2023 Best Music Schools
Finding the Best Music School for You
Music is the #43 most popular major in the country with 25,910 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.
When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Music Schools ranking. This report analyzed 548 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best programs for students.
View our full ranking methodology.
Featured Music Programs
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
Earn the music business degree that fits into the business world – and partners Southern New Hampshire University with world-renowned Berklee College of Music.
2023 Best Music Schools in the United States
The following schools top our list of the Best Music Colleges.
Top 25 Top Schools in Music
Our analysis found University of Notre Dame to be the best school for music students who want to pursue a degree in the United States. Located in the suburb of Notre Dame, Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Duke University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Music Schools list. Located in the large city of Durham, Duke is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Lafayette College. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Music Schools list. Lafayette is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Easton.
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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means The Graduate Center, CUNY is a great place for music students. Located in the large city of New York, The Graduate Center is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend College of the Holy Cross. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Music Schools list. Holy Cross is a small private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Worcester.
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With a ranking of #6, Emory University did quite well on this year’s best schools for music students. Located in the city of Atlanta, Emory is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.
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Dartmouth College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for music students. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the town of Hanover, Dartmouth is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.
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California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best music programs. Located in the small suburb of San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a public school with a very large student population.
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Messiah University landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best music programs. Located in the suburb of Mechanicsburg, Messiah is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
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With a ranking of #10, Virginia Tech did quite well on this year’s best schools for music students. Virginia Tech is a very large public school located in the city of Blacksburg.
After completing their degree, music graduates from Virginia Tech carry an average student debtload of $27,500.
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Brandeis University landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best music programs. Located in the small city of Waltham, Brandeis is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.
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Winona State University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Music Schools list. Located in the town of Winona, Winona State is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
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Moravian College ranked #13 on this year’s Best Music Schools list. Located in the city of Bethlehem, Moravian is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
After completing their degree, music graduates from Moravian carry an average student debtload of $27,774.
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Luther College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for music students. It came in at #14 on the list. Located in the town of Decorah, Luther is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
The average amount in student loans that music majors at Luther take out is $27,000.
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Michigan State University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Music Schools ranking. Michigan State is a very large public school located in the city of East Lansing.
On average, music graduates from Michigan State take out $26,582 in student loans while working on their degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $344.
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Kansas State University ranked #16 on this year’s Best Music Schools list. Located in the city of Manhattan, K -State is a public college with a very large student population.
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With a ranking of #17, Northwestern University did quite well on this year’s best schools for music students. Located in the small city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
The average amount in student loans that music majors at Northwestern take out is $17,825. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $431.
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North Dakota State University - Main Campus did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for music students. It came in at #18 on the list. North Dakota State University is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Fargo.
After completing their degree, music graduates from North Dakota State University carry an average student debtload of $22,500.
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Texas A&M University - Kingsville did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for music students. It came in at #19 on the list. Texas A&M Kingsville is a medium-sized public school located in the distant town of Kingsville.
After completing their degree, music graduates from Texas A&M Kingsville carry an average student debtload of $30,962.
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University of California - Berkeley did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for music students. It came in at #20 on the list. Located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public college with a very large student population.
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The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for music students. It came in at #21 on the list. Located in the midsize city of Edinburg, UT Rio Grande Valley is a public college with a very large student population.
Music majors at UT Rio Grande Valley take out an average of $19,018 in student loans while working on their egree.
Full Music at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Report
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Concordia College at Moorhead did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for music students. It came in at #22 on the list. Located in the suburb of Moorhead, Concordia College Moorhead is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
While working on their degree, music majors at Concordia College Moorhead accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt.
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With a ranking of #23, The University of Texas at Austin did quite well on this year’s best schools for music students. Located in the large city of Austin, UT Austin is a public college with a fairly large student population.
After completing their degree, music graduates from UT Austin carry an average student debtload of $26,000. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $424.
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With a ranking of #24, Drake University did quite well on this year’s best schools for music students. Drake is a small private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Des Moines.
Full Music at Drake University Report
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With a ranking of #25, The College of New Jersey did quite well on this year’s best schools for music students. Located in the suburb of Ewing, TCNJ is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
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Remaining Award Winners
This list shows the rest of the colleges awarded a Best Music Schools badge. Showing in this list means the school was ranked in the top 15% of the 548 different United States music schools we analyzed.
Additional Noteworthy Schools
Here are some additional great schools for Music students that almost earned our Best Music Schools award.
Music by Region
View the Best 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
Related Programs
Learn about other programs related to Music that might interest you.
Earn the music business degree that fits into the business world – and partners Southern New Hampshire University with world-renowned Berklee College of Music.
Rankings in Majors Related to Music
One of 10 majors within the area of study, music has other similar majors worth exploring.
Majors Similar to Music
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Fine & Studio Arts | 37,413 |
| Design & Applied Arts | 36,301 |
| Drama & Theater Arts | 17,341 |
| Film, Video & Photographic Arts | 16,778 |
| General Visual & Performing Arts | 6,355 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- Read more about our ranking methodology.
- 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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