by our College Data Analytics Team
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Most Well Attended Music Major” 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.
For this year’s “Most Well Attended Music Major” ranking, we looked at 1,374 colleges that offer a degree in music. To top this list, a school must have a successful music program that graduates more students in the field than other colleges that offer the same major.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
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 “Most Well Attended Music Major” 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. 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.
The colleges and universities below are the best for music students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Los Angeles Film School. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Music Major 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.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Berklee College of Music. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Music Major list. Berklee College of Music is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Boston, Massachusetts. It awarded 692 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, 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 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of North Texas. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Music Major list. This large school is located in Denton, Texas, and it awarded 324 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Out of the 1,374 schools in the Most Well Attended Music Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Indiana University - Bloomington landed the #4 spot on the list. IU Bloomington is a public institution located in Bloomington, Indiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 374 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.4% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Cincinnati - Main Campus. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Music Major list. UC is located in Cincinnati, Ohio and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 253 ’s music degrees to qualified students.
With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
Read more about Music at University of Cincinnati - Main Campus
Full Sail University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Music Major ranking. Full Sail University is a private for-profit institution located in Winter Park, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 244 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #7, University of Rochester did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Music Major list. University of Rochester is a fairly large school located in Rochester, New York that handed out 239 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
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. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, 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 92%.
Manhattan School of Music landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Music Major ranking. Manhattan School of Music is located in New York, New York and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 252 ’s music degrees to qualified students.
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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. 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%.
The New England Conservatory of Music ranked #9 on this year’s Most Well Attended Music Major list. The New England Conservatory of Music is located in Boston, Massachusetts and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 241 ’s music degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
The New School came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Music Major ranking. The New School is a private not-for-profit institution located in New York, New York. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 236 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
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.
Michigan State University landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Music Major ranking. East Lansing, Michigan is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s music degrees to 208 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.6% 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 Juilliard School landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Music Major ranking. New York, New York is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s music degrees to 208 students in 2020-2021.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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.
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor ranked #12 on this year’s Most Well Attended Music Major list. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 199 ’s music degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, 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 96%.
Read full report on Music at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
With a ranking of #14, New York University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Music Major list. NYU is a large private not-for-profit school situated in New York, New York. It awarded 197 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. 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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%.
With a ranking of #15, University of Miami did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Music Major list. University of Miami is a fairly large school located in Coral Gables, Florida that handed out 192 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.
With a ranking of #16, California State University - Northridge did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Music Major list. Located in Northridge, California, this large public school handed out 174 diplomas to qualified ’s music students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Music at California State University - Northridge
Florida State University ranked #17 on this year’s Most Well Attended Music Major list. Tallahassee, Florida is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s music degrees to 171 students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%.
University of Southern California did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Music Major ranking, coming in at #18. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 182 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national 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. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Music at University of Southern California
Northwestern University ranked #19 on this year’s Most Well Attended Music Major list. Northwestern University is located in Evanston, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 156 ’s music degrees to qualified students.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. 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.
Johns Hopkins University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Music Major ranking, coming in at #20. Located in Baltimore, Maryland, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 176 degrees to qualified ’s music 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 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%.
With a ranking of #21, Middle Tennessee State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Music Major list. Middle Tennessee State University is a large school located in Murfreesboro, Tennessee that handed out 148 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.
Arizona State University - Tempe came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Music Major ranking. ASU - Tempe is a public institution located in Tempe, Arizona. The school has a large population, and it awarded 148 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
University of Hartford ranked #23 on this year’s Most Well Attended Music Major list. Located in West Hartford, Connecticut, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 140 diplomas to qualified ’s music students in 2020-2021.
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.
The University of Texas at Austin landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Music Major ranking. Austin, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s music degrees to 140 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #24, Yale University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Music Major list. Yale University is located in New Haven, Connecticut and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 141 ’s music degrees to qualified students.
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. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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%.
Not only did these schools make the top 52 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
While not in the ‘top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 53 | Roosevelt University | Chicago, IL |
| 53 | Rice University | Houston, TX |
| 55 | Rowan University | Glassboro, NJ |
| 55 | Cleveland Institute of Music | Cleveland, OH |
| 57 | University of Iowa | Iowa City, IA |
| 58 | George Mason University | Fairfax, VA |
| 59 | Brigham Young University - Provo | Provo, UT |
| 60 | University of Oklahoma Norman Campus | Norman, OK |
| 60 | Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College | Baton Rouge, LA |
| 62 | Musicians Institute | Hollywood, CA |
| 63 | DePaul University | Chicago, IL |
| 63 | Rider University | Lawrenceville, NJ |
| 63 | University of North Carolina at Greensboro | Greensboro, NC |
| 66 | James Madison University | Harrisonburg, VA |
| 67 | Catholic University of America | Washington, DC |
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 187 | Academy of Art University | San Francisco, CA |
| 187 | Jacksonville State University | Jacksonville, AL |
| 187 | Rollins College | Winter Park, FL |
| 196 | University of South Florida - Main Campus | Tampa, FL |
| 196 | Towson University | Towson, MD |
| 198 | Indiana State University | Terre Haute, IN |
| 198 | Miami University - Oxford | Oxford, OH |
| 200 | Ramapo College of New Jersey | Mahwah, NJ |
| 200 | University of Louisiana at Lafayette | Lafayette, LA |
| 200 | San Francisco State University | San Francisco, CA |
| 200 | Utah State University | Logan, UT |
| 200 | Brown University | Providence, RI |
| 200 | North Dakota State University - Main Campus | Fargo, ND |
| 200 | University of North Carolina School of the Arts | Winston-Salem, NC |
| 200 | Syracuse University | Syracuse, NY |
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
