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 large city of San Diego, San Diego Mesa College is a public college with a fairly 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.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also did well on our Best Music Schools in California list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend San Jose State University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Music Schools in California list. Located in the large city of San Jose, San Jose State is a public college with a very large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at San Jose State are $7,852 a year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, San Jose State also did well on our Best Music Schools in California list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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Out of the 44 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Sonoma State University landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the large suburb of Rohnert Park, SSU is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at SSU are $7,988 a year.
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Out of the 44 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - East Bay landed the # 5 spot on the list. Cal State East Bay is a large public school located in the suburb of Hayward.
Cal State East Bay undergraduate students pay an average of $6,995 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
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San Francisco State University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools in California ranking. SFSU is a very 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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California State University - Fresno ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools in California list. Fresno State is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Fresno.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Fresno State are $6,653 per year.
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California State Polytechnic University - Pomona came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools in California ranking. Cal Poly Pomona is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Pomona.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Cal Poly Pomona are $7,439 per 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 landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value music programs. CSUSB is a large public school located in the medium-sized city of San Bernardino.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at CSUSB are $7,213 per year.
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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 fairly large public school located in the large suburb of San Marcos.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at CSUSM are $7,727 a year.
Read full report on Music at California State University - San Marcos
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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