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2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in California

163 Ranked Colleges
3,612 Degrees Awarded
$36,900 Avg Cost*
Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in California

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in California” ranking.

In 2020-2021, 25,910 people earned their degree in music, making the major the 43rd most popular in the United States. 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 California, there were 3,612 music graduates with average earnings and debt of $23,084 and $22,049 respectively.

For this year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in California” ranking, we looked at 163 colleges that offer a degree in music. That schools that top this list have a program in music in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.

See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Music Schools

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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 “Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in California”.

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. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in California

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

Top 25 Most Focused Colleges for Music in California

1
California Jazz Conservatory crest
California Jazz Conservatory
Berkeley, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California Jazz Conservatory. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in California list. California Jazz Conservatory is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Berkeley, California. It awarded 11 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 5.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read full report on Music at California Jazz Conservatory

2
LACM crest
Los Angeles College of Music
Pasadena, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Los Angeles College of Music. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in California list. Located in Pasadena, California, this small private for-profit school awarded 67 degrees to qualified ’s music students in 2020-2021.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read full report on Music at LACM

3
SFCM crest
San Francisco Conservatory of Music
San Francisco, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend San Francisco Conservatory of Music. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in California list. San Francisco Conservatory of Music is a private not-for-profit institution located in San Francisco, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 132 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.1% 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%.

Read more about Music at SFCM

4
LA Film School crest
Los Angeles Film School
Hollywood, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Los Angeles Film School. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in California list. Hollywood, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out ’s music degrees to 705 students in 2020-2021.

Read more about Music at Los Angeles Film School

5
Musicians Institute crest
Musicians Institute
Hollywood, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Musicians Institute. The school came in at #5 for the Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in California. Musicians Institute is located in Hollywood, California and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 143 ’s music degrees to qualified students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 5.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Full Musicians Institute Music Report

6
CalArts crest
California Institute of the Arts
Valencia, California

California Institute of the Arts came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in California ranking. CalArts is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Valencia, California. It awarded 61 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.5% 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%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 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 California Institute of the Arts

7
Bethesda crest
Bethesda University
Anaheim, California

Bethesda University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in California ranking, coming in at #7. Bethesda is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Anaheim, California. It awarded 9 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full Bethesda University Music Report

8
World Mission University crest
World Mission University
Los Angeles, California

World Mission University landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in California ranking. World Mission University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 10 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on Music at World Mission University

9
HNU crest
Holy Names University
Oakland, California

Holy Names University ranked #9 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in California list. Holy Names University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Oakland, California. It awarded 13 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.

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%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read more about Music at Holy Names University

10
Cogswell crest
Cogswell College
San Jose, California

With a ranking of #10, Cogswell College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in California list. San Jose, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out ’s music degrees to 4 students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.5% 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 Cogswell College Music Report

11
The Master's University crest
The Master's University and Seminary
Santa Clarita, California

The Master’s University and Seminary came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in California ranking. Located in Santa Clarita, California, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 15 diplomas to qualified ’s music students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Music at The Master’s University

12
Westmont crest
Westmont College
Santa Barbara, California

Westmont College came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in California ranking. Westmont College is a small school located in Santa Barbara, California that handed out 11 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% 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%.

Read full report on Music at Westmont College

13
Mills crest
Mills College
Oakland, California

Mills College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in California ranking, coming in at #13. Oakland, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s music degrees to 9 students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. 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 Mills College Music Report

14
Academy of Art University crest
Academy of Art University
San Francisco, California

With a ranking of #14, Academy of Art University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in California list. Academy of Art University is located in San Francisco, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 35 ’s music degrees to qualified students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 5.0% 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%.

Read full report on Music at Academy of Art University

15
Azusa Pacific crest
Azusa Pacific University
Azusa, California

With a ranking of #15, Azusa Pacific University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in California list. Located in Azusa, California, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 51 diplomas to qualified ’s music students in 2020-2021.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 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 3.3% 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%.

Full Azusa Pacific University Music Report

16
Oxy crest
Occidental College
Los Angeles, California

Occidental College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in California ranking, coming in at #16. Oxy is a small school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 9 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Oxy Music Report

17
Biola crest
Biola University
La Mirada, California

Biola University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in California ranking. Biola is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in La Mirada, California. It awarded 23 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Music at Biola University

18

California State University - Northridge did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in California ranking, coming in at #18. Northridge, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s music degrees to 174 students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.7% 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%.

Read more about Music at California State University - Northridge

19
La Sierra crest
La Sierra University
Riverside, California

With a ranking of #19, La Sierra University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in California list. This small school is located in Riverside, California, and it awarded 10 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Music at La Sierra University

20
William Jessup University crest
William Jessup University
Rocklin, California

With a ranking of #20, William Jessup University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in California list. Located in Rocklin, California, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 7 degrees to qualified ’s music students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 5.0% 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%.

Read more about Music at William Jessup University

21
University of Redlands crest
University of Redlands
Redlands, California

University of Redlands landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in California ranking. Redlands, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s music degrees to 27 students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.6% 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 Redlands Music Report

22
CLU crest
California Lutheran University
Thousand Oaks, California

California Lutheran University landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in California ranking. Located in Thousand Oaks, California, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 19 degrees to qualified ’s music students in 2020-2021.

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%.

Full California Lutheran University Music Report

23
Claremont Graduate University crest
Claremont Graduate University
Claremont, California

With a ranking of #23, Claremont Graduate University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in California list. Claremont, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s music degrees to 9 students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.9% 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%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full Claremont Graduate University Music Report

24

With a ranking of #24, Vanguard University of Southern California did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in California list. This small school is located in Costa Mesa, California, and it awarded 8 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 5.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Vanguard Music Report

25
Chapman crest
Chapman University
Orange, California

Chapman University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in California ranking, coming in at #25. Chapman University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Orange, California. It awarded 37 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Chapman University Music Report

Notes and References

References

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