2026 Best Music Schools in South Carolina
Music programs are offered at a focused set of schools across the country. While the number of schools offering the program varies, there are still top-quality ones to be found.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 23 schools to find the best for music students.
What’s on this page:
Best Schools for Music in South Carolina
If you are not interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the music degrees they offer, see the list below.
Top Schools in Music
University Of South Carolina Columbia tops our 2026 ranking of the best music schools. This very large public university is located in the city of Columbia. University Of South Carolina Columbia graduates 79% of students within six years. About 95 music degrees were awarded at University Of South Carolina Columbia in the most recent year. Students who receive their music degree from University Of South Carolina Columbia earn around $38,397 in the first couple years of their career. Typical student debt for the program is $27,000.
See the full music program report for University Of South Carolina Columbia
College Of Charleston is one of the finest schools in the country for a degree in music, ranking #2. Set in the city of Charleston, College Of Charleston is a large public institution. About 66% of students finish within six years. About 19 music degrees were awarded at College Of Charleston in the most recent year. Students who receive their music degree from College Of Charleston earn around $40,222 in the first couple years of their career. Students borrow a median of $24,733 to complete this degree.
Get the full music details for College Of Charleston
A rank of #3 makes Winthrop University one of the top schools for music. Winthrop University is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Rock Hill. About 57% of students finish within six years. Winthrop University awarded about 21 music degrees in the most recent data year. Music graduates of Winthrop University earn a median of $25,952 early in their careers. Typical student debt for the program is $27,000.
Read more about the music program at Winthrop University
Bob Jones University is one of the finest schools in the country for a degree in music, ranking #4. This mid-sized private not-for-profit university is located in the city of Greenville. Roughly 64% of students complete a degree within six years here. Bob Jones University awarded about 11 music degrees in the most recent data year. Graduates of the music program make about $40,538 in their early career. Typical student debt for the program is $20,497.
Get the full music details for Bob Jones University
View All Music Rankings >
Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs graduation rate, post-graduation earnings, cost, and program quality, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Top Ranked · 23 schools evaluated.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
