by our College Data Analytics Team
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Music Schools in the New England Region” ranking.
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 the New England region, there were 2,151 music graduates with average earnings and debt of $24,789 and $25,423 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Music Schools in the New England Region” ranking looked at 42 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in music. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent music programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.
To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the music program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
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 in the New England Region”.
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. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
The colleges and universities below are the best for new england region music students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Holyoke Community College. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Music Schools in the New England Region list. Holyoke, Massachusetts is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s music degrees to 9 students in 2020-2021.
It costs about $8,271 for new england region music students per year to attend Holyoke Community College.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Gordon College. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Music Schools in the New England Region. Gordon College is a small school located in Wenham, Massachusetts that handed out 8 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
Gordon College also took the #18 spot in our “Best Music Schools in the New England Region” ranking. It costs about $25,748 for New England Region Music students per year to attend Gordon College.
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. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 42 schools in the Best Value Music Schools in the New England Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Bridgewater State University landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Bridgewater, Massachusetts, this medium-sized public school handed out 6 degrees to qualified ’s music students in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for Bridgewater State is $18,951 for New England Region Music students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Southern Maine. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Music Schools in the New England Region list. Portland, Maine is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s music degrees to 21 students in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend University of Southern Maine is $12,055 for New England Region Music students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.2% 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%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Hartford. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Music Schools in the New England Region list. UHart is a medium-sized school located in West Hartford, Connecticut that handed out 140 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
UHart did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Music Schools in the New England Region” list. It costs about $28,712 for New England Region Music students per year to attend UHart.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
With a ranking of #6, Keene State College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Music Schools in the New England Region list. Keene State College is a public institution located in Keene, New Hampshire. The school has a small population, and it awarded 8 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our new england region music students list, Keene State has also earned the #25 rank in our “Best Music Schools in the New England Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Keene State College is $19,794 for New England Region Music students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Westfield State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Music Schools in the New England Region ranking, coming in at #7. Westfield, Massachusetts is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s music degrees to 10 students in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend Westfield is $19,583 for New England Region Music students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Salem State University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools in the New England Region list. Salem State University is located in Salem, Massachusetts and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 8 ’s music degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for Salem State University is $19,017 for new england region music students.
University of Massachusetts Amherst landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Best Value Music Schools in the New England Region ranking. This large school is located in Amherst, Massachusetts, and it awarded 55 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our new england region music students list, UMass Amherst has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best Music Schools in the New England Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UMass Amherst is $22,038 for New England Region Music students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Music at University of Massachusetts Amherst
With a ranking of #10, Northern Vermont University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Music Schools in the New England Region list. Northern Vermont University is a public institution located in Johnson, Vermont. The school has a small population, and it awarded 15 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend Northern Vermont University is $15,906 for new england region music students.
University of Rhode Island landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Best Value Music Schools in the New England Region ranking. This fairly large school is located in Kingston, Rhode Island, and it awarded 23 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at URI, the school also landed the #21 spot in our “Best Music Schools in the New England Region” ranking. It costs about $18,638 for New England Region Music students per year to attend University of Rhode Island.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.3% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Western Connecticut State University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools in the New England Region list. Western Connecticut State University is located in Danbury, Connecticut and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 26 ’s music degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend WestConn is $18,166 for New England Region Music students.
Rhode Island College came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools in the New England Region ranking. RIC is located in Providence, Rhode Island and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 10 ’s music degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for RIC is $12,144 for New England Region Music students.
University of Massachusetts - Lowell ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools in the New England Region list. UMass Lowell is located in Lowell, Massachusetts and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 42 ’s music degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend University of Massachusetts - Lowell is $20,079 for new england region music students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of Maine did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Music Schools in the New England Region ranking, coming in at #15. UMaine is a fairly large public school situated in Orono, Maine. It awarded 5 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $16,033 for new england region music students per year to attend University of Maine.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.0% 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%.
Eastern Connecticut State University landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Best Value Music Schools in the New England Region ranking. This small school is located in Willimantic, Connecticut, and it awarded 10 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $19,290 for new england region music students per year to attend Eastern Connecticut State University.
University of New Hampshire - Main Campus ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools in the New England Region list. University of New Hampshire - Main Campus is a fairly large school located in Durham, New Hampshire that handed out 24 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
UNH not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #22 on our “Best Music Schools in the New England Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UNH is $24,160 for New England Region Music students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% 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 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Music at University of New Hampshire - Main Campus
University of Connecticut landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Best Value Music Schools in the New England Region ranking. University of Connecticut is a large public school situated in Storrs, Connecticut. It awarded 41 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
UCONN also made our “Best Music Schools in the New England Region” list, coming in at #11. The yearly cost to attend University of Connecticut is $22,974 for New England Region Music students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.0% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
With a ranking of #19, Southern Connecticut State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Music Schools in the New England Region list. Located in New Haven, Connecticut, this medium-sized public school awarded 5 degrees to qualified ’s music students in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for Southern Connecticut State University is $20,830 for New England Region Music students.
Read more about Music at Southern Connecticut State University
With a ranking of #20, University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Music Schools in the New England Region list. University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth is a medium-sized school located in North Dartmouth, Massachusetts that handed out 9 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth is $20,050 for New England Region Music students.
Read full report on Music at University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth
With a ranking of #21, Longy School of Music of Bard College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Music Schools in the New England Region list. Longy School of Music of Bard College is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 83 ’s music degrees to qualified students.
Longy also made our “Best Music Schools in the New England Region” list, coming in at #12. It costs about $32,808 for New England Region Music students per year to attend Longy School of Music of Bard College.
With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.2% 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%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Yale University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Music Schools in the New England Region ranking, coming in at #22. Located in New Haven, Connecticut, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 141 degrees to qualified ’s music students in 2020-2021.
Yale also made our “Best Music Schools in the New England Region” list, coming in at #1. It costs about $15,296 for new england region music students per year to attend Yale.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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 ranking of #23, University of Vermont did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Music Schools in the New England Region list. This fairly large school is located in Burlington, Vermont, and it awarded 14 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our new england region music students list, UVM has also earned the #23 rank in our “Best Music Schools in the New England Region” ranking. It costs about $19,509 for New England Region Music students per year to attend University of Vermont.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #24, University of Massachusetts - Boston did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Music Schools in the New England Region list. UMass Boston is located in Boston, Massachusetts and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 12 ’s music degrees to qualified students.
It costs about $17,752 for New England Region Music students per year to attend University of Massachusetts - Boston.
University of Bridgeport ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools in the New England Region list. Bridgeport, Connecticut is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s music degrees to 6 students in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for University of Bridgeport is $25,084 for New England Region Music students.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
