by our College Data Analytics Team
[Music](/majors/visual-and-performing-arts/music/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
College Factual analyzed 2 schools to build this 2026 ranking of the best value music schools.
What’s on this page:
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the music degrees they offer, see the list below.
Our analysis ranked University Of Delaware the best value for a degree in music in Delaware. Set in the suburb of Newark, University Of Delaware is a very large public institution. Students from in state pay about $16,810 in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay about $41,400. Typical student debt for music graduates is $25,334. Early-career music graduates make about $38,417. That is a strong return on a $25,334 median debt. Roughly 71% of applicants are accepted.
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 2 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 ranked schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.