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Major Rankings

Best Colleges for Music

Ranked by graduate earnings. Data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, updated 2026.

Programs tracked: 240
Avg grad salary: $33,089
Total graduates: 9,204

Top Colleges for Music: Ranked by Graduate Earnings

Showing schools with reported earnings data. Earnings reflect median graduate salary 4 years after graduation (or 1 year where 4-year data is unavailable).

#SchoolMedian Salary (4yr)
1UNC Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC

$57,343
2The University of Texas at El Paso

El Paso, TX

N/A
3University of Houston

Houston, TX

$55,639
4The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

Edinburg, TX

$55,090
5Texas A&M University-Kingsville

Kingsville, TX

$53,695
6Biola University

La Mirada, CA

$50,875
7The University of Texas at San Antonio

San Antonio, TX

$50,800
8Rowan University

Glassboro, NJ

$50,331
9California State Polytechnic University-Pomona

Pomona, CA

$50,200
10East Texas A&M University

Commerce, TX

$49,536
11West Texas A & M University

Canyon, TX

$49,232
12UT Austin

Austin, TX

$48,986
13Stephen F Austin State University

Nacogdoches, TX

$48,515
14University of Puget Sound

Tacoma, WA

$47,904
15Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, IL

$47,898
16Lamar University

Beaumont, TX

$47,769
17The University of Texas at Arlington

Arlington, TX

$47,358
18George Mason University

Fairfax, VA

$46,916
19James Madison University

Harrisonburg, VA

$46,899
20Texas A & M University-Corpus Christi

Corpus Christi, TX

$46,692
21Colorado State University-Fort Collins

Fort Collins, CO

$46,495
22Texas Tech University

Lubbock, TX

$46,387
23Sam Houston State University

Huntsville, TX

$45,889
24Murray State University

Murray, KY

$45,349
25Texas State University

San Marcos, TX

$45,336
26Northeastern University

Boston, MA

$45,222
27University of North Texas

Denton, TX

$45,198
28Luther College

Decorah, IA

$44,566
29University of Central Arkansas

Conway, AR

$44,549
30University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire

Eau Claire, WI

$44,067
31Texas Woman's University

Denton, TX

N/A
32University of Louisville

Louisville, KY

$43,388
33Jacksonville State University

Jacksonville, AL

$43,054
34University of Wisconsin-Whitewater

Whitewater, WI

$42,953
35Capital University

Columbus, OH

$42,856
36Central Michigan University

Mount Pleasant, MI

$42,752
37University of Utah

Salt Lake City, UT

N/A
38University of New Hampshire-Main Campus

Durham, NH

$42,157
39Western Illinois University

Macomb, IL

$42,061
40University of New Haven

West Haven, CT

$42,021
41Ithaca College

Ithaca, NY

$41,583
42Hofstra University

Hempstead, NY

$41,288
43Western Carolina University

Cullowhee, NC

$41,120
44University of Memphis

Memphis, TN

$41,074
45University of Arkansas

Fayetteville, AR

$40,883
46Western Kentucky University

Bowling Green, KY

$40,693
47SUNY College at Potsdam

Potsdam, NY

$40,627
48University of Connecticut

Storrs, CT

$40,283
49University of Connecticut-Avery Point

Groton, CT

$40,283
50University of Connecticut-Hartford Campus

Hartford, CT

$40,283
51University of Connecticut-Stamford

Stamford, CT

$40,283
52University of Connecticut-Waterbury Campus

Waterbury, CT

$40,283
53University of South Carolina-Columbia

Columbia, SC

$40,181
54St Olaf College

Northfield, MN

$40,048
55Lebanon Valley College

Annville, PA

$39,962
56Montclair State University

Montclair, NJ

$39,961
57Northwestern University

Evanston, IL

$39,940
58University of Maryland-Baltimore County

Baltimore, MD

$39,896
59Radford University

Radford, VA

N/A
60University of Arizona

Tucson, AZ

$39,581

Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Earnings are median among graduates who received federal financial aid.

Choosing the Best Music Program

Graduate Earnings

Median salary 4 years post-graduation measures the long-term ROI of a program. Higher earnings with lower debt means better financial outcomes.

Program Size

Graduate count signals program maturity. Larger programs often have stronger alumni networks and more job placement resources.

Debt-to-Earnings Ratio

Compare median debt against starting salary. A ratio below 1x means most graduates can repay loans within a year of earnings.

Compare schools side by side

Use the CollegeBound compare tool to see full profiles (admissions, costs, and outcomes) for any two schools at once.

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