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2023 Most Focused Colleges for Music in New York

77 Ranked Colleges
2,351 Degrees Awarded
$34,400 Avg Cost*
Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in New York

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in New York” ranking is part of that endeavor.

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 New York, there were 2,351 music graduates with average earnings and debt of $25,290 and $25,411 respectively.

This year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in New York” ranking looked at 77 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in music. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in music.

See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Music Schools

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Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in New York” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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. 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 New York

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

Top 25 Most Focused Colleges for Music in New York

1
Manhattan School of Music crest
Manhattan School of Music
New York, New York

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Manhattan School of Music. The school came in at #1 for the Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in New York. Manhattan School of Music is a private not-for-profit institution located in New York, New York. The school has a small population, and it awarded 252 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 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 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Manhattan School of Music Music Report

2
Juilliard crest
The Juilliard School
New York, New York

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The Juilliard School. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in New York list. Juilliard is a private not-for-profit institution located in New York, New York. The school has a small population, and it awarded 208 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 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. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Music at The Juilliard School

3
Five Towns College crest
Five Towns College
Dix Hills, New York

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Five Towns College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in New York list. Five Towns College is a small school located in Dix Hills, New York that handed out 23 ’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.

Read more about Music at Five Towns College

4
New School University crest
The New School
New York, New York

Out of the 77 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in New York that were part of this year’s ranking, The New School landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in New York, New York, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 236 diplomas to qualified ’s music 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.

Read full report on Music at The New School

5
Bard crest
Bard College
Annandale-On-Hudson, New York

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Bard College. The school came in at #5 for the Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in New York. Bard College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Annandale-On-Hudson, New York. The school has a small population, and it awarded 51 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

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. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Music at Bard College

6
Purchase College crest
Purchase College
Purchase, New York

Purchase College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in New York ranking, coming in at #6. Purchase College is located in Purchase, New York and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 61 ’s music degrees to qualified students.

Full Purchase College Music Report

7
University of Rochester crest
University of Rochester
Rochester, New York

University of Rochester ranked #7 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in New York list. University of Rochester is located in Rochester, New York and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 239 ’s music degrees to qualified students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 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 University of Rochester

8
SUNY Fredonia crest
SUNY Fredonia
Fredonia, New York

SUNY Fredonia ranked #8 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in New York list. SUNY Fredonia is located in Fredonia, New York and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 58 ’s music degrees to qualified students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full SUNY Fredonia Music Report

9
SUNY Potsdam crest
SUNY Potsdam
Potsdam, New York

With a ranking of #9, SUNY Potsdam did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in New York list. Located in Potsdam, New York, this small public school handed out 41 diplomas to qualified ’s music students in 2020-2021.

Read more about Music at SUNY Potsdam

10
Ithaca crest
Ithaca College
Ithaca, New York

Ithaca College landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in New York ranking. Ithaca College is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Ithaca, New York. It awarded 75 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.

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%. 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 Ithaca

11
Nyack crest
Nyack College
Nyack, New York

With a ranking of #11, Nyack College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in New York list. This small school is located in Nyack, New York, and it awarded 17 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Music at Nyack

12
Houghton crest
Houghton College
Houghton, New York

Houghton College came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in New York ranking. Located in Houghton, New York, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 10 degrees to qualified ’s music students in 2020-2021.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Music at Houghton College

13

SUNY Schenectady County Community College ranked #13 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in New York list. Located in Schenectady, New York, this small public school handed out 30 diplomas to qualified ’s music students in 2020-2021.

Read more about Music at SUNY Schenectady

14
Nazareth crest
Nazareth College
Rochester, New York

With a ranking of #14, Nazareth College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in New York list. Nazareth is located in Rochester, New York and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 18 ’s music degrees to qualified students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, 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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Read full report on Music at Nazareth

15
Skidmore crest
Skidmore College
Saratoga Springs, New York

Skidmore College landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in New York ranking. Skidmore is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Saratoga Springs, New York. It awarded 11 ’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. With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.0% 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 Skidmore College

16
Saint Rose crest
The College of Saint Rose
Albany, New York

The College of Saint Rose landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in New York ranking. Albany, New York is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s music degrees to 31 students in 2020-2021.

Read more about Music at Saint Rose

17
SUNY Broome crest
SUNY Broome
Binghamton, New York

SUNY Broome did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in New York ranking, coming in at #17. SUNY Broome is a small school located in Binghamton, New York that handed out 15 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Music at SUNY Broome

18
Brooklyn College crest
Brooklyn College
Brooklyn, New York

Brooklyn College came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in New York ranking. Located in Brooklyn, New York, this fairly large public school handed out 66 degrees to qualified ’s music students 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%.

Read full report on Music at Brooklyn College

19
CCNY crest
The City College of New York
New York, New York

The City College of New York ranked #19 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in New York list. New York, New York is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s music degrees to 49 students 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%.

Full CCNY Music Report

20
The Graduate Center crest
The Graduate Center, CUNY
New York, New York

The Graduate Center, CUNY came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in New York ranking. The Graduate Center is a medium-sized school located in New York, New York that handed out 36 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.9%, which is much lower than the national 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 more about Music at The Graduate Center, CUNY

21
QC crest
Queens College
Queens, New York

With a ranking of #21, Queens College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in New York list. This fairly large school is located in Queens, New York, and it awarded 65 ’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%.

Full Queens College Music Report

22

Hobart and William Smith Colleges came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in New York ranking. The Colleges is located in Geneva, New York and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 7 ’s music degrees to qualified students.

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. 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 Hobart and William Smith Colleges Music Report

23
OCC crest
Onondaga Community College
Syracuse, New York

With a ranking of #23, Onondaga Community College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in New York list. OCC is located in Syracuse, New York and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 11 ’s music degrees to qualified students.

Read full report on Music at Onondaga Community College

24
NYU crest
New York University
New York, New York

New York University ranked #24 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in New York list. New York University is a large school located in New York, New York that handed out 197 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default 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. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Music at New York University

25
Roberts Wesleyan crest
Roberts Wesleyan College
Rochester, New York

With a ranking of #25, Roberts Wesleyan College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Music Major in New York list. Located in Rochester, New York, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 6 degrees to qualified ’s music students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.1% 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%.

Full Roberts Wesleyan Music Report

Notes and References

References

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