2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Music in the Great Lakes Region
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. 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 Great Lakes Region” 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 Great Lakes region, there were 4,025 music graduates with average earnings and debt of $25,684 and $28,070 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 2,336 music graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,075 and $25,381 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region” ranking looked at 105 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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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 Great Lakes Region” 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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region
The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region bachelor’s degree music students.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Music in the Great Lakes Region
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Wisconsin - Whitewater. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region. University of Wisconsin - Whitewater is a fairly large school located in Whitewater, Wisconsin that handed out 25 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
UW - Whitewater not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UW - Whitewater is $15,249 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Music students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Platteville. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. University of Wisconsin - Platteville is a medium-sized public school situated in Platteville, Wisconsin. It awarded 7 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW - Platteville, the school also landed the #14 spot in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Platteville is $15,718 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Music students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - La Crosse. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. UW - La Crosse is a public institution located in La Crosse, Wisconsin. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 12 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
UW - La Crosse also made our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #15. It costs about $14,580 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree music students per year to attend UW - La Crosse.
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 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. UW - Eau Claire is a fairly large school located in Eau Claire, Wisconsin that handed out 44 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree music students list, UW - Eau Claire has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UW - Eau Claire is $16,020 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree music students.
Read full report on Music at University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Western Illinois University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. WIU is a medium-sized public school situated in Macomb, Illinois. It awarded 38 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $16,210 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree music students per year to attend Western Illinois University.
With a ranking of #6, University of Wisconsin - Green Bay did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. This medium-sized school is located in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and it awarded 11 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
UW - Green Bay also took the #24 spot in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $14,395 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree music students per year to attend UW - Green Bay.
With a ranking of #7, Eastern Illinois University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. This medium-sized school is located in Charleston, Illinois, and it awarded 13 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend EIU is $14,607 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Music students.
University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh is located in Oshkosh, Wisconsin and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 9 bachelors’s music degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for UW Oshkosh is $15,463 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Music students.
University of Wisconsin - River Falls came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. UW - River Falls is a public institution located in River Falls, Wisconsin. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 11 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - River Falls is $13,748 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Music students.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Music at University of Wisconsin - River Falls
University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, this medium-sized public school awarded 22 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s music students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $14,465 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Music students per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. SIUE is a public institution located in Edwardsville, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 23 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $14,423 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Music students per year to attend SIUE.
With a ranking of #12, Grand Valley State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. This large school is located in Allendale, Michigan, and it awarded 36 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
GVSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #16 on our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $17,646 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Music students per year to attend Grand Valley State University.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Northern Illinois University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Northern Illinois University is located in Dekalb, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 37 bachelors’s music degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for NIU is $18,259 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree music students.
Illinois State University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Normal, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s music degrees to 42 students in 2019-2020.
Illinois State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Illinois State University is $20,895 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Music students.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Youngstown State University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Youngstown, Ohio is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s music degrees to 17 students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $11,947 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree music students per year to attend Youngstown State University.
Western Michigan University ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. This fairly large school is located in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and it awarded 43 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Western Michigan University is $19,433 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree music students.
With a ranking of #17, University of Wisconsin - Parkside did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. University of Wisconsin - Parkside is located in Kenosha, Wisconsin and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 5 bachelors’s music degrees to qualified students.
It costs about $11,327 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree music students per year to attend UW - Parkside.
Southern Illinois University Carbondale ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Carbondale, Illinois, this fairly large public school handed out 10 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s music students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $16,945 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree music students per year to attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale.
University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Milwaukee, Wisconsin 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 UWM is $17,876 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree music students.
Eastern Michigan University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Ypsilanti, Michigan, this fairly large public school handed out 7 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s music students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Eastern Michigan is $15,924 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree music students.
Indiana State University ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Terre Haute, Indiana, this fairly large public school awarded 26 degrees to qualified bachelors’s music students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $13,896 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Music students per year to attend Indiana State.
Bowling Green State University - Main Campus landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Bowling Green State University - Main Campus is located in Bowling Green, Ohio and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 34 bachelors’s music degrees to qualified students.
It costs about $18,394 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Music students per year to attend BGSU.
Read full report on Music at Bowling Green State University - Main Campus
Northeastern Illinois University landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s music degrees to 10 students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $15,843 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Music students per year to attend Northeastern Illinois University.
Read full report on Music at Northeastern Illinois University
Central Michigan University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #24. Central Michigan is a fairly large school located in Mount Pleasant, Michigan that handed out 16 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Central Michigan University is $15,981 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Music students.
With a ranking of #25, Cleveland State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Cleveland State University is a fairly large public school situated in Cleveland, Ohio. It awarded 19 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Cleveland State University is $17,278 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree music students.
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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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