2023 Best Value Music Schools in California
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Music School for You
With 3,457 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, music is the #35 most popular major in California.
With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value Music Schools in California ranking. Our analysis looked at 44 schools in California to see which 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 10 Best Music Schools
Our analysis found San Diego Mesa College to be the best value school for music students who want to pursue a degree in California. Located in the city of San Diego, San Diego Mesa College is a public college with a large student population.
San Diego Mesa College undergraduate students pay an average of $1,144 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
Full Music at San Diego Mesa College Report
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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 California list. Located in the suburb of San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo undergraduate students pay an average of $10,195 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also claimed a spot on our Best Music Schools in California list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools in this category.
Full Music at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo Report
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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 California list. Located in the city of San Jose, San Jose State is a public college with a fairly large student population.
San Jose State undergraduate students pay an average of $7,852 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, San Jose State also is in the top 20% of our Best Music Schools in California ranking.
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The excellent programs at Sonoma State University helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best music schools in California. Located in the suburb of Rohnert Park, SSU is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SSU are $7,988 per year.
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The excellent programs at California State University - East Bay helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best music schools in California. Cal State East Bay is a large public school located in the suburb of Hayward.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Cal State East Bay are $6,995 a year.
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San Francisco State University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value music programs. SFSU is a fairly large public school located in the city of San Francisco.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at SFSU are $7,304 a year. While working on their degree, music majors at SFSU accumulate an average of around $14,313 in student debt.
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With a ranking of #7, California State University - Fresno did quite well on this year’s best value schools for music students. Fresno State is a very large public school located in the large city of Fresno.
Fresno State undergraduate students pay an average of $6,653 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
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California State Polytechnic University - Pomona did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for music students. It came in at #8 on the list. Cal Poly Pomona is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Pomona.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Cal Poly Pomona are $7,439 a year. After completing their degree, music graduates from Cal Poly Pomona carry an average student debtload of $20,246.
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California State University - San Bernardino ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools in California list. CSUSB is a fairly large public school located in the city of San Bernardino.
CSUSB undergraduate students pay an average of $7,213 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
Full Music at California State University - San Bernardino Report
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With a ranking of #10, California State University - San Marcos did quite well on this year’s best value schools for music students. CSUSM is a large public school located in the large suburb of San Marcos.
CSUSM undergraduate students pay an average of $7,727 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
Request InformationBest Value Music Colleges in the Far Western US Region
Explore all the Best Value Music Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Washington | 320 |
| Oregon | 299 |
| Nevada | 94 |
| Hawaii | 31 |
| Alaska | 12 |
More Music Rankings in California
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.
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