[Music Performance](/majors/visual-and-performing-arts/music/music-performance/) 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 11 schools to find the best return on investment for music performance students.
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If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the music performance degrees they offer, see the list below.
For return on investment in music performance, no school beat University Of Northern Iowa this year. Set in the city of Cedar Falls, University Of Northern Iowa is a large public institution. Students from in state pay about $9,936 in tuition and fees, with out-of-state students paying around $21,712. Students borrow a median of $19,500 to complete the music performance program here. Soon after graduation, music performance degree recipients from University Of Northern Iowa generally make around $32,175. That is a strong return on a $19,500 median debt. Roughly 93% of applicants are accepted.
Drake University came in at #2 on our 2026 list of the best value music performance schools. Located in the city of Des Moines, Drake University is a mid-sized private not-for-profit university. In-state tuition and fees average $51,960. Students borrow a median of $22,273 to complete the music performance program here. Soon after graduation, music performance degree recipients from Drake University generally make around $56,228. That is a strong return on a $22,273 median debt. Drake University admits about 64% of applicants.
More Music Performance Rankings
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Notes and References
This list is compiled 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.
