Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Best Value Music Schools in the Great Lakes Region

Find Schools Near

2023 Best Value Music Schools in the Great Lakes Region

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

83 Colleges
$15,642 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$27,923 Avg Salary

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.

2023 Best Value Music Schools in the Great Lakes Region

Check out the music programs at these schools if you want to get the best value for your educational dollar.

Top 15% Best Music Schools

$6,908 Average Tuition & Fees

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.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at MATC are $6,908 a year.

Read full report on Music at Milwaukee Area Technical College

#2

Youngstown State University

Youngstown, OH
$9,732 Average Tuition & Fees

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 Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the city of Youngstown, Youngstown State University is a public college with a large student population.

Youngstown State University undergraduate students pay an average of $9,732 in tuition and fees each year.

Full Music at Youngstown State University Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Macomb Community College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Music Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Macomb Community College is a large public school located in the midsize city of Warren.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Macomb Community College are $7,680 a year.

In addition to its great value ranking, Macomb Community College is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Music Schools in the Great Lakes Region list.

Read full report on Music at Macomb Community College

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 city of Dayton, Sinclair Community College is a public college with a large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Sinclair Community College are $8,076 per year.

Read More…

$13,297 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Western Illinois University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 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.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at WIU are $13,297 a year. Music majors at WIU take out an average of $30,017 in student loans while working on their egree.

Full Music at Western Illinois University Report

$27,786 Average Tuition & Fees

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 city of Chicago, Columbia is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-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.

Read full report on Music at Columbia College Chicago

University of Wisconsin - Whitewater landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value music programs. UW - Whitewater is a 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.

UW - Whitewater also claimed a spot on our Best Music Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.

Read full report on Music at University of Wisconsin - Whitewater

University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the city of Eau Claire, UW - Eau Claire is a public school 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.

UW - Eau Claire excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Music Schools in the Great Lakes Region list.

Read full report on Music at University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire

$11,496 Average Tuition & Fees

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value music programs. SIUE is a large public school located in the large suburb of Edwardsville.

SIUE undergraduate students pay an average of $11,496 in tuition and fees each year. On average, music graduates from SIUE take out $22,315 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read More…

#10

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, IL
$14,551 Average Tuition & Fees

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 moderately-sized student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at EIU are $14,551 per year. After completing their degree, music graduates from EIU carry an average student debtload of $28,535.

Read full report on Music at Eastern Illinois University

$14,738 Average Tuition & Fees

Northern Illinois University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. 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.

Full Music at Northern Illinois University Report

University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value music programs. UW - Stevens Point is a medium-sized public school located in the town of Stevens Point.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UW - Stevens Point are $17,035 per year.

Read More…

Additional Noteworthy Schools

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

One of 10 majors within the area of study, music has other similar majors worth exploring.

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.

Featured Schools

Find Schools Near You

Our free school finder matches students with accredited colleges across the U.S.