2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois
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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 Illinois, there were 1,073 music graduates with average earnings and debt of $23,747 and $27,432 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 649 music graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,319 and $24,183 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois” ranking analyzed 29 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.
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.
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More Ways to Rank Music Schools
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 Illinois”.
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. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois
The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois bachelor’s degree music students.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Music in Illinois
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Illinois State University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois. Illinois State is a large school located in Normal, Illinois that handed out 42 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
Illinois State also took the #5 spot in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Illinois State is $20,895 for illinois bachelor’s degree music students.
The low student loan default rate of 4.4% 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%.
Out of the 29 schools in the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Eastern Illinois University landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Charleston, Illinois, this medium-sized public school handed out 13 degrees to qualified bachelors’s music students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree music students list, EIU has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Eastern Illinois University is $14,607 for illinois bachelor’s degree music students.
Out of the 29 schools in the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Western Illinois University landed the #3 spot on the list. WIU is a medium-sized public school situated in Macomb, Illinois. It awarded 38 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
WIU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for WIU is $16,210 for illinois bachelor’s degree music students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. This large school is located in Champaign, Illinois, and it awarded 51 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
UIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $15,880 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Music students.
The low 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read more about Music at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois. Located in Edwardsville, Illinois, this fairly large public school handed out 23 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s music students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at SIUE, the school also landed the #19 spot in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $14,423 for illinois bachelor’s degree music students per year to attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
With a ranking of #6, Northern Illinois University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Northern Illinois University is a public institution located in Dekalb, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 37 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
NIU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Northern Illinois University is $18,259 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Music students.
Northeastern Illinois University landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this medium-sized public school handed out 10 degrees to qualified bachelors’s music students in 2019-2020.
Northeastern Illinois University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #22 on our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $15,843 for illinois bachelor’s degree music students per year to attend Northeastern Illinois University.
Read full report on Music at Northeastern Illinois University
University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s music degrees to 9 students in 2019-2020.
UIC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #21 on our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $13,312 for illinois bachelor’s degree music students per year to attend UIC.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Southern Illinois University Carbondale ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Located in Carbondale, Illinois, this fairly large public school awarded 10 degrees to qualified bachelors’s music students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at SIUC, the school also landed the #24 spot in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Southern Illinois University Carbondale is $16,945 for illinois bachelor’s degree music students.
Read more about Music at Southern Illinois University Carbondale
North Park University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 14 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s music students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at North Park, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $19,170 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Music students per year to attend North Park University.
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.
Wheaton College Illinois landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. Wheaton College Illinois is located in Wheaton, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 26 bachelors’s music degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree music students list, Wheaton College Illinois has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Wheaton College Illinois is $25,358 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Music 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. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Olivet Nazarene University landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. Olivet Nazarene University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Bourbonnais, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 10 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Olivet Nazarene did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Olivet Nazarene University is $20,195 for illinois bachelor’s degree music students.
The low 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%.
Bradley University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. Located in Peoria, Illinois, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 8 degrees to qualified bachelors’s music students in 2019-2020.
Bradley also took the #10 spot in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $25,634 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Music students per year to attend Bradley University.
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 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Columbia College Chicago did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking, coming in at #14. Columbia is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 56 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Columbia did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #23 on our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $31,099 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Music students per year to attend Columbia College Chicago.
With a ranking of #15, University of St Francis did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Located in Joliet, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 6 degrees to qualified bachelors’s music students in 2019-2020.
University of Saint Francis also made our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #25. The yearly cost to attend University of Saint Francis is $17,538 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Music students.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Trinity International University - Illinois landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. TIU Illinois is located in Deerfield, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 5 bachelors’s music degrees to qualified students.
It costs about $21,204 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Music students per year to attend Trinity International University - Illinois.
The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Read more about Music at Trinity International University - Illinois
Elmhurst University ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Elmhurst, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s music degrees to 16 students in 2019-2020.
Elmhurst did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Elmhurst is $21,485 for illinois bachelor’s degree music students.
The low student loan default rate of 3.0% 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%.
Roosevelt University landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 27 degrees to qualified bachelors’s music students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Roosevelt is $22,749 for illinois bachelor’s degree music students.
Dominican University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. This small school is located in River Forest, Illinois, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $19,268 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Music students per year to attend Dominican U.
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.
Millikin University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking, coming in at #20. Millikin is a small school located in Decatur, Illinois that handed out 30 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree music students list, Millikin has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Millikin University is $21,331 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Music students.
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.
North Central College came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. North Central is a small school located in Naperville, Illinois that handed out 8 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree music students list, North Central has also earned the #17 rank in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for North Central College is $24,786 for illinois bachelor’s degree music students.
The low student loan default rate of 3.9% 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%.
Augustana College ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Located in Rock Island, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 3 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s music students in 2019-2020.
Augustana also made our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #13. The estimated yearly cost for Augustana College is $23,874 for illinois bachelor’s degree music students.
The low 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
DePaul University ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. DePaul University is a large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 26 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
DePaul also took the #20 spot in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $30,090 for illinois bachelor’s degree music students per year to attend DePaul University.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Lake Forest College landed the #24 spot on the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. This small school is located in Lake Forest, Illinois, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s music degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree music students list, Lake Forest has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Lake Forest is $26,426 for illinois bachelor’s degree music students.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Loyola University Chicago did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Music Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking, coming in at #25. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s music degrees to 3 students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Loyola Chicago, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Loyola University Chicago is $35,407 for illinois bachelor’s degree music students.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low 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%.
- Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Music in the Great Lakes Region
- Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Music
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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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