2023 Best Value Music Schools
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
Finding the Best Music School for You
Music is the #37 most popular major in the country with 7,675 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.
It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Grad Degree Search has created its Best Value Music Schools ranking. This report analyzed 261 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best value programs for music students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.
Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.
In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.
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2023 Best Value Music Schools in the United States
Check out the music programs at these schools if you want to get the best value for your educational dollar.
Top 25 Best Schools for Affordable Quality in Music
Our 2023 rankings named Columbia College Chicago the best value school in the United States for music students. Columbia is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Columbia are $27,786 per year.
A rank of #2 on this year’s list means West Texas A&M University is a great value for music students. West Texas A&M University is a medium-sized public school located in the town of Canyon.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at West Texas A&M University are $11,208 a year.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Messiah University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Music Schools list. Messiah is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Mechanicsburg.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Messiah are $38,370 per year.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Truman State University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools list. Truman State is a small public school located in the remote town of Kirksville.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Truman State are $16,410 a year.
A rank of #5 on this year’s list means North Dakota State University - Main Campus is a great value for music students. Located in the city of Fargo, North Dakota State University is a public college with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at North Dakota State University are $14,876 a year.
North Dakota State University also claimed a spot on our Best Music Schools list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category.
With a ranking of #6, Youngstown State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for music students. Youngstown State University is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Youngstown.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Youngstown State University are $9,732 a year.
With a ranking of #7, Lindenwood University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for music students. Lindenwood University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Saint Charles.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Lindenwood University are $18,640 a year.
With a ranking of #8, Brigham Young University - Provo did quite well on this year’s best value schools for music students. BYU is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Provo.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at BYU are $6,120 per year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, BYU also did well on our Best Music Schools list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Texas A&M University - Kingsville landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value music programs. Located in the distant town of Kingsville, Texas A&M Kingsville is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Texas A&M Kingsville are $25,746 a year.
Read full report on Music at Texas A&M University - Kingsville
University of Nebraska at Kearney landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value music programs. Located in the distant town of Kearney, UNK is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
UNK undergraduate students pay an average of $15,320 in tuition and fees each year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UNK also is in the top 20% of our Best Music Schools ranking.
Read full report on Music at University of Nebraska at Kearney
University of South Dakota came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools ranking. Located in the distant town of Vermillion, USD is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
USD undergraduate students pay an average of $12,942 in tuition and fees each year.
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools list. UT Rio Grande Valley is a fairly large public school located in the midsize city of Edinburg.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UT Rio Grande Valley are $19,333 per year.
Sam Houston State University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools ranking. SHSU is a very large public school located in the distant town of Huntsville.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at SHSU are $18,752 a year.
Liberty University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools list. Located in the small city of Lynchburg, Liberty University is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Liberty University are $16,160 a year.
Western Illinois University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools ranking. WIU is a medium-sized public school located in the town of Macomb.
WIU undergraduate students pay an average of $13,297 in tuition and fees each year.
With a ranking of #16, University of Central Arkansas did quite well on this year’s best value schools for music students. UCA is a large public school located in the city of Conway.
UCA undergraduate students pay an average of $16,433 in tuition and fees each year.
The Graduate Center, CUNY ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools list. The Graduate Center is a medium-sized public school located in the city of New York.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at The Graduate Center are $15,360 a year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, The Graduate Center also did well on our Best Music Schools list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville landed the #18 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value music programs. Located in the suburb of Edwardsville, SIUE is a public school with a large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SIUE are $11,496 per year.
Full Music at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Report
Texas A&M University - Commerce did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for music students. It came in at #19 on the list. Located in the distant town of Commerce, Texas A&M Commerce is a public school with a large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Texas A&M Commerce are $22,266 a year.
The University of Texas at El Paso landed the #20 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value music programs. UTEP is a very large public school located in the large city of El Paso.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UTEP are $24,952 a year.
Read full report on Music at The University of Texas at El Paso
Texas Woman’s University landed the #21 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value music programs. Located in the midsize city of Denton, TWU is a public school with a large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at TWU are $18,186 per year.
Converse College ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools list. Located in the city of Spartanburg, Converse is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Converse are $19,850 a year.
West Chester University of Pennsylvania landed the #22 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value music programs. Located in the suburb of West Chester, WCUPA is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at WCUPA are $22,247 per year.
With a ranking of #24, Morehead State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for music students. Located in the remote town of Morehead, Morehead State University is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Morehead State University are $14,106 per year.
Illinois State University landed the #25 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value music programs. Located in the suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Illinois State are $24,172 per year.
Illinois State excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Music Schools list.
Rest of the Top Best Value Music Schools
Honorable Mentions
Here are some additional great value schools for Music graduate students seeking value that almost earned our Best Value Music Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 40 | Eastern Illinois University | Charleston, IL |
| 41 | University of Nebraska at Omaha | Omaha, NE |
| 42 | Eastern Kentucky University | Richmond, KY |
| 43 | University of Akron Main Campus | Akron, OH |
| 44 | The University of Texas at Austin | Austin, TX |
| 45 | Oklahoma City University | Oklahoma City, OK |
| 46 | Rowan University | Glassboro, NJ |
| 46 | University of Northern Iowa | Cedar Falls, IA |
| 48 | University of Houston | Houston, TX |
| 49 | Indiana State University | Terre Haute, IN |
| 50 | Lee University | Cleveland, TN |
| 51 | Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Main Campus | Indiana, PA |
| 52 | Oklahoma State University - Main Campus | Stillwater, OK |
Music by Region
View the Best Value Music Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
More Music Rankings
Majors Related to Music
Music is one of 9 different types of programs to choose from.
Most Popular Majors Related to Music
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Fine & Studio Arts | 3,224 |
| Design & Applied Arts | 1,979 |
| Film, Video & Photographic Arts | 1,704 |
| Drama & Theater Arts | 1,699 |
| Arts & Media Management | 1,184 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- 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 the rest 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.
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