2026 Best Value Brass Instruments Schools in the Southeast Region
[Brass Instruments](/majors/visual-and-performing-arts/music/brass-instruments/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 3 schools to find the best return on investment for brass instruments students.
What’s on this page:
2026 Best Value Brass Instruments Schools in the Southeast Region
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in brass instruments, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Brass Instruments Schools
Our analysis ranked University Of Kentucky the best value for a degree in brass instruments in the Southeast Region. University Of Kentucky is a very large public school located in the city of Lexington. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $13,502, compared with $34,140 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for brass instruments graduates is $23,000. Early-career brass instruments graduates make about $30,818. Set against $23,000 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 93% of applicants are accepted.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Vanderbilt University earned it the #2 place for brass instruments. Located in the city of Nashville, Vanderbilt University is a large private not-for-profit university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $67,498. Students borrow a median of $21,500 to complete the brass instruments program here. Early-career brass instruments graduates make about $77,997. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Vanderbilt University admits about 6% of applicants.
A rank of #3 makes Liberty University one of the best values for brass instruments. Set in the city of Lynchburg, Liberty University is a very large private not-for-profit institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $16,173. Brass Instruments graduates carry a median of $27,000 in student loans. Early-career brass instruments graduates make about $33,956. That is a strong return on a $27,000 median debt. Liberty University admits about 99% of applicants.
Narrow Brass Instruments Schools by State
More Brass Instruments Rankings
View All Brass Instruments Rankings >
Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 3 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.
