2023 Most Focused Colleges for Music in Illinois
66
Ranked Colleges
$28,700
Avg Cost*
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 25,860 degrees awarded in 2021-2022. In , music graduates who were awarded their degree in , earned an average of $27,123 and had an average of $27,532 in loans still to pay off.
Across Illinois, there were 995 music graduates with average earnings and debt of $26,572 and $29,245 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.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
More Ways to Rank Music Schools
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.
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 Illinois
The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois music students.
Top 25 Most Focused Colleges for Music in Illinois
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Millikin University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in Illinois list. This small school is located in Decatur, Illinois, and it awarded 17 ’s music degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. 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.
Read full report on Music at Millikin University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Roosevelt University. The school came in at #2 for the Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in Illinois. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 53 diplomas to qualified ’s music students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Roosevelt Music Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Columbia College Chicago. The school came in at #3 for the Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in Illinois. Columbia is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 59 ’s music degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Music at Columbia College Chicago
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 a small private not-for-profit school situated in Wheaton, Illinois. It awarded 30 ’s music degrees in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.
Full Wheaton College Illinois Music Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Greenville University. The school came in at #5 for the Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in Illinois. Greenville is located in Greenville, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 3 ’s music degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Music at Greenville
Principia College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #6. This small school is located in Elsah, Illinois, and it awarded 1 ’s music degrees in 2021-2022.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Full Principia College Music Report
Illinois Wesleyan University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in Illinois ranking. Illinois Wesleyan University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Bloomington, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 8 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Music at Illinois Wesleyan University
With a ranking of #8, Eureka College did quite well on the 2023 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 0 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Music at Eureka College
Western Illinois University landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in Illinois ranking. Located in Macomb, Illinois, this medium-sized public school awarded 36 degrees to qualified ’s music students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Music at Western Illinois University
Eastern Illinois University ranked #10 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in Illinois list. EIU is located in Charleston, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 40 ’s music degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Music at Eastern Illinois University
Northwestern University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #11. Northwestern University is a large school located in Evanston, Illinois that handed out 170 ’s music degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. 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 99%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Music at Northwestern University
North Central College ranked #12 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in Illinois list. North Central is a small school located in Naperville, Illinois that handed out 5 ’s music degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.5% 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 full report on Music at North Central College
North Park University landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in Illinois ranking. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 6 degrees to qualified ’s music students in 2021-2022.
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%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 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 North Park University
Augustana College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #14. Augustana is a small school located in Rock Island, Illinois that handed out 1 ’s music degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.1% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Music at Augustana College
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 University is a large public school situated in Normal, Illinois. It awarded 56 ’s music degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% 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 Illinois State Music Report
With a ranking of #16, Northern Illinois University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in Illinois list. This fairly large school is located in Dekalb, Illinois, and it awarded 72 ’s music degrees in 2021-2022.
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%.
Read full report on Music at NIU
Monmouth College came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in Illinois ranking. This small school is located in Monmouth, Illinois, and it awarded 1 ’s music degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 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 Monmouth College
DePaul University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in Illinois ranking. DePaul is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 85 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.0% 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 DePaul University
Northeastern Illinois University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in Illinois ranking. Northeastern Illinois University is a public institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 7 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
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%.
Read more about Music at Northeastern Illinois University
With a ranking of #20, Judson University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in Illinois list. This small school is located in Elgin, Illinois, and it awarded 1 ’s music degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Music at Judson University
Knox College came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in Illinois ranking. Knox College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Galesburg, Illinois. It awarded 0 ’s music degrees in 2021-2022.
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 Knox College
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville ranked #22 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in Illinois list. Located in Edwardsville, Illinois, this fairly large public school handed out 19 degrees to qualified ’s music students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Music Report
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ranked #23 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in Illinois list. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is located in Champaign, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 132 ’s music degrees to qualified 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Music at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
With a ranking of #24, Elmhurst University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in Illinois list. This small school is located in Elmhurst, Illinois, and it awarded 17 ’s music degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Music at Elmhurst University
With a ranking of #25, Southern Illinois University Carbondale did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in Illinois list. Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a public institution located in Carbondale, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 15 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
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%. 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.
Full SIUC Music Report
