2023 Best Value Music Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Music Bachelor's Degree School for You
Music is the #43 most popular major in the country with 25,910 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.
With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Value Music Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 78 schools in the Great Lakes Region to see which bachelor's degree programs offered the best value experiences for music students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.
Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. 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.
In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
Top 15% Best Music Bachelor's Degree Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Western Illinois University the best value school in the Great Lakes Region for music students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the town of Macomb, WIU is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
WIU undergraduate students pay an average of $13,297 in tuition and fees each year.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Youngstown State University. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region 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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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Whitewater. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. UW - Whitewater is a fairly large public school located in the town of Whitewater.
UW - Whitewater undergraduate students pay an average of $16,602 in tuition and fees each year.
In addition to its great value ranking, UW - Whitewater is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Eastern Illinois University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the distant town of Charleston, EIU is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at EIU are $14,551 per year.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the small city of Eau Claire, UW - Eau Claire is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UW - Eau Claire are $17,149 per year. The average amount in student loans that music majors at UW - Eau Claire take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $24,625.
UW - Eau Claire also claimed a spot on our Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category.
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Northern Illinois University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. NIU is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Dekalb.
NIU undergraduate students pay an average of $14,738 in tuition and fees each year.
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With a ranking of #7, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville did quite well on this year’s best value schools for music students working on their bachelor’s degree. SIUE is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Edwardsville.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at SIUE are $11,496 a year.
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University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for music students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #8 on the list. UW - Stevens Point is a medium-sized public school located in the town of Stevens Point.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UW - Stevens Point are $17,035 a year. After completing their Bachelor's Degree, music graduates from UW - Stevens Point carry an average student debtload of $20,324.
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University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for music students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #9 on the list. UW Oshkosh is a large public school located in the city of Oshkosh.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UW Oshkosh are $15,306 a year.
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With a ranking of #10, University of Wisconsin - La Crosse did quite well on this year’s best value schools for music students working on their bachelor’s degree. UW - La Crosse is a large public school located in the small city of La Crosse.
UW - La Crosse undergraduate students pay an average of $18,014 in tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that music majors at UW - La Crosse take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $22,260.
In addition to its great value ranking, UW - La Crosse is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list.
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With a ranking of #11, University of Wisconsin - River Falls did quite well on this year’s best value schools for music students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the distant town of River Falls, UW - River Falls is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UW - River Falls are $15,661 a year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UW - River Falls also is in the top 10% of our Best Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking.
Request InformationAdditional Noteworthy Schools
Here are some additional great value schools for Music students in the Great Lakes Region seeking value that almost earned our Best Value Music Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | University of Akron Main Campus | Akron, OH |
| 13 | Central Michigan University | Mount Pleasant, MI |
| 14 | Grand Valley State University | Allendale, MI |
| 15 | University of Wisconsin - Green Bay | Green Bay, WI |
Best Music Colleges by State
Explore the best music schools for a specific state in the Great Lakes region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Michigan | 734 |
| Ohio | 1,138 |
| Illinois | 1,129 |
| Indiana | 660 |
| Wisconsin | 359 |
More Music Rankings in the Great Lakes Region
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.
Most Popular Majors Related 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.