by our College Data Analytics Team
[Music](/majors/visual-and-performing-arts/music/) graduates earn very different salaries depending on where they study. The highest-paying schools turn a music degree into the strongest early-career earnings.
College Factual analyzed 3 schools to build this 2026 ranking of the highest-paying music schools.
What’s on this page:
If you want to know which schools send music graduates into the highest-paying careers, see the list below.
Our analysis ranked University Of North Carolina At Greensboro the top school for music graduate earnings in North Carolina. Set in the city of Greensboro, University Of North Carolina At Greensboro is a public institution. Students who complete the music program here go on to a median salary of roughly $56,921.
Students chasing top earnings in music will find them at University Of North Carolina School Of The Arts, which ranked #2. Located in the city of Winston Salem, University Of North Carolina School Of The Arts is a public institution. Music graduates of University Of North Carolina School Of The Arts earn a median of about $36,705 a year early in their careers.
A rank of #3 makes East Carolina University one of the highest-paying schools for music. East Carolina University is a public school located in the city of Greenville. After graduating, music degree recipients from East Carolina University typically earn about $26,222 annually.
The ranking above is published by College Factual, 2026 edition. Schools are ranked on the median early-career earnings of their music graduates, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard field-of-study earnings and IPEDS).
Ranking method: College Major Earnings · 3 schools evaluated.
*Salary figures reflect median early-career earnings (about 5 years after graduation) and may vary by how long a person takes to complete their degree.
More about our data sources and methodologies.