Best Music Degrees in the US by ROI
Top colleges ranked by estimated 20-year net return on investment across all active states. Data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
Programs Analyzed
27
Colleges with salary data
Average 20-Yr Net ROI
-$78,696
Across all programs
Average Annual Cost
$38,817
Cost of attendance
| # | College | State | 20-Yr Net ROI | Median Salary | Annual Cost | Avg Debt | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
University of California-Los Angeles
Grad rate: 92.6% |
CA | +$391,108 | $68,884 | $36,643 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 2 |
Indiana University-Bloomington
Grad rate: 81.2% |
IN | +$95,936 | $52,269 | $27,361 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 3 |
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Grad rate: 93.2% |
MI | +$92,260 | $53,282 | $33,345 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 4 |
University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Grad rate: 57.9% |
NC | +$42,488 | $48,050 | $19,628 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 5 |
University of North Texas
Grad rate: 59.2% |
TX | +$34,380 | $48,813 | $25,470 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 6 |
University of Southern California
Grad rate: 92.2% |
CA | -$1,672 | $58,852 | $84,678 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 7 |
University of Maryland-College Park
Grad rate: 88.9% |
MD | -$30,152 | $46,107 | $28,073 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 8 |
Michigan State University
Grad rate: 81.9% |
MI | -$31,052 | $46,553 | $30,528 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 9 |
Northwestern University
Grad rate: 96.2% |
IL | -$46,216 | $57,250 | $87,804 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 10 |
University of South Carolina-Columbia
Grad rate: 78.0% |
SC | -$49,420 | $46,097 | $32,840 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 11 |
University of Colorado Boulder
Grad rate: 74.9% |
CO | -$52,144 | $46,086 | $33,466 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 12 |
The University of Texas at Austin
Grad rate: 87.7% |
TX | -$54,768 | $45,230 | $29,842 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 13 |
University of Georgia
Grad rate: 87.6% |
GA | -$66,364 | $44,169 | $27,436 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 14 |
University of Iowa
Grad rate: 73.4% |
IA | -$73,872 | $43,683 | $26,883 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 15 |
Ohio State University-Main Campus
Grad rate: 87.9% |
OH | -$98,720 | $42,928 | $29,320 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 16 |
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Grad rate: 84.8% |
IL | -$100,156 | $43,419 | $32,134 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 17 |
University of Arizona
Grad rate: 66.9% |
AZ | -$115,052 | $41,956 | $28,543 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 18 |
Arizona State University Campus Immersion
Grad rate: 67.4% |
AZ | -$115,248 | $41,847 | $28,047 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 19 |
University of Washington-Seattle Campus
Grad rate: 84.0% |
WA | -$125,668 | $41,773 | $30,282 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 20 |
University of Rochester
Grad rate: 87.0% |
NY | -$138,020 | $51,619 | $82,600 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 21 |
Boston University
Grad rate: 89.5% |
MA | -$142,116 | $51,433 | $82,694 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 22 |
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Grad rate: 89.3% |
WI | -$170,480 | $39,030 | $27,770 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 23 |
University of Missouri-Kansas City
Grad rate: 56.0% |
MO | -$172,380 | $38,310 | $24,645 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 24 |
Texas Tech University
Grad rate: 67.1% |
TX | -$175,948 | $38,697 | $27,472 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 25 |
Stony Brook University
Grad rate: 77.8% |
NY | -$228,236 | $36,423 | $29,174 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 26 |
Florida State University
Grad rate: 83.9% |
FL | -$253,412 | $34,066 | $23,683 | N/A | Full ROI → |
| 27 |
University of Miami
Grad rate: 84.2% |
FL | -$539,892 | $30,547 | $77,708 | N/A | Full ROI → |
How ROI is calculated
20-Year Net ROI = Gross Earnings (salary × 20) − Total Degree Cost − Debt Payoff (×1.35) − Baseline Opportunity Cost ($42,000 × 20). Data from the U.S. College Scorecard.
Find Best Music Degrees by State
Browse Music programs ranked by 20-year ROI in every state that offers this degree.