by our College Data Analytics TeamMusic is offered at a wide range of schools. This ranking identifies the schools that graduate the most music students each year.
For its ranking, College Factual looked at how many students completed a degree in music at each of the 52 schools in Illinois that offer the program.
What’s on this page:
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
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The colleges and universities below are the most popular for music majors in Illinois, ranked by the number of degrees they award each year.
No school graduates more music students than Northwestern University this year. Northwestern University is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Evanston. Northwestern University graduated around 140 music students in the most recent data year. Get the full music details for Northwestern University
A rank of #2 makes University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign one of the most popular schools for music. Set in the city of Champaign, University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign is a public institution. During the most recent year for which we have data, roughly 118 students earned a degree in music from this school. Read the full music report for University Of Illinois At Urbana Champaign
Depaul University is one of the most popular music schools, landing the #3 spot this year. Set in the city of Chicago, Depaul University is a private not-for-profit institution. During the most recent year for which we have data, roughly 72 students earned a degree in music from this school. Get the full music details for Depaul University
Roosevelt University came in at #4 on our list of the most popular music schools. Set in the city of Chicago, Roosevelt University is a private not-for-profit institution. Roosevelt University graduated around 70 music students in the most recent data year. Get the full music details for Roosevelt University
A rank of #5 makes Columbia College Chicago one of the most popular schools for music. Located in the city of Chicago, Columbia College Chicago is a private not-for-profit university. This school awarded about 67 music degrees in the most recent year. See more about music at Columbia College Chicago
Northern Illinois University placed #6 for music by yearly graduations. Northern Illinois University is a public school located in the suburb of Dekalb. During the most recent year for which we have data, roughly 63 students earned a degree in music from this school. Read the full music report for Northern Illinois University
Western Illinois University landed the #7 spot among the most popular music schools. Set in the town of Macomb, Western Illinois University is a public institution. Western Illinois University graduated around 50 music students in the most recent data year. Get the full music details for Western Illinois University
Illinois State University placed #8 for music by yearly graduations. Illinois State University is a public school located in the suburb of Normal. This school awarded about 47 music degrees in the most recent year. See more about music at Illinois State University
Eastern Illinois University landed the #9 spot among the most popular music schools. Set in the town of Charleston, Eastern Illinois University is a public institution. This school awarded about 32 music degrees in the most recent year. See more about music at Eastern Illinois University
Wheaton College Illinois placed #10 for music by yearly graduations. Set in the suburb of Wheaton, Wheaton College Illinois is a private not-for-profit institution. This school awarded about 28 music degrees in the most recent year. Get the full music details for Wheaton College Illinois
Northeastern Illinois University landed the #11 spot among the most popular music schools. Set in the city of Chicago, Northeastern Illinois University is a public institution. During the most recent year for which we have data, roughly 18 students earned a degree in music from this school. Read the full music report for Northeastern Illinois University
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville comes in at #12 for music this year. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is a public school located in the suburb of Edwardsville. This school awarded about 17 music degrees in the most recent year. Get the full music details for Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Millikin University comes in at #13 for music this year. Millikin University is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Decatur. This school awarded about 14 music degrees in the most recent year. See more about music at Millikin University
Southern Illinois University Carbondale ranked #14 on our list of the most popular music schools. Located in the town of Carbondale, Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a public university. Southern Illinois University Carbondale graduated around 14 music students in the most recent data year. Read the full music report for Southern Illinois University Carbondale
North Park University ranked #15 on our list of the most popular music schools. Set in the city of Chicago, North Park University is a private not-for-profit institution. This school awarded about 10 music degrees in the most recent year. Get the full music details for North Park University
University Of Illinois At Chicago ranked #16 on our list of the most popular music schools. Located in the city of Chicago, University Of Illinois At Chicago is a public university. During the most recent year for which we have data, roughly 9 students earned a degree in music from this school. See more about music at University Of Illinois At Chicago
North Central College ranked #17 on our list of the most popular music schools. North Central College is a private not-for-profit school located in the city of Naperville. During the most recent year for which we have data, roughly 8 students earned a degree in music from this school. See more about music at North Central College
University Of Chicago placed #18 for music by yearly graduations. Set in the city of Chicago, University Of Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution. University Of Chicago graduated around 8 music students in the most recent data year. Read the full music report for University Of Chicago
Bradley University comes in at #19 for music this year. Located in the city of Peoria, Bradley University is a private not-for-profit university. During the most recent year for which we have data, roughly 7 students earned a degree in music from this school. See more about music at Bradley University
Knox College landed the #20 spot among the most popular music schools. Knox College is a private not-for-profit school located in the town of Galesburg. This school awarded about 7 music degrees in the most recent year. Get the full music details for Knox College
Loyola University Chicago landed the #21 spot among the most popular music schools. Set in the city of Chicago, Loyola University Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution. Loyola University Chicago graduated around 7 music students in the most recent data year. Get the full music details for Loyola University Chicago
Elmhurst College ranked #22 on our list of the most popular music schools. Located in the suburb of Elmhurst, Elmhurst College is a private not-for-profit university. This school awarded about 6 music degrees in the most recent year. Read the full music report for Elmhurst College
Judson University comes in at #23 for music this year. Located in the city of Elgin, Judson University is a private not-for-profit university. This school awarded about 6 music degrees in the most recent year. See more about music at Judson University
University Of St Francis placed #24 for music by yearly graduations. Set in the suburb of Joliet, University Of St Francis is a private not-for-profit institution. University Of St Francis graduated around 6 music students in the most recent data year. See more about music at University Of St Francis
City Colleges Of Chicago Harold Washington College landed the #25 spot among the most popular music schools. Located in the city of Chicago, City Colleges Of Chicago Harold Washington College is a public university. City Colleges Of Chicago Harold Washington College graduated around 5 music students in the most recent data year. Get the full music details for City Colleges Of Chicago Harold Washington College
These schools rounded out the top of this year’s most popular music list:
Here are more schools that award music degrees:
| Rank | School | Location | Music Graduations |
|---|---|---|---|
| #51 | Rend Lake College | Ina, IL | 1 |
| #52 | Trinity Christian College | Palos Heights, IL | 1 |
This list is compiled by College Factual. Schools are ranked by the number of students who complete a degree in the program each year (completions), drawn from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
