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Best Value Music Schools in Tennessee

2023 Best Value Music Schools in Tennessee

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

16 Colleges
$17,821 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$27,086 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Music School for You

Music is the #19 most popular major in Tennessee with 804 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.

The Best Value Music Schools in Tennessee ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 16 schools in Tennessee 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.

This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. 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.

For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

Top 10 Best Music Schools

$4,372 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named Nashville State Community College the best value school in Tennessee for music students. Nashville State Community College is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Nashville.

Nashville State Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,372 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Full Music at Nashville State Community College Report

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$4,430 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at Chattanooga State Community College helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best music schools in Tennessee. Chattanooga State Community College is a medium-sized public school located in the medium-sized city of Chattanooga.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Chattanooga State Community College are $4,430 a year.

Full Music at Chattanooga State Community College Report

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$9,848 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best music schools in Tennessee. Located in the city of Chattanooga, UT Chattanooga is a public college with a fairly large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UT Chattanooga are $9,848 per year.

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$9,802 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Tennessee Technological University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools in Tennessee list. Located in the town of Cookeville, Tennessee Tech University is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Tennessee Tech University are $9,802 per year. The average amount in student loans that music majors at Tennessee Tech University take out is $18,950.

Tennessee Tech University excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Music Schools in Tennessee list.

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$9,232 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Middle Tennessee State University is a great value for music students. Located in the midsize city of Murfreesboro, Middle Tennessee State University is a public school with a very large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Middle Tennessee State University are $9,232 a year. On average, music graduates from Middle Tennessee State University take out $21,375 in student loans while working on their degree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $231.

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$9,912 Average Tuition & Fees

The University of Tennessee - Martin came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools in Tennessee ranking. UT Martin is a medium-sized public school located in the remote town of Martin.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UT Martin are $9,912 per year. While working on their degree, music majors at UT Martin accumulate an average of around $20,538 in student debt.

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$13,244 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #7, The University of Tennessee - Knoxville did quite well on this year’s best value schools for music students. Located in the medium-sized city of Knoxville, UT Knoxville is a public school with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UT Knoxville are $13,244 a year. Music majors at UT Knoxville take out an average of $26,000 in student loans while working on their egree.

UT Knoxville also made our Best Music Schools in Tennessee list, coming in at #4.

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$9,438 Average Tuition & Fees

East Tennessee State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for music students. It came in at #8 on the list. ETSU is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Johnson City.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at ETSU are $9,438 a year. While working on their degree, music majors at ETSU accumulate an average of around $18,550 in student debt.

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#9

University of Memphis

Memphis, TN
$10,056 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #9, University of Memphis did quite well on this year’s best value schools for music students. UofM is a very large public school located in the large city of Memphis.

UofM undergraduate students pay an average of $10,056 in in-state tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that music majors at UofM take out is $24,250.

Full Music at University of Memphis Report

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#10

Austin Peay State University

Clarksville, TN
$8,431 Average Tuition & Fees

Austin Peay State University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value music programs. Located in the city of Clarksville, Austin Peay State University is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Austin Peay State University are $8,431 per year. Music majors at Austin Peay State University take out an average of $31,624 in student loans while working on their egree.

Full Music at Austin Peay State University Report

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Best Value Music Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Best Value Music Schools in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Georgia 472
Virginia 632
North Carolina 511
Florida 1,223
Kentucky 284
South Carolina 204
Louisiana 315
Arkansas 184
Alabama 276
Mississippi 182
West Virginia 93

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

Majors Similar 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 16 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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