming in at #8. The estimated yearly cost for UMass Amherst is $22,501 for Massachusetts Music students with aid.

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 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 UMass Amherst

#9

Salem State University

Salem, Massachusetts

Salem State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Schools in Massachusetts For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #9. Salem State University is a medium-sized public school situated in Salem, Massachusetts. It awarded 8 ’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

Salem State also took the #22 spot in our “Best Music Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Salem State is $18,399 for Massachusetts Music students with aid.

Read full report on Music at Salem State University

#10

University of Massachusetts - Boston

Boston, Massachusetts

University of Massachusetts - Boston ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools in Massachusetts For Those Getting Aid list. University of Massachusetts - Boston is a public institution located in Boston, Massachusetts. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 13 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UMass Boston did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #24 on our “Best Music Schools in Massachusetts” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Massachusetts - Boston is $18,340 for massachusetts music students with aid.

Full University of Massachusetts - Boston Music Report

#11

University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth

North Dartmouth, Massachusetts

University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Schools in Massachusetts For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #11. Located in North Dartmouth, Massachusetts, this medium-sized public school handed out 6 diplomas to qualified ’s music students in 2019-2020.

UMass Dartmouth not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #23 on our “Best Music Schools in Massachusetts” list. It costs about $18,503 for Massachusetts Music students with aid per year to attend University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth.

Read more about Music at UMass Dartmouth

#12

Boston College

Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts

Boston College landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools in Massachusetts For Those Getting Aid ranking. Boston College is located in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 6 ’s music degrees to qualified students.

Boston College also made our “Best Music Schools in Massachusetts” list, coming in at #2. The estimated yearly cost for Boston College is $35,899 for Massachusetts Music students with aid.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.

Full Boston College Music Report

#13

Boston University

Boston, Massachusetts

Boston University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Schools in Massachusetts For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #13. This large school is located in Boston, Massachusetts, and it awarded 142 ’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Boston U, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Music Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. It costs about $30,259 for massachusetts music students with aid per year to attend Boston University.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%.

Full Boston U Music Report

#14

College of the Holy Cross

Worcester, Massachusetts

College of the Holy Cross ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools in Massachusetts For Those Getting Aid list. This small school is located in Worcester, Massachusetts, and it awarded 4 ’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

Holy Cross did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Music Schools in Massachusetts” list. The estimated yearly cost for Holy Cross is $37,292 for massachusetts music students with aid.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. 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 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Holy Cross Music Report

#15

Wheaton College Massachusetts

Norton, Massachusetts

Wheaton College Massachusetts came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools in Massachusetts For Those Getting Aid ranking. Wheaton College Massachusetts is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Norton, Massachusetts. It awarded 11 ’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

Wheaton College Massachusetts did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Music Schools in Massachusetts” list. The yearly cost to attend Wheaton College Massachusetts is $26,809 for Massachusetts Music students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full Wheaton College Massachusetts Music Report

#16

Gordon College

Wenham, Massachusetts

Gordon College came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools in Massachusetts For Those Getting Aid ranking. Gordon College is a small school located in Wenham, Massachusetts that handed out 8 ’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

Gordon College not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Music Schools in Massachusetts” list. The yearly cost to attend Gordon College is $25,777 for Massachusetts Music students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read more about Music at Gordon College

#17

Smith College

Northampton, Massachusetts

Smith College ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools in Massachusetts For Those Getting Aid list. Smith College is located in Northampton, Massachusetts and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 4 ’s music degrees to qualified students.

Smith also took the #15 spot in our “Best Music Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. It costs about $28,305 for Massachusetts Music students with aid per year to attend Smith.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Smith College Music Report

#18

Tufts University

Medford, Massachusetts

Tufts University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Schools in Massachusetts For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #18. Tufts is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Medford, Massachusetts. It awarded 18 ’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

Tufts did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Music Schools in Massachusetts” list. The estimated yearly cost for Tufts is $30,744 for massachusetts music students with aid.

The impressive 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 student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, 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 92%.

Full Tufts Music Report

#19

Mount Holyoke College

South Hadley, Massachusetts

Mount Holyoke College ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools in Massachusetts For Those Getting Aid list. Mt. Holyoke is a small school located in South Hadley, Massachusetts that handed out 6 ’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our massachusetts music students with aid list, Mt. Holyoke has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Music Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. It costs about $27,149 for Massachusetts Music students with aid per year to attend Mt. Holyoke.

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 student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Music at Mt. Holyoke

#20

Clark University

Worcester, Massachusetts

Clark University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools in Massachusetts For Those Getting Aid ranking. Clark is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Worcester, Massachusetts. It awarded 9 ’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

Clark not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #19 on our “Best Music Schools in Massachusetts” list. It costs about $28,805 for massachusetts music students with aid per year to attend Clark University.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, 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. The student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read more about Music at Clark University

#21

Northeastern University

Boston, Massachusetts

With a ranking of #21, Northeastern University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools in Massachusetts For Those Getting Aid list. Northeastern University is a large school located in Boston, Massachusetts that handed out 43 ’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

Northeastern also took the #7 spot in our “Best Music Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Northeastern University is $31,093 for massachusetts 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 97%.

Full Northeastern Music Report

#22

Longy School of Music of Bard College

Cambridge, Massachusetts
#21 in overall quality

Longy School of Music of Bard College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Schools in Massachusetts For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #22. This small school is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and it awarded 119 ’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

Longy not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #21 on our “Best Music Schools in Massachusetts” list.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%. The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. 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 full report on Music at Longy School of Music of Bard College

#23

Brandeis University

Waltham, Massachusetts

Brandeis University landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools in Massachusetts For Those Getting Aid ranking. Brandeis University is a medium-sized school located in Waltham, Massachusetts that handed out 11 ’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

Brandeis also took the #9 spot in our “Best Music Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. It costs about $31,165 for Massachusetts Music students with aid per year to attend Brandeis University.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on Music at Brandeis

#24

Berklee College of Music

Boston, Massachusetts

With a ranking of #24, Berklee College of Music did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools in Massachusetts For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Boston, Massachusetts, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 810 degrees to qualified ’s music students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our massachusetts music students with aid list, Berklee College of Music has also earned the #17 rank in our “Best Music Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. It costs about $49,514 for Massachusetts Music students with aid per year to attend Berklee College of Music.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read full report on Music at Berklee College of Music

#25

Emerson College

Boston, Massachusetts

Emerson College ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools in Massachusetts For Those Getting Aid list. Emerson is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Boston, Massachusetts. It awarded 1 ’s music degrees in 2019-2020.

Emerson not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #18 on our “Best Music Schools in Massachusetts” list. The yearly cost to attend Emerson College is $45,365 for Massachusetts Music students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 2.5% 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 Emerson College Music Report

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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