2023 Most Focused Colleges for Music in the Great Lakes Region
214
Ranked Colleges
4,060
Degrees Awarded
$30,200
Avg Cost*
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
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 the Great Lakes region, there were 4,060 music graduates with average earnings and debt of $27,923 and $25,259 respectively.
For this year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking, we looked at 214 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.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
One Size Does Not Fit All
When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in the Great Lakes Region” list to help you make the college decision.
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.
Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in the Great Lakes Region
The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region music students.
Top 25 Most Focused Colleges for Music in the Great Lakes Region
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Cleveland Institute of Music. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in the Great Lakes Region list. This small school is located in Cleveland, Ohio, and it awarded 93 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full Cleveland Institute of Music Music Report
Out of the 214 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, International College of Broadcasting landed the #2 spot on the list. International College of Broadcasting is located in Dayton, Ohio and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 23 ’s music degrees to qualified students.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Full International College of Broadcasting Music Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Lawrence University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Appleton, Wisconsin, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 50 diplomas to qualified ’s music students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.4% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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.
Full Lawrence U Music Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Oberlin College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Oberlin, Ohio is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s music degrees to 107 students in 2020-2021.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Music at Oberlin
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Millikin University. The school came in at #5 for the Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in the Great Lakes Region. Millikin University is a small school located in Decatur, Illinois that handed out 33 ’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 Millikin Music Report
Roosevelt University landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Roosevelt is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 97 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
Full Roosevelt Music Report
With a ranking of #7, Columbia College Chicago did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Columbia is a medium-sized school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 71 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Music at Columbia College Chicago
Wheaton College Illinois ranked #8 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Wheaton College Illinois is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Wheaton, Illinois. It awarded 41 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. 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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%.
Read full report on Music at Wheaton College Illinois
Capital University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Capital is a small school located in Columbus, Ohio that handed out 37 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
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%.
Read full report on Music at Capital
Goshen College landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Goshen College is located in Goshen, Indiana and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 10 ’s music degrees to qualified students.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 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 4.3% 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 Goshen College Music Report
Baldwin Wallace University landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Baldwin Wallace College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Berea, Ohio. The school has a small population, and it awarded 39 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.8%, 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 85%.
Read more about Music at Baldwin Wallace College
Greenville University ranked #12 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in the Great Lakes Region list. This small school is located in Greenville, Illinois, and it awarded 11 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.9% 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%. 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.
Read more about Music at Greenville
DePauw University ranked #13 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in the Great Lakes Region list. DePauw University is a small school located in Greencastle, Indiana that handed out 18 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Music at DePauw
Butler University landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Indianapolis, Indiana is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s music degrees to 47 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.9% 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%.
Read more about Music at Butler
Principia College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #15. Located in Elsah, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 3 degrees to qualified ’s music students in 2020-2021.
Full Principia College Music Report
Wittenberg University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Wittenberg is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Springfield, Ohio. It awarded 12 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Music at Wittenberg
Indiana University - Bloomington did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #17. This large school is located in Bloomington, Indiana, and it awarded 374 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. 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%.
Full IU Bloomington Music Report
Carthage College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #18. Carthage is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Kenosha, Wisconsin. It awarded 19 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Carthage College Music Report
Maranatha Baptist University ranked #19 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Watertown, Wisconsin 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 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 Maranatha Baptist University Music Report
Bowling Green State University - Main Campus ranked #20 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Bowling Green, Ohio, this fairly large public school awarded 116 degrees to qualified ’s music students in 2020-2021.
Full BGSU Music Report
Illinois Wesleyan University landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Bloomington, Illinois 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 excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.4% 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%.
Read more about Music at Illinois Wesleyan University
Central State University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Central State University is a public institution located in Wilberforce, Ohio. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 6 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Music at Central State University
University of Cincinnati - Main Campus came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This large school is located in Cincinnati, Ohio, and it awarded 253 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.7% 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 full report on Music at University of Cincinnati - Main Campus
Eureka College ranked #24 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Eureka, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 3 degrees to qualified ’s music students in 2020-2021.
Full Eureka College Music Report
Grace Christian University landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Grace is located in Wyoming, Michigan and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 4 ’s music degrees to qualified students.
Read more about Music at Grace Christian University