2023 Best Value Music Schools in the Great Lakes Region
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.
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.
The Best Value Music Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 83 schools in the Great Lakes Region 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 15% Best Music Schools
Our analysis found Milwaukee Area Technical College to be the best value school for music students who want to pursue a degree in the Great Lakes Region . Located in the large city of Milwaukee, MATC is a public school with a large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at MATC are $6,908 per year.
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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Youngstown State University is a great value for music students. Located in the city of Youngstown, Youngstown State University is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Youngstown State University undergraduate students pay an average of $9,732 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 Macomb Community College. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Macomb Community College is a fairly large public school located in the city of Warren.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Macomb Community College are $7,680 a year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Macomb Community College also did well on our Best Music Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Sinclair Community College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Music Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the medium-sized city of Dayton, Sinclair Community College is a public school with a large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Sinclair Community College are $8,076 per year.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Western Illinois University. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the remote town of Macomb, WIU is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
WIU undergraduate students pay an average of $13,297 in tuition and fees each year. Music majors at WIU take out an average of $30,017 in student loans while working on their egree.
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Columbia College Chicago came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the large city of Chicago, Columbia is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.
Columbia undergraduate students pay an average of $27,786 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, music graduates from Columbia carry an average student debtload of $27,000. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $541.
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University of Wisconsin - Whitewater ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. UW - Whitewater is a fairly large public school located in the distant town of Whitewater.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UW - Whitewater are $16,602 per year. While working on their degree, music majors at UW - Whitewater accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UW - Whitewater also is in the top 20% of our Best Music Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking.
Full Music at University of Wisconsin - Whitewater Report
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University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the city of Eau Claire, UW - Eau Claire is a public college with a large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UW - Eau Claire are $17,149 a year. Music majors at UW - Eau Claire take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UW - Eau Claire also is in the top 10% of our Best Music Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking.
Full Music at University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire Report
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With a ranking of #9, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville did quite well on this year’s best value schools for music students. SIUE is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Edwardsville.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at SIUE are $11,496 a year. On average, music graduates from SIUE take out $22,315 in student loans while working on their degree.
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With a ranking of #10, Eastern Illinois University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for music students. Located in the distant town of Charleston, EIU is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
EIU undergraduate students pay an average of $14,551 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, music graduates from EIU carry an average student debtload of $28,535.
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Northern Illinois University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. NIU is a large public school located in the small suburb of Dekalb.
NIU undergraduate students pay an average of $14,738 in tuition and fees each year. On average, music graduates from NIU take out $23,220 in student loans while working on their degree.
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University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value music programs. UW - Stevens Point is a moderately-sized public school located in the distant town of Stevens Point.
UW - Stevens Point undergraduate students pay an average of $17,035 in tuition and fees each year.
Full Music at University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point Report
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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 in the Great Lakes Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 13 | University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh | Oshkosh, WI |
| 14 | University of Wisconsin - La Crosse | La Crosse, WI |
| 15 | University of Wisconsin - River Falls | River Falls, WI |
| 16 | University of Akron Main Campus | Akron, OH |
Best Music Colleges by State
Explore the best music colleges 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.
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