2026 Best Value Music Therapy Schools in Ohio
[Music Therapy](/majors/health-care-professions/rehab-and-therapeutic-professions/music-therapy/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The schools below stand out for delivering a strong music therapy education at a price that pays off.
College Factual analyzed 11 schools to build this 2026 ranking of the best value music therapy schools.
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2026 Best Value Music Therapy Schools in Ohio
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in music therapy, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Music Therapy Schools
For return on investment in music therapy, no school beat Cleveland State University this year. Located in the city of Cleveland, Cleveland State University is a large public university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $12,982, while out-of-state students pay about $18,502. Students borrow a median of $26,336 to complete the music therapy program here. Soon after graduation, music therapy degree recipients from Cleveland State University generally make around $66,152. Set against $26,336 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Cleveland State University admits about 91% of applicants.
Students looking for strong value in music therapy will find it at Ohio University Main Campus, which ranked #2. Ohio University Main Campus is a very large public school located in the town of Athens. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $14,158, compared with $24,838 for out-of-state students. Music Therapy graduates carry a median of $24,546 in student loans. Music Therapy graduates of Ohio University Main Campus earn a median of $75,234 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $24,546 median debt. Ohio University Main Campus admits about 85% of applicants.
University Of Dayton came in at #3 on our 2026 list of the best value music therapy schools. Set in the city of Dayton, University Of Dayton is a large private not-for-profit institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $49,140. Music Therapy graduates carry a median of $25,033 in student loans. Early-career music therapy graduates make about $71,505. That is a strong return on a $25,033 median debt. The acceptance rate is 65%.
More Music Therapy Rankings
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 11 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 ranked 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 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.
