2023 Best Value Music Schools in the Middle Atlantic 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.
There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right 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.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Value Music Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. This report analyzed 106 schools in the Middle Atlantic 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.
When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. 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.
Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
Top 15% Best Music Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Messiah University the best value school in the Middle Atlantic Region for music students. Located in the large suburb of Mechanicsburg, Messiah is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Messiah are $38,370 a year.
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The excellent programs at Finger Lakes Community College helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best music schools in the Middle Atlantic Region . Finger Lakes Community College is a medium-sized public school located in the rural area of Canandaigua.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Finger Lakes Community College are $6,710 a year.
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means LaGuardia Community College is a great value for music students. Located in the city of Long Island City, LaGuardia is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at LaGuardia are $8,098 per year.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Music Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Located in the distant town of Slippery Rock, SRU is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
SRU undergraduate students pay an average of $14,615 in tuition and fees each year.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The Graduate Center, CUNY. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Music Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Located in the large city of New York, The Graduate Center is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at The Graduate Center are $15,360 a year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, The Graduate Center also did well on our Best Music Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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With a ranking of #6, Borough of Manhattan Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for music students. Located in the large city of New York, BMCC is a public school with a large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at BMCC are $8,050 a year.
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West Chester University of Pennsylvania landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value music programs. WCUPA is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of West Chester.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at WCUPA are $22,247 per year.
WCUPA also claimed a spot on our Best Music Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.
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Brookdale Community College landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value music programs. Located in the rural area of Lincroft, Brookdale Community College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
Brookdale Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $9,554 in tuition and fees each year.
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Montclair State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for music students. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the suburb of Montclair, Montclair State is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Montclair State undergraduate students pay an average of $21,418 in tuition and fees each year. On average, music graduates from Montclair State take out $27,000 in student loans while working on their degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $380.
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Mansfield University of Pennsylvania came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Located in the distant town of Mansfield, Mansfield University is a public college with a small student population.
Mansfield University undergraduate students pay an average of $13,248 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, music graduates from Mansfield University carry an average student debtload of $29,000.
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Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Main Campus ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Located in the town of Indiana, IUP is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at IUP are $18,897 a year. On average, music graduates from IUP take out $28,000 in student loans while working on their degree.
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Lehman College came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Located in the city of Bronx, Lehman is a public school with a large student population.
Lehman undergraduate students pay an average of $15,360 in tuition and fees each year.
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Onondaga Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for music students. It came in at #13 on the list. OCC is a moderately-sized public school located in the large suburb of Syracuse.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at OCC are $10,844 per year.
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Edinboro University of Pennsylvania ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Located in the town of Edinboro, Edinboro is a public school with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Edinboro are $15,062 a year.
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County College of Morris came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Located in the large suburb of Randolph, County College of Morris is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at County College of Morris are $13,620 a year.
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Request InformationAdditional 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 Middle Atlantic Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 16 | Salisbury University | Salisbury, MD |
| 16 | University of Delaware | Newark, DE |
| 18 | Kutztown University of Pennsylvania | Kutztown, PA |
| 19 | SUNY Plattsburgh | Plattsburgh, NY |
| 20 | Millersville University of Pennsylvania | Millersville, PA |
| 21 | The College of New Jersey | Ewing, NJ |
Best Music Colleges by State
Explore the best music schools for a specific state in the Middle Atlantic region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | 960 |
| New York | 2,324 |
| Maryland | 393 |
| New Jersey | 593 |
| District of Columbia | 117 |
| Delaware | 43 |
More Music Rankings in the Middle Atlantic 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 Related Majors
| 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 26 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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