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2023 Most Popular Colleges for Music in the Great Lakes Region

214 Ranked Colleges
4,060 Degrees Awarded
$32,600 Avg Cost*
Most Well Attended Music Major in the Great Lakes Region

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its “Most Well Attended Music Major in the Great Lakes Region” 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 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 “Most Well Attended Music Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking, we looked at 214 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.

Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Most Well Attended Music Major in the Great Lakes Region” 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.

Most Well Attended Music Major in the Great Lakes Region

The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Well Attended Music Major in the Great Lakes Region”.

1
IU Bloomington crest
Indiana University - Bloomington
Bloomington, Indiana

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Indiana University - Bloomington. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Music Major in the Great Lakes Region 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.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Music at IU Bloomington

2

Out of the 214 schools in the Most Well Attended Music Major in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Cincinnati - Main Campus landed the #2 spot on the 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 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%.

Full University of Cincinnati - Main Campus Music Report

3
Michigan State crest
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan

Out of the 214 schools in the Most Well Attended Music Major in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Michigan State University landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in East Lansing, Michigan, this large public school awarded 208 diplomas to qualified ’s music students in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.

Read more about Music at Michigan State University

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Music Major in the Great Lakes Region list. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a public institution located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 199 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. 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 full report on Music at U-M

5
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Music Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Northwestern is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Evanston, Illinois. It awarded 156 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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.

Read more about Music at Northwestern

6

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Music Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This large school is located in Champaign, Illinois, and it awarded 129 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

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

7

Bowling Green State University - Main Campus came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Music Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Bowling Green State University - Main Campus is a fairly large school located in Bowling Green, Ohio that handed out 116 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Music at BGSU

8
Oberlin crest
Oberlin College
Oberlin, Ohio

Oberlin College did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Music Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #8. Oberlin College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Oberlin, Ohio. It awarded 107 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.

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%. 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.

Read more about Music at Oberlin College

9
Roosevelt crest
Roosevelt University
Chicago, Illinois

Roosevelt University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended 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

10

Cleveland Institute of Music ranked #10 on this year’s Most Well Attended Music Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Cleveland, Ohio, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 93 degrees to qualified ’s music students in 2020-2021.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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 Cleveland Institute of Music Music Report

11
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, Illinois

DePaul University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Music Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #11. DePaul University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 91 ’s degrees 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 DePaul

12
Illinois State crest
Illinois State University
Normal, Illinois

Illinois State University landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Music Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Normal, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s music degrees to 75 students in 2020-2021.

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 full report on Music at Illinois State University

13
Columbia crest
Columbia College Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

Columbia College Chicago landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Music Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 71 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Columbia Music Report

13
WMU crest
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo, Michigan

Western Michigan University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Music Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #13. Western Michigan University is a public institution located in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 73 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Music at WMU

15

University of Wisconsin - Madison landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Music Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This large school is located in Madison, Wisconsin, and it awarded 69 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Music at University of Wisconsin - Madison

16

Ohio State University - Main Campus landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Music Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Columbus, Ohio is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s music degrees to 67 students in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Music at Ohio State University - Main Campus

17

Ohio University - Athens Campus did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Music Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #17. Located in Athens, Ohio, this large public school handed out 74 diplomas to qualified ’s music students in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Music at Ohio University - Athens Campus

18

Northern Illinois University landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Music Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. NIU is a fairly large public school situated in Dekalb, Illinois. It awarded 64 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Music at NIU

19
Lawrence U crest
Lawrence University
Appleton, Wisconsin

Lawrence University landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Music Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Lawrence University is located in Appleton, Wisconsin and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 50 ’s music degrees to qualified students.

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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. 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%.

Full Lawrence University Music Report

20
Butler crest
Butler University
Indianapolis, Indiana

Butler University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Music Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #20. 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.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. 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%.

Full Butler Music Report

20
Wayne State crest
Wayne State University
Detroit, Michigan

Wayne State University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Music Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This large school is located in Detroit, Michigan, and it awarded 47 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Music at Wayne State

22

University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Music Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #22. Eau Claire, Wisconsin is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s music degrees to 48 students in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Music at UW - Eau Claire

23

Western Illinois University ranked #23 on this year’s Most Well Attended Music Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Western Illinois University is a medium-sized school located in Macomb, Illinois that handed out 44 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Music at Western Illinois University

24
Wheaton College Illinois crest
Wheaton College Illinois
Wheaton, Illinois

Wheaton College Illinois ranked #24 on this year’s Most Well Attended Music Major in the Great Lakes Region 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.

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. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.

Read full report on Music at Wheaton College Illinois

25
Ball State crest
Ball State University
Muncie, Indiana

Ball State University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Music Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Ball State is a large public school situated in Muncie, Indiana. It awarded 43 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.2% 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 Ball State

Rest of the Best 34 in Most Well Attended Music Major in the Great Lakes Region

Not only did these schools make the top 34 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

26
26
28
UChicago crest
University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois
28
EIU crest
Eastern Illinois University
Charleston, Illinois
28
GVSU crest
Grand Valley State University
Allendale, Michigan
28
Capital crest
Capital University
Columbus, Ohio
32
33
33
Indiana State crest
Indiana State University
Terre Haute, Indiana

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

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