2023 Best Value Music Schools in the Southeast Region
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
Finding the Best Music School for You
Out of all the majors we analyze each year, music was ranked #43 in the country. In fact 25,910 degrees and certificates were handed out in 2020-2021.
Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value Music Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 126 schools in the Southeast 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.
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. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.
Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.
Top 15% Best Music Schools
Our analysis found Valencia College to be the best value school for music students who want to pursue a degree in the Southeast Region . Located in the city of Orlando, Valencia College is a public school with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Valencia College are $9,383 a year. On average, music graduates from Valencia College take out $10,953 in student loans while working on their degree.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Valencia College also is in the top 20% of our Best Music Schools in the Southeast Region ranking.
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Out of the 126 schools in the Southeast Region that were part of this year’s ranking, John Tyler Community College landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the suburb of Chester, John Tyler Community College is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at John Tyler Community College are $10,803 a year.
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Out of the 126 schools in the Southeast Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Western Carolina University landed the # 3 spot on the list. WCU is a large public school located in the distant town of Cullowhee.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at WCU are $8,367 a year. Music majors at WCU take out an average of $28,749 in student loans while working on their egree.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Southern Mississippi. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the small city of Hattiesburg, Southern Miss is a public college with a large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Southern Miss are $11,204 a year.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Central Arkansas. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Music Schools in the Southeast Region list. UCA is a fairly large public school located in the city of Conway.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UCA are $16,433 a year. The average amount in student loans that music majors at UCA take out is $22,387.
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With a ranking of #6, University of North Carolina at Pembroke did quite well on this year’s best value schools for music students. Located in the distant town of Pembroke, UNC Pembroke is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UNC Pembroke are $7,495 a year.
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Arkansas State University - Main Campus ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the small city of Jonesboro, A-State is a public school with a large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at A-State are $12,698 per year.
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Liberty University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value music programs. Located in the city of Lynchburg, Liberty University is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Liberty University are $16,160 a year. On average, music graduates from Liberty University take out $27,000 in student loans while working on their degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $485, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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The University of Tennessee - Martin landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value music programs. Located in the town of Martin, UT Martin is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
UT Martin undergraduate students pay an average of $15,952 in tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that music majors at UT Martin take out is $20,538.
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Harding University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. Located in the town of Searcy, Harding is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Harding undergraduate students pay an average of $22,230 in tuition and fees each year.
Harding excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Music Schools in the Southeast Region list.
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Mississippi University for Women landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value music programs. MUW is a small public school located in the remote town of Columbus.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at MUW are $7,756 per year.
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Tennessee Technological University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for music students. It came in at #12 on the list. Tennessee Tech University is a medium-sized public school located in the remote town of Cookeville.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Tennessee Tech University are $19,834 per year. Music majors at Tennessee Tech University take out an average of $18,950 in student loans while working on their egree.
Tennessee Tech University also claimed a spot on our Best Music Schools in the Southeast Region list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.
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Morehead State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for music students. It came in at #13 on the list. Located in the town of Morehead, Morehead State University is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Morehead State University are $14,106 a year. While working on their degree, music majors at Morehead State University accumulate an average of around $26,000 in student debt.
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East Tennessee State University landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value music programs. Located in the small city of Johnson City, ETSU is a public college with a fairly large student population.
ETSU undergraduate students pay an average of $12,740 in tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that music majors at ETSU take out is $18,550.
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Mississippi College ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools in the Southeast Region list. MC is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Clinton.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at MC are $20,364 a year.
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University of Memphis came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. Located in the city of Memphis, UofM is a public college with a fairly large student population.
UofM undergraduate students pay an average of $14,088 in tuition and fees each year. Music majors at UofM take out an average of $24,250 in student loans while working on their egree.
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With a ranking of #17, University of North Carolina at Charlotte did quite well on this year’s best value schools for music students. UNC Charlotte is a very large public school located in the large city of Charlotte.
UNC Charlotte undergraduate students pay an average of $20,622 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, music graduates from UNC Charlotte carry an average student debtload of $27,000.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UNC Charlotte also is in the top 20% of our Best Music Schools in the Southeast Region ranking.
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Virginia Tech landed the #18 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value music programs. Located in the city of Blacksburg, Virginia Tech is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Virginia Tech undergraduate students pay an average of $33,857 in tuition and fees each year. On average, music graduates from Virginia Tech take out $27,500 in student loans while working on their degree.
Virginia Tech excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Music Schools in the Southeast Region list.
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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 Southeast Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 19 | University of North Georgia | Dahlonega, GA |
| 20 | Murray State University | Murray, KY |
| 20 | James Madison University | Harrisonburg, VA |
| 22 | University of Arkansas | Fayetteville, AR |
| 23 | University of Alabama at Birmingham | Birmingham, AL |
| 24 | Shepherd University | Shepherdstown, WV |
| 25 | Lee University | Cleveland, TN |
Best Music Colleges by State
Explore the best music schools for a specific state in the Southeast region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Georgia | 472 |
| Virginia | 632 |
| North Carolina | 511 |
| Florida | 1,223 |
| Tennessee | 804 |
| Kentucky | 284 |
| South Carolina | 204 |
| Louisiana | 315 |
| Arkansas | 184 |
| Alabama | 276 |
| Mississippi | 182 |
| West Virginia | 93 |
More Music Rankings in the Southeast 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.
Majors Related to Music
Music is one of 10 different types of programs to choose from.
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 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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