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Most Popular Music Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region

2023 Most Popular Music Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region

179 Colleges
$26,068 Avg Salary
$24,916 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Music Bachelor's Degree School for You

Music is the #43 most popular major in the country with 25,910 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.

The Most Popular Music Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 179 schools in the Great Lakes Region to see which bachelor's degree programs were the most popular for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Music program at each school on the list.

The colleges and universities below are the most popular for music majors pursuing a bachelor's degree.

Our 2023 rankings named Indiana University - Bloomington the most popular school in the Great Lakes Region for music students working on their bachelor’s degree. IU Bloomington is a very large public school located in the city of Bloomington.

Of the 131 students majoring in music at IU Bloomington, 47% are male and 53% are female.

For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $464.

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The in-demand bachelor’s degree programs at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular music schools in the Great Lakes Region . Located in the midsize city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public college with a very large student population.

Women make up 45% of the music majors at the school.

Full Music at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Report

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#3

Oberlin College

Oberlin, OH

The in-demand bachelor’s degree programs at Oberlin College helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular music schools in the Great Lakes Region . Oberlin is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Oberlin.

About 48% of the students majoring in music at the school are women while 52% are male.

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#4

Northwestern University

Evanston, IL

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Popular Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the small city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

Of the 81 students majoring in music at Northwestern, 56% are male and 44% are female.

For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $431.

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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means University of Cincinnati - Main Campus is a great place for music students working on their bachelor’s degree. UC is a fairly large public school located in the city of Cincinnati.

Of the 68 students majoring in music at UC, 66% are male and 34% are female.

The average amount in student loans that music majors at UC take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $21,668.

Full Music at University of Cincinnati - Main Campus Report

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Columbia College Chicago landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular bachelor’s degree music programs. Located in the large city of Chicago, Columbia is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.

Women make up 39% of the music majors at the school.

The average amount in student loans that music majors at Columbia take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $26,748. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $541.

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#7

Michigan State University

East Lansing, MI

Michigan State University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Michigan State is a very large public school located in the small city of East Lansing.

About 44% of the students majoring in music at the school are women while 56% are male.

When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $344.

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Western Michigan University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for music students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #8 on the list. WMU is a large public school located in the small city of Kalamazoo.

About 37% of the students majoring in music at the school are women while 63% are male.

While working on their Bachelor's Degree, music majors at WMU accumulate an average of around $25,762 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $220.

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#9

Lawrence University

Appleton, WI

Lawrence University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the small city of Appleton, Lawrence U is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Of the 50 students majoring in music at Lawrence U, 60% are male and 40% are female.

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With a ranking of #10, University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for music students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the city of Eau Claire, UW - Eau Claire is a public college with a large student population.

Women make up 57% of the music majors at the school.

While working on their Bachelor's Degree, music majors at UW - Eau Claire accumulate an average of around $24,625 in student debt.

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Cleveland Institute of Music landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular bachelor’s degree music programs. Located in the city of Cleveland, Cleveland Institute of Music is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.

Of the 45 students majoring in music at Cleveland Institute of Music, 56% are male and 44% are female.

Music majors at Cleveland Institute of Music take out an average of $20,777 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.

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Illinois State University ranked #12 on this year’s Most Popular Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Illinois State is a fairly large public school located in the midsize suburb of Normal.

About 63% of the students majoring in music at the school are women while 37% are male.

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#13

Wayne State University

Detroit, MI

Wayne State University ranked #13 on this year’s Most Popular Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Wayne State is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Detroit.

Of the 42 students majoring in music at Wayne State, 57% are male and 43% are female.

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#13

DePaul University

Chicago, IL

DePaul University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for music students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #13 on the list. Located in the city of Chicago, DePaul is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.

Women make up 40% of the music majors at the school.

This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $685, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Music at DePaul University Report

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#15

Wheaton College Illinois

Wheaton, IL

Wheaton College Illinois landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular bachelor’s degree music programs. Wheaton College Illinois is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Wheaton.

About 78% of the students majoring in music at the school are women while 22% are male.

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University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ranked #15 on this year’s Most Popular Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the small city of Champaign, UIUC is a public school with a very large student population.

About 51% of the students majoring in music at the school are women while 49% are male.

After completing their Bachelor's Degree, music graduates from UIUC carry an average student debt load of $19,824. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $613, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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Baldwin Wallace University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Baldwin Wallace College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Berea.

Women make up 56% of the music majors at the school.

Full Music at Baldwin Wallace University Report

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Grand Valley State University landed the #18 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular bachelor’s degree music programs. Located in the suburb of Allendale, GVSU is a public college with a very large student population.

Women make up 73% of the music majors at the school.

This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $181, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Music at Grand Valley State University Report

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#18

Capital University

Columbus, OH

With a ranking of #18, Capital University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for music students working on their bachelor’s degree. Capital is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Columbus.

Women make up 24% of the music majors at the school.

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Bowling Green State University - Main Campus ranked #20 on this year’s Most Popular Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. BGSU is a fairly large public school located in the fringe town of Bowling Green.

Women make up 46% of the music majors at the school.

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Western Illinois University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for music students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #21 on the list. Located in the remote town of Macomb, WIU is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

Women make up 76% of the music majors at the school.

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Northern Illinois University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Music Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. NIU is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Dekalb.

Of the 34 students majoring in music at NIU, 44% are male and 56% are female.

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With a ranking of #23, Ohio University - Athens Campus did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for music students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the town of Athens, OHIO Athens is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Of the 32 students majoring in music at OHIO Athens, 50% are male and 50% are female.

On average, music graduates from OHIO Athens take out $25,247 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.

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#24

Indiana State University

Terre Haute, IN

Indiana State University landed the #24 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular bachelor’s degree music programs. Indiana State is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Terre Haute.

Of the 31 students majoring in music at Indiana State, 61% are male and 39% are female.

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#24

Roosevelt University

Chicago, IL

Roosevelt University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for music students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #24 on the list. Located in the large city of Chicago, Roosevelt is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Of the 31 students majoring in music at Roosevelt, 35% are male and 65% are female.

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Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional popular schools for Music students in the Great Lakes Region that almost earned our Most Popular Music Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region award.

Rank College Location
27 Butler University Indianapolis, IN
27 Ohio State University - Main Campus Columbus, OH
29 Millikin University Decatur, IL
30 University of Wisconsin - Madison Madison, WI
31 University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee Milwaukee, WI
32 University of Wisconsin - Whitewater Whitewater, WI
33 Purdue University Fort Wayne Fort Wayne, IN
33 University of Chicago Chicago, IL
35 University of Notre Dame Notre Dame, IN
35 Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Edwardsville, IL

Best Music Colleges by State

Explore the best music colleges for a specific state in the Great Lakes region.

State Degrees Awarded
Michigan 734
Ohio 1,138
Illinois 1,129
Indiana 660
Wisconsin 359

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

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 26 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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