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2023 Best Value Colleges for Music in North Carolina

16 Ranked Colleges
511 Degrees Awarded
$16,200 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Music Schools in North Carolina

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Music Schools in North Carolina” ranking is part of that endeavor.

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 North Carolina, there were 511 music graduates with average earnings and debt of $22,568 and $26,863 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Music Schools in North Carolina” ranking looked at 16 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in music. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great music programs and 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.

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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 North Carolina”.

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 in North Carolina

The colleges and universities below are the best for north carolina music students.

Top 16 Best Value Colleges for Music in North Carolina

1

Out of the 16 schools in the Best Value Music Schools in North Carolina that were part of this year’s ranking, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill landed the #1 spot on the list. Chapel Hill, North Carolina is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s music degrees to 50 students in 2020-2021.

UNC Chapel Hill also made our “Best Music Schools in North Carolina” list, coming in at #2. The estimated yearly cost for UNC Chapel Hill is $12,469 for North Carolina Music students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Music at UNC Chapel Hill

2

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of North Carolina at Greensboro. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Music Schools in North Carolina. University of North Carolina at Greensboro is a public institution located in Greensboro, North Carolina. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 86 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UNC Greensboro also made our “Best Music Schools in North Carolina” list, coming in at #3. The yearly cost to attend UNC Greensboro is $11,629 for north carolina music students.

Full University of North Carolina at Greensboro Music Report

3

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of North Carolina School of the Arts. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Music Schools in North Carolina. Located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, this small public school handed out 41 degrees to qualified ’s music students in 2020-2021.

UNCSA also took the #4 spot in our “Best Music Schools in North Carolina” ranking. It costs about $13,276 for North Carolina Music students per year to attend UNCSA.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.

Full UNCSA Music Report

4
ECU crest
East Carolina University
Greenville, North Carolina

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend East Carolina University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Music Schools in North Carolina list. East Carolina University is a large school located in Greenville, North Carolina that handed out 41 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at ECU, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Music Schools in North Carolina” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for ECU is $16,550 for North Carolina Music students.

Read full report on Music at East Carolina University

5

Out of the 16 schools in the Best Value Music Schools in North Carolina that were part of this year’s ranking, University of North Carolina at Charlotte landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in Charlotte, North Carolina, this large public school awarded 24 degrees to qualified ’s music students in 2020-2021.

UNC Charlotte also took the #5 spot in our “Best Music Schools in North Carolina” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of North Carolina at Charlotte is $17,634 for north carolina music students.

The low undergrad 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Read more about Music at University of North Carolina at Charlotte

6
WCU crest
Western Carolina University
Cullowhee, North Carolina

Western Carolina University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Music Schools in North Carolina ranking, coming in at #6. Western Carolina University is a public institution located in Cullowhee, North Carolina. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 41 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

WCU also made our “Best Music Schools in North Carolina” list, coming in at #8. The estimated yearly cost for Western Carolina University is $13,924 for north carolina music students.

Read full report on Music at Western Carolina University

7
Appalachian State crest
Appalachian State University
Boone, North Carolina

With a ranking of #7, Appalachian State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Music Schools in North Carolina list. Appalachian State is a public institution located in Boone, North Carolina. The school has a large population, and it awarded 19 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Appalachian State also made our “Best Music Schools in North Carolina” list, coming in at #7. It costs about $13,989 for north carolina music students per year to attend Appalachian State University.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full Appalachian State University Music Report

8

University of North Carolina at Wilmington ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools in North Carolina list. University of North Carolina at Wilmington is a public institution located in Wilmington, North Carolina. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 9 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UNCW also made our “Best Music Schools in North Carolina” list, coming in at #9. The estimated yearly cost for University of North Carolina at Wilmington is $19,136 for North Carolina Music students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Music at UNCW

9

University of North Carolina at Asheville came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools in North Carolina ranking. Located in Asheville, North Carolina, this small public school awarded 20 diplomas to qualified ’s music students in 2020-2021.

UNCA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Music Schools in North Carolina” list. It costs about $12,551 for North Carolina Music students per year to attend University of North Carolina at Asheville.

Full UNCA Music Report

10

University of North Carolina at Pembroke did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Music Schools in North Carolina ranking, coming in at #10. Located in Pembroke, North Carolina, this medium-sized public school awarded 15 diplomas to qualified ’s music students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UNC Pembroke, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Music Schools in North Carolina” ranking. It costs about $10,792 for North Carolina Music students per year to attend UNC Pembroke.

Full UNC Pembroke Music Report

11
NC A&T crest
North Carolina A & T State University
Greensboro, North Carolina

North Carolina A & T State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Music Schools in North Carolina ranking, coming in at #11. NC A&T is a fairly large school located in Greensboro, North Carolina that handed out 10 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.

NC A&T not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Music Schools in North Carolina” list. The yearly cost to attend North Carolina A & T State University is $10,563 for north carolina music students.

Read full report on Music at North Carolina A & T State University

12
North Carolina Central University crest
North Carolina Central University
Durham, North Carolina

North Carolina Central University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Music Schools in North Carolina ranking, coming in at #12. Located in Durham, North Carolina, this medium-sized public school awarded 9 degrees to qualified ’s music students in 2020-2021.

North Carolina Central University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Music Schools in North Carolina” list. It costs about $14,332 for north carolina music students per year to attend North Carolina Central University.

Full North Carolina Central University Music Report

13
Greensboro College crest
Greensboro College
Greensboro, North Carolina

Greensboro College ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools in North Carolina list. This small school is located in Greensboro, North Carolina, and it awarded 5 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our north carolina music students list, Greensboro College has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Music Schools in North Carolina” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Greensboro College is $16,992 for north carolina music students.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Full Greensboro College Music Report

14
Catawba crest
Catawba College
Salisbury, North Carolina

With a ranking of #14, Catawba College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Music Schools in North Carolina list. Catawba is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Salisbury, North Carolina. It awarded 4 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.

Catawba also took the #16 spot in our “Best Music Schools in North Carolina” ranking. It costs about $18,702 for north carolina music students per year to attend Catawba College.

Full Catawba College Music Report

15
Meredith crest
Meredith College
Raleigh, North Carolina

With a ranking of #15, Meredith College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Music Schools in North Carolina list. Located in Raleigh, North Carolina, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 4 diplomas to qualified ’s music students in 2020-2021.

Meredith not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Music Schools in North Carolina” list. The estimated yearly cost for Meredith is $24,362 for North Carolina Music students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 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 Meredith

16
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, North Carolina

Duke University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools in North Carolina ranking. This fairly large school is located in Durham, North Carolina, and it awarded 13 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.

Duke also took the #1 spot in our “Best Music Schools in North Carolina” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Duke University is $32,459 for North Carolina Music students.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Duke University Music Report

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

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