College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2023 Most Popular Colleges for Music in Illinois

66 Ranked Colleges
1,138 Degrees Awarded
$30,100 Avg Cost*
Most Well Attended Music Major in Illinois

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Most Well Attended Music Major in Illinois” ranking.

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 “Most Well Attended Music Major in Illinois” ranking, we looked at 66 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.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Degree Other Award Levels
Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Music Rankings Other Ranking Categories

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 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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Most Well Attended Music Major in Illinois

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

1
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

Out of the 66 schools in the Most Well Attended Music Major in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern University landed the #1 spot on the list. Northwestern is a private not-for-profit institution located in Evanston, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 156 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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. 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%.

Read full report on Music at Northwestern

2

Out of the 66 schools in the Most Well Attended Music Major in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #2 spot on the list. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a large school located in Champaign, Illinois that handed out 129 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.

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

Full UIUC Music Report

3
Roosevelt crest
Roosevelt University
Chicago, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Roosevelt University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Music Major in Illinois list. Roosevelt is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 97 ’s music degrees to qualified students.

Read more about Music at Roosevelt University

4
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend DePaul University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Music Major in Illinois list. DePaul University is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 91 ’s music degrees to qualified students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full DePaul University Music Report

5

Out of the 66 schools in the Most Well Attended Music Major in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Illinois State University landed the #5 spot on the list. Illinois State is a large public school situated in Normal, Illinois. It awarded 75 ’s music degrees 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

6
Columbia crest
Columbia College Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

With a ranking of #6, Columbia College Chicago did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Music Major in Illinois 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.

Read full report on Music at Columbia College Chicago

7

With a ranking of #7, Northern Illinois University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Music Major in Illinois list. NIU is a fairly large public school situated in Dekalb, Illinois. It awarded 64 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Northern Illinois University Music Report

8

Western Illinois University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Music Major in Illinois ranking. WIU is a public institution located in Macomb, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 44 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Western Illinois University Music Report

9
Wheaton College Illinois crest
Wheaton College Illinois
Wheaton, Illinois

Wheaton College Illinois came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Music Major in Illinois ranking. Wheaton College Illinois is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Wheaton, Illinois. It awarded 41 ’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 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%. 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

10
UChicago crest
University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

University of Chicago ranked #10 on this year’s Most Well Attended Music Major in Illinois list. UChicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 37 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.

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%. 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. With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full UChicago Music Report

10
EIU crest
Eastern Illinois University
Charleston, Illinois

Eastern Illinois University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Music Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #10. Charleston, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s music degrees to 37 students in 2020-2021.

Read more about Music at EIU

12
Millikin crest
Millikin University
Decatur, Illinois

With a ranking of #12, Millikin University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Music Major in Illinois list. Located in Decatur, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 33 diplomas to qualified ’s music students in 2020-2021.

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 Millikin

13

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Music Major in Illinois ranking. SIUE is a public institution located in Edwardsville, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 29 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Music at SIUE

14

With a ranking of #14, Southern Illinois University Carbondale did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Music Major in Illinois list. Southern Illinois University Carbondale is located in Carbondale, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 26 ’s music degrees to qualified students.

Read more about Music at Southern Illinois University Carbondale

15

Northeastern Illinois University ranked #15 on this year’s Most Well Attended Music Major in Illinois list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s music degrees to 20 students in 2020-2021.

Full Northeastern Illinois University Music Report

16
North Central crest
North Central College
Naperville, Illinois

North Central College came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Music Major in Illinois ranking. North Central 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 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 North Central Music Report

17

University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Music Major in Illinois ranking. University of Illinois at Chicago is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 13 ’s music degrees to qualified students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.5% 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 UIC

18
Augustana crest
Augustana College
Rock Island, Illinois

With a ranking of #18, Augustana College did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Music Major in Illinois list. Rock Island, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s music degrees to 12 students in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Augustana Music Report

19
Loyola Chicago crest
Loyola University Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

Loyola University Chicago landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Music Major in Illinois ranking. Loyola Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 11 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.7% 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 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Music at Loyola University Chicago

19
Greenville crest
Greenville University
Greenville, Illinois

Greenville University ranked #19 on this year’s Most Well Attended Music Major in Illinois list. This small school is located in Greenville, Illinois, and it awarded 11 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.9%, which is much lower than the national 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 Greenville University

19
North Park crest
North Park University
Chicago, Illinois

North Park University landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Music Major in Illinois ranking. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 11 degrees to qualified ’s music students 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 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%.

Read more about Music at North Park

22
Olivet Nazarene crest
Olivet Nazarene University
Bourbonnais, Illinois

Olivet Nazarene University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Music Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #22. Olivet Nazarene University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Bourbonnais, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 10 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Music at Olivet Nazarene

23
Illinois Wesleyan crest
Illinois Wesleyan University
Bloomington, Illinois

Illinois Wesleyan University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Music Major in Illinois ranking. Illinois Wesleyan 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 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Illinois Wesleyan Music Report

24
Elmhurst crest
Elmhurst University
Elmhurst, Illinois

Elmhurst University ranked #24 on this year’s Most Well Attended Music Major in Illinois list. Elmhurst is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Elmhurst, Illinois. It awarded 8 ’s music degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.2% 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%.

Full Elmhurst Music Report

25
Concordia University, Chicago crest
Concordia University, Chicago
River Forest, Illinois

Concordia University, Chicago ranked #25 on this year’s Most Well Attended Music Major in Illinois list. Concordia University, Chicago is located in River Forest, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 7 ’s music degrees to qualified students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Music at Concordia University, Chicago

25
University of Saint Francis crest
University of St Francis
Joliet, Illinois

University of St Francis ranked #25 on this year’s Most Well Attended Music Major in Illinois list. University of Saint Francis is a private not-for-profit institution located in Joliet, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 7 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Music at University of St Francis

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options