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Best Value Music Schools in the Far Western US Region

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2023 Best Value Music Schools in the Far Western US Region

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

69 Colleges
$20,926 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$25,019 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Music School for You

Out of all the majors we analyze each year, music was ranked #43 in the country. In fact 25,910 degrees and certificates were handed out in 2020-2021.

There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one 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.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Value Music Schools in the Far Western US Region to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 69 schools in the Far Western US Region 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. 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.

For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.

2023 Best Value Music Schools in the Far Western US Region

The following schools top our list of the Best Value Music Colleges.

Top 10 Best Music Schools

$5,135 Average Tuition & Fees

Our analysis found Spokane Falls Community College to be the best value school for music students who want to pursue a degree in the Far Western US Region . Spokane Falls Community College is a small public school located in the city of Spokane.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Spokane Falls Community College are $5,135 per year.

Read full report on Music at Spokane Falls Community College

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a very large public school located in the suburb of San Luis Obispo.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo undergraduate students pay an average of $28,105 in tuition and fees each year.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Music Schools in the Far Western US Region list.

Read More…

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend San Jose State University. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools in the Far Western US Region list. San Jose State is a fairly large public school located in the large city of San Jose.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at San Jose State are $19,732 a year.

In addition to its great value ranking, San Jose State is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Music Schools in the Far Western US Region list.

Full Music at San Jose State University Report

#4

Bellevue College

Bellevue, WA

Out of the 69 schools in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Bellevue College landed the # 4 spot on the list. BC is a large public school located in the city of Bellevue.

BC undergraduate students pay an average of $9,594 in tuition and fees each year.

BC also claimed a spot on our Best Music Schools in the Far Western US Region list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category.

Read full report on Music at Bellevue College

#5

Sonoma State University

Rohnert Park, CA
$19,868 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Sonoma State University. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools in the Far Western US Region list. SSU is a medium-sized public school located in the large suburb of Rohnert Park.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SSU are $19,868 per year.

Full Music at Sonoma State University Report

#6

Cogswell College

San Jose, CA
$21,784 Average Tuition & Fees

Cogswell College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value music programs. Cogswell is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the city of San Jose.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Cogswell are $21,784 per year. On average, music graduates from Cogswell take out $35,410 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read More…

$18,875 Average Tuition & Fees

California State University - East Bay came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. Located in the suburb of Hayward, Cal State East Bay is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Cal State East Bay undergraduate students pay an average of $18,875 in tuition and fees each year.

Read More…

$25,228 Average Tuition & Fees

University of Alaska Anchorage ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Located in the city of Anchorage, UAA is a public college with a large student population.

UAA undergraduate students pay an average of $25,228 in tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Music at University of Alaska Anchorage

#9

College of Southern Nevada

Las Vegas, NV
$11,534 Average Tuition & Fees

College of Southern Nevada landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value music programs. Located in the large city of Las Vegas, CSN is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at CSN are $11,534 per year.

Full Music at College of Southern Nevada Report

#10

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA
$19,184 Average Tuition & Fees

San Francisco State University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Located in the city of San Francisco, SFSU is a public school with a very large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SFSU are $19,184 per year. On average, music graduates from SFSU take out $14,313 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read full report on Music at San Francisco State University

Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional great value schools for Music students in the Far Western US Region seeking value that almost earned our Best Value Music Schools in the Far Western US Region award.

Rank College Location
11 University of Nevada - Las Vegas Las Vegas, NV
12 Azusa Pacific University Azusa, CA
12 California State University - San Marcos San Marcos, CA

Best Music Colleges by State

Explore the best music schools for a specific state in the Far Western US region.

State Degrees Awarded
California 3,457
Washington 320
Oregon 299
Nevada 94
Hawaii 31
Alaska 12

Music is one of 10 different types of programs to choose from.

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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