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Best Value Music Schools in the Plains States Region

2023 Best Value Music Schools in the Plains States Region

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

42 Colleges
$18,009 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$30,383 Avg Salary

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.

It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

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 Plains States Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 42 schools in the Plains States 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.

Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. 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.

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

Top 10 Best Music Schools

#1

Century College

White Bear Lake, MN
$5,907 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named Century College the best value school in the Plains States Region for music students. Century College is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of White Bear Lake.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Century College are $5,907 a year.

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The excellent programs at North Dakota State University - Main Campus helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best music schools in the Plains States Region . Located in the midsize city of Fargo, North Dakota State University is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at North Dakota State University are $14,876 per year. While working on their degree, music majors at North Dakota State University accumulate an average of around $22,500 in student debt.

North Dakota State University also claimed a spot on our Best Music Schools in the Plains States Region list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Winona State University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Music Schools in the Plains States Region list. Winona State is a medium-sized public school located in the distant town of Winona.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Winona State are $16,684 per year.

Winona State also claimed a spot on our Best Music Schools in the Plains States Region list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category.

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#4

Truman State University

Kirksville, MO
$16,410 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 42 schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Truman State University landed the # 4 spot on the list. Truman State is a small public school located in the remote town of Kirksville.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Truman State are $16,410 per year.

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#5

University of South Dakota

Vermillion, SD
$12,942 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of South Dakota. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Music Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the distant town of Vermillion, USD is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at USD are $12,942 per year.

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$15,320 Average Tuition & Fees

University of Nebraska at Kearney came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in the town of Kearney, UNK is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UNK are $15,320 per year.

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South Dakota State University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Music Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. South Dakota State is a fairly large public school located in the town of Brookings.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at South Dakota State are $12,809 a year.

In addition to its great value ranking, South Dakota State is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Music Schools in the Plains States Region list.

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#8

Lindenwood University

Saint Charles, MO
$18,640 Average Tuition & Fees

Lindenwood University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value music programs. Lindenwood University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Saint Charles.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Lindenwood University are $18,640 per year.

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$16,498 Average Tuition & Fees

Missouri State University - Springfield did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for music students. It came in at #9 on the list. Missouri State is a very large public school located in the city of Springfield.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Missouri State are $16,498 per year.

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#10

Kansas State University

Manhattan, KS

Kansas State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for music students. It came in at #10 on the list. K -State is a fairly large public school located in the city of Manhattan.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at K -State are $26,491 per year.

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Best Music Colleges by State

Explore the best music schools for a specific state in the Plains States region.

State Degrees Awarded
Missouri 372
Minnesota 262
Kansas 189
Iowa 227
Nebraska 129
North Dakota 76
South Dakota 33

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

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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