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2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in Illinois

66 Ranked Colleges
1,138 Degrees Awarded
$28,700 Avg Cost*
Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in Illinois

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual has developed its “Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in Illinois” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

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 Illinois, there were 1,138 music graduates with average earnings and debt of $26,572 and $23,882 respectively.

For this year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in Illinois” ranking, we looked at 66 colleges that offer a degree in music. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their music program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.

Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Music Schools

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in Illinois” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in Illinois

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

Top 25 Most Focused Colleges for Music in Illinois

1
Millikin crest
Millikin University
Decatur, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Millikin University. The school came in at #1 for the Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in Illinois. Decatur, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s music degrees to 33 students in 2020-2021.

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.

Read full report on Music at Millikin University

2
Roosevelt crest
Roosevelt University
Chicago, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Roosevelt University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in Illinois list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s music degrees to 97 students in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Music at Roosevelt University

3
Columbia crest
Columbia College Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

Out of the 66 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Columbia College Chicago landed the #3 spot on the list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s music degrees to 71 students in 2020-2021.

Full Columbia Music Report

4
Wheaton College Illinois crest
Wheaton College Illinois
Wheaton, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Wheaton College Illinois. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in Illinois list. Wheaton College Illinois is located in Wheaton, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 41 ’s music degrees to qualified students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% 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 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. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Music at Wheaton College Illinois

5
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Greenville University
Greenville, Illinois

Out of the 66 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Greenville University landed the #5 spot on the list. Greenville University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Greenville, Illinois. It awarded 11 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.9%, 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.

Read full report on Music at Greenville University

6
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Principia College
Elsah, Illinois

With a ranking of #6, Principia College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in Illinois list. Principia is a private not-for-profit institution located in Elsah, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 3 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Music at Principia College

7
Illinois Wesleyan crest
Illinois Wesleyan University
Bloomington, Illinois

Illinois Wesleyan University ranked #7 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in Illinois list. Illinois Wesleyan University is located in Bloomington, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 9 ’s music degrees to qualified students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, 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 87%.

Full Illinois Wesleyan Music Report

8
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Eureka College
Eureka, Illinois

Eureka College ranked #8 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in Illinois list. Eureka College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Eureka, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 3 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Music at Eureka College

9

Western Illinois University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #9. WIU is located in Macomb, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 44 ’s music degrees to qualified students.

Read more about Music at Western Illinois University

10
EIU crest
Eastern Illinois University
Charleston, Illinois

Eastern Illinois University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in Illinois ranking. EIU is a medium-sized school located in Charleston, Illinois that handed out 37 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Music at Eastern Illinois University

11
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

Northwestern University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #11. Evanston, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s music degrees to 156 students in 2020-2021.

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. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% 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 Northwestern University Music Report

12
North Central crest
North Central College
Naperville, Illinois

With a ranking of #12, North Central College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in Illinois list. North Central College is located in Naperville, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 14 ’s music degrees to qualified students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% 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%.

Read more about Music at North Central

13
North Park crest
North Park University
Chicago, Illinois

North Park University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in Illinois ranking. North Park is a small school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 11 ’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. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Music at North Park

14
Augustana crest
Augustana College
Rock Island, Illinois

Augustana College landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in Illinois ranking. Augustana College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Rock Island, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 12 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.

Read more about Music at Augustana College

15
Illinois State crest
Illinois State University
Normal, Illinois

With a ranking of #15, Illinois State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in Illinois list. Illinois State is a public institution located in Normal, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 75 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

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%.

Read full report on Music at Illinois State

16

Northern Illinois University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in Illinois ranking. This fairly large school is located in Dekalb, Illinois, and it awarded 64 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.

Full NIU Music Report

17
Monmouth crest
Monmouth College
Monmouth, Illinois

Monmouth College landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in Illinois ranking. Monmouth, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s music degrees to 3 students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% 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%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read full report on Music at Monmouth

18
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, Illinois

DePaul University ranked #18 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in Illinois list. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 91 ’s music degrees 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%.

Full DePaul Music Report

19

With a ranking of #19, Northeastern Illinois University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in Illinois list. Northeastern Illinois University is a medium-sized school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 20 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Music at Northeastern Illinois University

20
Judson crest
Judson University
Elgin, Illinois

With a ranking of #20, Judson University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in Illinois list. Elgin, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s music degrees to 3 students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read more about Music at Judson University

21
Knox crest
Knox College
Galesburg, Illinois

Knox College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #21. Galesburg, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s music degrees to 3 students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% 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%. 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 Knox Music Report

22

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in Illinois ranking. SIUE is a fairly large public school situated in Edwardsville, Illinois. It awarded 29 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Music at SIUE

23

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #23. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a large public school situated in Champaign, Illinois. It awarded 129 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Music at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

24
Elmhurst crest
Elmhurst University
Elmhurst, Illinois

Elmhurst University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #24. Elmhurst University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Elmhurst, Illinois. It awarded 8 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Music at Elmhurst

25

Southern Illinois University Carbondale did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #25. This fairly large school is located in Carbondale, Illinois, and it awarded 26 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Music at SIUC

Notes and References

References

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