2024 Best Value Music Schools in Illinois
17
Ranked Colleges
1,138
Degrees Awarded
$20,600
Avg Net Price*
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Music Schools in Illinois” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
Music is the 43rd most popular major in the country with 25,910 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. 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.
Across Illinois, there were 1,138 music graduates with average earnings and debt of $26,572 and $23,882 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Music Schools in Illinois” ranking, we looked at 17 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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
More Ways to Rank Music Schools
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Music Schools in Illinois” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
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 in Illinois
The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois music students.
Top 17 Best Value Colleges for Music in Illinois
Out of the 17 schools in the Best Value Music Schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #1 spot on the list. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a large school located in Champaign, Illinois that handed out 129 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
UIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Music Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $14,321 for Illinois Music students.
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 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full UIUC Music Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Illinois State University. It ranked #2 on our 2024 Best Value Music Schools in Illinois list. Illinois State University is a large public school situated in Normal, Illinois. It awarded 75 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
Illinois State also made our “Best Music Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #6. The yearly cost to attend Illinois State is $20,830 for illinois music students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Illinois State Music Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Western Illinois University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Music Schools in Illinois. This medium-sized school is located in Macomb, Illinois, and it awarded 44 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our illinois music students list, WIU has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Music Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Western Illinois University is $15,305 for Illinois Music students.
Full WIU Music Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Eastern Illinois University. It ranked #4 on our 2024 Best Value Music Schools in Illinois list. Charleston, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s music degrees to 37 students in 2020-2021.
EIU also took the #11 spot in our “Best Music Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Eastern Illinois University is $13,098 for illinois music students.
Full Eastern Illinois University Music Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northern Illinois University. It ranked #5 on our 2024 Best Value Music Schools in Illinois list. Located in Dekalb, Illinois, this fairly large public school awarded 64 degrees to qualified ’s music students in 2020-2021.
NIU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Music Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for NIU is $13,956 for Illinois Music students.
Full Northern Illinois University Music Report
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools in Illinois list. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is a public institution located in Edwardsville, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 29 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
SIUE not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #17 on our “Best Music Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $14,462 for illinois music students per year to attend SIUE.
Read full report on Music at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #7 spot on the 2024 Best Value Music Schools in Illinois ranking. UIC is a large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 13 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our illinois music students list, UIC has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Music Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Illinois at Chicago is $13,214 for illinois music students.
The low undergrad 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 University of Illinois at Chicago Music Report
With a ranking of #8, Southern Illinois University Carbondale did quite well on the 2024 Best Value Music Schools in Illinois list. Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a public institution located in Carbondale, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 26 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our illinois music students list, SIUC has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best Music Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $16,285 for Illinois Music students per year to attend SIUC.
The undergraduate 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.
Read full report on Music at SIUC
Roosevelt University did quite well in the 2024 Best Value Music Schools in Illinois ranking, coming in at #9. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 97 diplomas to qualified ’s music students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our illinois music students list, Roosevelt has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Music Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Roosevelt is $21,678 for illinois music students.
Read full report on Music at Roosevelt
With a ranking of #10, Columbia College Chicago did quite well on the 2024 Best Value Music Schools in Illinois list. Columbia is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 71 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
Columbia not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Music Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Columbia is $26,258 for illinois music students.
Read full report on Music at Columbia College Chicago
DePaul University did quite well in the 2024 Best Value Music Schools in Illinois ranking, coming in at #11. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 91 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our illinois music students list, DePaul has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Music Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for DePaul is $31,174 for Illinois Music students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full DePaul Music Report
Wheaton College Illinois ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools in Illinois list. Wheaton College Illinois is a private not-for-profit institution located in Wheaton, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 41 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Wheaton College Illinois also took the #2 spot in our “Best Music Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $25,692 for illinois music students per year to attend Wheaton College Illinois.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Music at Wheaton College Illinois
Olivet Nazarene University landed the #13 spot on the 2024 Best Value Music Schools in Illinois ranking. Located in Bourbonnais, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 10 degrees to qualified ’s music students in 2020-2021.
Olivet Nazarene also took the #15 spot in our “Best Music Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Olivet Nazarene University is $19,470 for illinois music students.
The school has an impressive undergrad 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 Olivet Nazarene
Millikin University did quite well in the 2024 Best Value Music Schools in Illinois ranking, coming in at #14. Located in Decatur, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 33 diplomas to qualified ’s music students in 2020-2021.
Millikin also took the #7 spot in our “Best Music Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Millikin University is $19,135 for illinois music students.
The undergraduate 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 full report on Music at Millikin University
North Central College did quite well in the 2024 Best Value Music Schools in Illinois ranking, coming in at #15. North Central College is located in Naperville, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 14 ’s music degrees to qualified students.
North Central did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Music Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for North Central College is $25,199 for Illinois Music students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Music at North Central
Loyola University Chicago came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools in Illinois ranking. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s music degrees to 11 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Loyola Chicago, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Music Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Loyola University Chicago is $36,434 for illinois music students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. The school has an impressive undergrad 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 Loyola Chicago
Northwestern University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools in Illinois ranking. This large school is located in Evanston, Illinois, and it awarded 156 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
Northwestern did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Music Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Northwestern University is $23,279 for Illinois Music students.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 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 99%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Music at Northwestern University
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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
- *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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