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 midsize suburb of McKinney, Collin County Community College District is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Collin County Community College District undergraduate students pay an average of $5,104 in tuition and fees each 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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Out of the 548 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Valencia College landed the # 2 spot on the list. Valencia College is a very large public school located in the city of Orlando.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Valencia College are $9,383 a year. After completing their degree, music graduates from Valencia College carry an average student debtload of $10,953.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Brigham Young University - Idaho. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools list. Located in the town of Rexburg, BYU - I is a private not-for-profit college with a very 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 city of Provo, BYU is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at BYU are $6,120 a 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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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Century College. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools list. Located in the large suburb of White Bear Lake, Century College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Century College are $5,907 per year.
In addition to its great value ranking, Century College is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Music Schools list.
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West Texas A&M University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools ranking. Located in the fringe town of Canyon, West Texas A&M University is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at West Texas A&M University are $11,208 per 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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With a ranking of #7, Messiah University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for music students. Located in the suburb of Mechanicsburg, Messiah 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 Messiah are $38,370 a year.
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Milwaukee Area Technical College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for music students. It came in at #8 on the list. Located in the city of Milwaukee, MATC is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at MATC are $6,908 per year.
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With a ranking of #9, Finger Lakes Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for music students. Finger Lakes Community College is a medium-sized public school located in the rural area of Canandaigua.
Finger Lakes Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $6,710 in tuition and fees each year.
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El Centro College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools ranking. 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.
El Centro College also claimed a spot on our Best Music Schools list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.
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With a ranking of #11, John Tyler Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for music students. John Tyler Community College is a medium-sized public school located in the suburb of Chester.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at John Tyler Community College are $10,803 a year.
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Spokane Falls Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for music students. It came in at #12 on the list. Located in the midsize city of Spokane, Spokane Falls Community College is a public school with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Spokane Falls Community College are $5,135 per year.
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North Dakota State University - Main Campus came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools ranking. North Dakota State University is a fairly large public school located in the midsize 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.
In addition to its great value ranking, North Dakota State University is in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Music Schools list.
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University of Puerto Rico - Rio Piedras did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for music students. It came in at #14 on the list. UPR Rio Piedras is a fairly large public school located in the city of San Juan.
UPR Rio Piedras undergraduate students pay an average of $4,940 in tuition and fees each 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 college with a fairly large student population.
LaGuardia undergraduate students pay an average of $8,098 in tuition and fees each year.
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Winona State University landed the #16 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value music programs. Located in the town of Winona, Winona State is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Winona State are $16,684 a year.
Winona State excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Music Schools list.
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Youngstown State University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools ranking. Located in the small city of Youngstown, Youngstown State University is a public school with a large student population.
Youngstown State University undergraduate students pay an average of $9,732 in tuition and fees each year.
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Scottsdale Community College landed the #18 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value music programs. Scottsdale Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the rural area of Scottsdale.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Scottsdale Community College are $7,854 per year.
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Western Carolina University landed the #19 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value music programs. Located in the town of Cullowhee, WCU is a public school with a fairly large student population.
WCU undergraduate students pay an average of $8,367 in tuition and fees each 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 remote town of Kirksville, Truman State is a public college with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Truman State are $16,410 a year.
In addition to its great value ranking, Truman State is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Music Schools list.
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University of South Dakota ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools list. USD is a moderately-sized public school located in the distant 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 did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for music students. It came in at #22 on the list. Macomb Community College is a 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 medium-sized city of Dayton, Sinclair Community College is a public college with a large student population.
Sinclair Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $8,076 in tuition and fees each year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Sinclair Community College 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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University of Nebraska at Kearney came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools ranking. UNK is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of Kearney.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UNK are $15,320 a year.
Full Music at University of Nebraska at Kearney Report
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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 distant town of Slippery Rock, SRU is a public school 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.
Read full report on Music at Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania
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Remaining Award Winners
This list shows the remainder of the schools awarded a Best Value 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
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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