2023 Best Value Music Schools
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
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.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Value Music Schools to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 548 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.
This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.
For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
Top 25 Best Schools for Affordable Quality in Music
Our analysis found Collin County Community College District to be the best value school for music students who want to pursue a degree in the United States. Located in the medium-sized suburb of McKinney, Collin County Community College District is a public school with a very large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Collin County Community College District are $5,104 per year.
In addition to its great value ranking, Collin County Community College District is in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Music Schools list.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Valencia College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Music Schools list. Valencia College is a very large public school located in the city of Orlando.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Valencia College are $9,383 per year. After completing their degree, music graduates from Valencia College carry an average student debtload of $10,953.
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Out of the 548 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Brigham Young University - Idaho landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the distant town of Rexburg, BYU - I 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 BYU - I are $4,416 a year.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Brigham Young University - Provo. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Music Schools list. Located in the medium-sized city of Provo, BYU is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at BYU are $6,120 per year. The average amount in student loans that music majors at BYU take out is $10,875.
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.
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Out of the 548 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Century College landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the suburb of White Bear Lake, Century College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Century College are $5,907 per year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Century College also is in the top 20% of our Best Music Schools ranking.
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With a ranking of #6, West Texas A&M University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for music students. Located in the town of Canyon, West Texas A&M University is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
West Texas A&M University undergraduate students pay an average of $11,208 in tuition and fees each year. On average, music graduates from West Texas A&M University take out $24,150 in student loans while working on their degree.
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Messiah University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for music students. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the suburb of Mechanicsburg, Messiah is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Messiah undergraduate students pay an average of $38,370 in tuition and fees each year.
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With a ranking of #8, Milwaukee Area Technical College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for music students. Located in the city of Milwaukee, MATC is a public college with a large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at MATC are $6,908 a year.
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Finger Lakes Community College landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value music programs. Finger Lakes Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the rural area of Canandaigua.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Finger Lakes Community College are $6,710 per year.
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El Centro College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools list. El Centro College is a very large public school located in the large city of Dallas.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at El Centro College are $6,000 per year. On average, music graduates from El Centro College take out $13,992 in student loans while working on their degree.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, El Centro College also is in the top 10% of our Best Music Schools ranking.
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John Tyler Community College ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools list. John Tyler Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of Chester.
John Tyler Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $10,803 in tuition and fees each year.
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Spokane Falls Community College landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value music programs. Located in the medium-sized city of Spokane, Spokane Falls Community College is a public school with a small student population.
Spokane Falls Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,135 in tuition and fees each year.
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North Dakota State University - Main Campus landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value music programs. North Dakota State University is a fairly large public school located in the city of Fargo.
North Dakota State University undergraduate students pay an average of $14,876 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, music graduates from North Dakota State University carry an average student debtload of $22,500.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, North Dakota State University also did well on our Best Music Schools list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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With a ranking of #14, University of Puerto Rico - Rio Piedras did quite well on this year’s best value schools for music students. UPR Rio Piedras is a fairly large public school located in the large city of San Juan.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UPR Rio Piedras are $4,940 a year.
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LaGuardia Community College ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools list. Located in the large city of Long Island City, LaGuardia is a public school with a large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at LaGuardia are $8,098 per year.
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With a ranking of #16, Winona State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for music students. Located in the town of Winona, Winona State is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Winona State are $16,684 per year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Winona State also did well on our Best Music Schools list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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Youngstown State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for music students. It came in at #17 on the list. Located in the small city of Youngstown, Youngstown State University is a public college with a large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Youngstown State University are $9,732 a year.
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Scottsdale Community College came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools ranking. Scottsdale Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the rural area of Scottsdale.
Scottsdale Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $7,854 in tuition and fees each year.
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With a ranking of #19, Western Carolina University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for music students. Located in the town of Cullowhee, WCU is a public school with a large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at WCU are $8,367 per year. The average amount in student loans that music majors at WCU take out is $28,749.
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Truman State University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools ranking. Located in the town of Kirksville, Truman State is a public college with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Truman State are $16,410 per year.
Truman State excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Music Schools list.
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University of South Dakota did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for music students. It came in at #21 on the list. USD is a medium-sized public school located in the town of Vermillion.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at USD are $12,942 a year.
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Macomb Community College ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools list. Macomb Community College is a fairly large public school located in the city of Warren.
Macomb Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $7,680 in tuition and fees each year.
In addition to its great value ranking, Macomb Community College is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Music Schools list.
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Sinclair Community College landed the #23 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value music programs. Located in the midsize city of Dayton, Sinclair Community College is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Sinclair Community College are $8,076 per year.
Sinclair Community College excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Music Schools list.
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University of Nebraska at Kearney came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools ranking. UNK is a medium-sized public school located in the town of Kearney.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UNK are $15,320 per year.
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Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for music students. It came in at #25 on the list. Located in the town of Slippery Rock, SRU is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SRU are $14,615 per year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, SRU also is in the top 20% of our Best Music Schools ranking.
Full Music at Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania Report
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Remaining Award Winners
This section represents the rest of the schools awarded a Best Value Music Schools badge. Showing in this list means the college was ranked in the top 15% of the 548 different United States music schools we analyzed.
Additional Noteworthy Schools
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Value Music Schools award.
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
Other Related 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.
Music Related Majors for 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.
- 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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