2023 Most Popular Music Schools in the Great Lakes Region
Finding the Best Music 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 Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 218 schools in the Great Lakes Region to see which ones were the most popular programs for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Music program at each school on the list.
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2023 Most Popular Music Schools in the Great Lakes Region
The colleges and universities below are the most popular for music majors pursuing a .
Top 25 Most Popular Great Lakes Region Schools in Music
Our 2023 rankings named Indiana University - Bloomington the most popular school in the Great Lakes Region for music students. IU Bloomington is a very large public school located in the city of Bloomington.
The average amount in student loans that music majors at IU Bloomington take out is $19,500. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $464.
Out of the 218 schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Cincinnati - Main Campus landed the # 2 spot on the list. UC is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Cincinnati.
After completing their degree, music graduates from UC carry an average student debt load of $23,800.
Read full report on Music at University of Cincinnati - Main Campus
Out of the 218 schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Michigan State University landed the # 3 spot on the list. Michigan State is a very large public school located in the city of East Lansing.
While working on their degree, music majors at Michigan State accumulate an average of around $26,582 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 $344.
A rank of #4 on this year’s list means University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a great place for music students. Located in the city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public school with a very large student population.
After completing their degree, music graduates from U-M carry an average student debt load of $17,598.
Read full report on Music at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Northwestern University is a great place for music students. Located in the small city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.
After completing their degree, music graduates from Northwestern carry an average student debt load of $17,825. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $431.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular music programs. Located in the city of Champaign, UIUC is a public college with a very large student population.
On average, music graduates from UIUC take out $22,484 in student loans while working on their degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $613, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
Read full report on Music at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
With a ranking of #7, Bowling Green State University - Main Campus did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for music students. BGSU is a fairly large public school located in the town of Bowling Green.
After completing their degree, music graduates from BGSU carry an average student debt load of $27,000.
Read full report on Music at Bowling Green State University - Main Campus
Oberlin College ranked #8 on this year’s Most Popular Music Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Oberlin is a small private not-for-profit school located in the fringe town of Oberlin.
On average, music graduates from Oberlin take out $26,000 in student loans while working on their degree.
With a ranking of #9, Roosevelt University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for music students. Located in the large city of Chicago, Roosevelt is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Music majors at Roosevelt take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree.
Cleveland Institute of Music landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular music programs. Located in the city of Cleveland, Cleveland Institute of Music is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly small student population.
While working on their degree, music majors at Cleveland Institute of Music accumulate an average of around $26,000 in student debt.
DePaul University ranked #11 on this year’s Most Popular Music Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the city of Chicago, DePaul is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
The average amount in student loans that music majors at DePaul take out is $21,607. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $685, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
Illinois State University ranked #12 on this year’s Most Popular Music Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Illinois State is a very large public school located in the midsize suburb of Normal.
On average, music graduates from Illinois State take out $22,000 in student loans while working on their degree.
With a ranking of #13, Ohio University - Athens Campus did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for music students. Located in the distant town of Athens, OHIO Athens is a public school with a fairly large student population.
On average, music graduates from OHIO Athens take out $27,000 in student loans while working on their degree.
Western Michigan University landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular music programs. WMU is a fairly large public school located in the city of Kalamazoo.
While working on their degree, music majors at WMU accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $220.
With a ranking of #15, Columbia College Chicago did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for music students. Located in the city of Chicago, Columbia is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.
The average amount in student loans that music majors at Columbia take out is $27,000. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $541.
With a ranking of #16, University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for music students. Located in the city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Ohio State University - Main Campus did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for music students. It came in at #17 on the list. Located in the large city of Columbus, Ohio State is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Music majors at Ohio State take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree.
Read full report on Music at Ohio State University - Main Campus
With a ranking of #18, Northern Illinois University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for music students. NIU is a large public school located in the suburb of Dekalb.
Music majors at NIU take out an average of $23,220 in student loans while working on their egree.
Lawrence University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Music Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the city of Appleton, Lawrence U is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
The average amount in student loans that music majors at Lawrence U take out is $19,500.
University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire landed the #20 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular music programs. Located in the city of Eau Claire, UW - Eau Claire is a public school with a fairly large student population.
The average amount in student loans that music majors at UW - Eau Claire take out is $27,000.
With a ranking of #21, Wayne State University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for music students. Wayne State is a very large public school located in the large city of Detroit.
Music majors at Wayne State take out an average of $25,150 in student loans while working on their egree.
Butler University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Music Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Butler is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Indianapolis.
Western Illinois University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Music Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the remote town of Macomb, WIU is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
After completing their degree, music graduates from WIU carry an average student debt load of $30,017.
With a ranking of #24, Ball State University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for music students. Located in the city of Muncie, Ball State is a public college with a fairly large student population.
On average, music graduates from Ball State take out $26,297 in student loans while working on their degree.
Wheaton College Illinois landed the #25 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular music programs. Wheaton College Illinois is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Wheaton.
The average amount in student loans that music majors at Wheaton College Illinois take out is $25,125.
Rest of the Top Most Popular Music Schools in the Great Lakes Region
Additional Noteworthy Schools
Here are some additional popular schools for Music students in the Great Lakes Region that almost earned our Most Popular Music Schools in the Great Lakes Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 33 | Indiana State University | Terre Haute, IN |
| 34 | Miami University - Oxford | Oxford, OH |
| 34 | Millikin University | Decatur, IL |
| 36 | Kent State University at Kent | Kent, OH |
| 37 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | Edwardsville, IL |
| 38 | University of Akron Main Campus | Akron, OH |
| 39 | Central Michigan University | Mount Pleasant, MI |
| 39 | Southern Illinois University Carbondale | Carbondale, IL |
| 39 | University of Wisconsin - Whitewater | Whitewater, WI |
| 42 | International College of Broadcasting | Dayton, OH |
| 42 | Case Western Reserve University | Cleveland, OH |
Best Music Colleges by State
Explore the best music schools for a specific state in the Great Lakes region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Michigan | 734 |
| Ohio | 1,138 |
| Illinois | 1,129 |
| Indiana | 660 |
| Wisconsin | 359 |
Majors Related to Music
One of 10 majors within the area of study, music has other similar majors worth exploring.
Most Popular Majors Related 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 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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