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Best Value Music Schools in Virginia

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2023 Best Value Music Schools in Virginia

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

13 Colleges
$14,371 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$27,058 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Music School for You

Music is the #51 most popular major in Virginia with 632 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. 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.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Value Music Schools in Virginia to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 13 schools in Virginia 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.

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. 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.

For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.

2023 Best Value Music Schools in Virginia

The following schools top our list of the Best Value Music Colleges.

Top 10 Best Music Schools

$4,800 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named John Tyler Community College the best value school in Virginia for music students. Located in the suburb of Chester, John Tyler Community College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at John Tyler Community College are $4,800 a year.

Read More…

#2

Virginia Tech

Blacksburg, VA
$14,174 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Virginia Tech is a great value for music students. Located in the small city of Blacksburg, Virginia Tech is a public school with a fairly large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Virginia Tech are $14,174 per year. After completing their degree, music graduates from Virginia Tech carry an average student debtload of $27,500.

Virginia Tech also took the #3 spot in our Best Music Schools in Virginia rankings.

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#3

James Madison University

Harrisonburg, VA
$12,638 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 13 schools in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, James Madison University landed the # 3 spot on the list. JMU is a very large public school located in the city of Harrisonburg.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at JMU are $12,638 a year. While working on their degree, music majors at JMU accumulate an average of around $21,500 in student debt. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $297.

JMU excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Music Schools in Virginia list.

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#4

Radford University

Radford, VA
$11,542 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Radford University is a great value for music students. Radford is a moderately-sized public school located in the small suburb of Radford.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Radford are $11,542 a year. On average, music graduates from Radford take out $27,000 in student loans while working on their degree.

Full Music at Radford University Report

#5

Old Dominion University

Norfolk, VA
$10,800 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Old Dominion University is a great value for music students. Located in the medium-sized city of Norfolk, Old Dominion is a public school with a very large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Old Dominion are $10,800 a year. On average, music graduates from Old Dominion take out $26,500 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read full report on Music at Old Dominion University

$5,561 Average Tuition & Fees

Tidewater Community College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value music programs. Tidewater Community College is a fairly large public school located in the midsize city of Norfolk.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Tidewater Community College are $5,561 a year.

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$19,785 Average Tuition & Fees

University of Virginia - Main Campus ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools in Virginia list. Located in the suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia is a public school with a fairly large student population.

University of Virginia undergraduate students pay an average of $19,785 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, University of Virginia is ranked #1 for overall quality for music in Virginia.

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#8

Liberty University

Lynchburg, VA
$16,160 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #8, Liberty University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for music students. Located in the city of Lynchburg, Liberty University is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Liberty University are $16,160 a year. After completing their degree, music graduates from Liberty University carry an average student debtload of $27,000. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $485.

Read full report on Music at Liberty University

#9

George Mason University

Fairfax, VA
$13,119 Average Tuition & Fees

George Mason University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools in Virginia list. Located in the large suburb of Fairfax, GMU is a public school with a fairly large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at GMU are $13,119 per year. Music majors at GMU take out an average of $21,764 in student loans while working on their egree.

GMU also claimed a spot on our Best Music Schools in Virginia list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category.

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#10

University of Mary Washington

Fredericksburg, VA
$13,800 Average Tuition & Fees

University of Mary Washington ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools in Virginia list. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Fredericksburg, UMW is a public college with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UMW are $13,800 a year.

Read full report on Music at University of Mary Washington

Best Value Music Colleges in the Southeast Region

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

State Degrees Awarded
Georgia 472
North Carolina 511
Florida 1,223
Tennessee 804
Kentucky 284
South Carolina 204
Louisiana 315
Arkansas 184
Alabama 276
Mississippi 182
West Virginia 93

Music is one of 10 different types of programs to choose from.

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 13 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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