2023 Best Value Music Schools in Virginia
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
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.
Top 10 Best Music Schools
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 college 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.
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Out of the 13 schools in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, Virginia Tech landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the small city of Blacksburg, Virginia Tech is a public college with a very 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 not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #3 on our Best Music Schools in Virginia list.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend James Madison University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Music Schools in Virginia list. JMU is a very large public school located in the city of Harrisonburg.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at JMU are $12,638 per 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 also claimed a spot on our Best Music Schools in Virginia list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.
Read full report on Music at James Madison University
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Out of the 13 schools in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, Radford University landed the # 4 spot on the list. Radford is a medium-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
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Old Dominion University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Music Schools in Virginia list. Located in the midsize 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.
Full Music at Old Dominion University Report
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With a ranking of #6, Tidewater Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for music students. Tidewater Community College is a 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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With a ranking of #7, University of Virginia - Main Campus did quite well on this year’s best value schools for music students. Located in the small suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia is a public college with a very large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at University of Virginia are $19,785 a year.
University of Virginia not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #1 on our Best Music Schools in Virginia list.
Read full report on Music at University of Virginia - Main Campus
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Liberty University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value music programs. Located in the small 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 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.
Full Music at Liberty University Report
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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 college with a very 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 excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Music Schools in Virginia list.
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University of Mary Washington ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Music Schools in Virginia list. Located in the midsize suburb of Fredericksburg, UMW is a public school with a small student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UMW are $13,800 per year.
Request InformationBest 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 |
More Music Rankings in Virginia
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.
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.