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Using science and data we decided to determine which programs offer the best career opportunities for music Majors. Here are the set of the top colleges for music Majors in US for 2021:
  1. SUNY at Binghamton
  2. University of Virginia
  3. Northwestern University
  4. Stanford University
  5. Vanderbilt University
  6. SUNY at Buffalo
  7. University of Wisconsin - Madison
  8. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
  9. Johns Hopkins University
  10. Baruch College of the City University of New York
If you go to one of these schools, chances are, you're not surprised. After all, you know how great you have it.

25 best colleges for music majors in the US

1. SUNY at Binghamton

Location
Vestal, NY
Admission rate: 40%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $47,700

2. University of Virginia

Location
Charlottesville, VA
Admission rate: 26%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $56,800

3. Northwestern University

Location
Evanston, IL
Admission rate: 8%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $71,900

4. Stanford University

Location
Stanford, CA
Admission rate: 4%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $92,800

5. Vanderbilt University

Location
Nashville, TN
Admission rate: 10%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $61,900

6. SUNY at Buffalo

Location
Buffalo, NY
Admission rate: 56%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $46,100

7. University of Wisconsin - Madison

Location
Madison, WI
Admission rate: 52%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $49,600

8. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Location
Ann Arbor, MI
Admission rate: 23%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $55,900

9. Johns Hopkins University

Location
Baltimore, MD
Admission rate: 11%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $68,000

10. Baruch College of the City University of New York

Location
New York, NY
Admission rate: 39%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $47,500

11. University of Rochester

Location
Rochester, NY
Admission rate: 29%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $49,300

12. SUNY Stony Brook

Location
Stony Brook, NY
Admission rate: 42%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $44,000

13. Boston College

Location
Chestnut Hill, MA
Admission rate: 28%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $64,900

14. Duke University

Location
Durham, NC
Admission rate: 9%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $93,200

15. Tufts University

Location
Medford, MA
Admission rate: 15%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $56,600

16. College of William and Mary

Location
Williamsburg, VA
Admission rate: 37%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $47,400

17. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Location
Chapel Hill, NC
Admission rate: 23%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $49,900

18. Hamilton College

Location
Clinton, NY
Admission rate: 21%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $55,300

19. California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

Location
San Luis Obispo, CA
Admission rate: 30%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $54,700

20. University of Florida

Location
Gainesville, FL
Admission rate: 39%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $47,700

21. Loyola Marymount University

Location
Los Angeles, CA
Admission rate: 47%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $53,000

22. Yale University

Location
New Haven, CT
Admission rate: 6%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $67,800

23. Amherst College

Location
Amherst, MA
Admission rate: 13%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $61,600

24. Washington University in St Louis

Location
Saint Louis, MO
Admission rate: 15%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $63,400

25. SUNY at Albany

Location
Albany, NY
Admission rate: 52%
Mean earning of students 6 years after entry: $41,000

How we determined the best music colleges

We looked at the following data from the NCES (National Center For Education Statistics) and College Scorecard data from ED.gov to understand what music departments offer the best career opportunities:
  • Percentage of Graduating Class That Are Business Majors
  • Mean Earnings After 10 Years
  • Mean Earnings After 6 Years
  • Admission Rate (More selective the better)
  • Average cost of attendance (Lower is better)
  • Median amount of debt
  • Ratio of people working to not working after 10 years