Top Music Programs in California by Earnings (2026)
Updated
Part of Top Art & Design Colleges in California by Earnings
This page ranks 28 Music programs in California by the median earnings of Music graduates four years after completing. Sonoma State University leads the list at $65,533, followed by University of Redlands at $59,275 and University of California-San Diego at $58,071.
The gap between the top two is $6,258. Across the listed schools, median earnings range from $65,533 to $11,481, with a median of $41,184.
For 5 of the 28 programs the figure is the two-year completion median rather than the four-year one.
Public institutions account for 68% of the list, with 19 public and 9 private nonprofit schools represented. University of California-San Diego ranks 1st on Azimuth's composite ranking among the 1,467 public and private nonprofit four-year institutions Azimuth ranks nationally, while California State University-Los Angeles posts the lowest average net price at $3,967.
The ranked list
| Rank | School | Program Earnings | Average net price | Net price, families under $30K | Admission rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sonoma State University · Rohnert Park, CA | $65,533 | $12,885 | $8,310 | 93.4% |
| Sonoma State University ranks 1st on this list, with median earnings of $65,533 for its Music graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 2 | University of Redlands · Redlands, CA | $59,275 | $30,031 | $28,287 | 82.7% |
| A private nonprofit university in Redlands, University of Redlands reports an average net price of $30,031 alongside median earnings of $59,275 for its Music graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 3 | University of California-San Diego · La Jolla, CA | $58,071 | $12,470 | $7,525 | 26.7% |
| University of California-San Diego admits 27% of applicants and ranks 1st on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions. | |||||
| 4 | Biola University · La Mirada, CA | $50,781 | $31,495 | $27,144 | 74.4% |
| Biola University posts median earnings of $50,781 for its Music graduates four years after completing, with a median federal debt of $26,417 among Music completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 5 | San Francisco Conservatory of Music · San Francisco, CA | $49,186 | $42,607 | $55,704 | 54.9% |
| San Francisco Conservatory of Music reports an average net price of $55,704 for families earning under $30,000 and median earnings of $49,186 for its Music graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 6 | California State University-Long Beach · Long Beach, CA | $47,831 | $10,440 | $7,183 | 46.3% |
| With 86 graduates in the earnings cohort, California State University-Long Beach reports median earnings of $47,831 for its Music graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 7 | University of California-Los Angeles · Los Angeles, CA | $47,779 | $12,548 | $5,579 | 9.0% |
| University of California-Los Angeles ranks 22nd on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions and reports an admission rate of 9%. | |||||
| 8 | California State Polytechnic University-Pomona · Pomona, CA | $44,910 | $11,531 | $7,851 | 75.2% |
| California State Polytechnic University-Pomona shows median earnings of $44,910 for its Music graduates four years after completing, and a median federal debt of $17,750 among Music completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 9 | University of California-Irvine · Irvine, CA | $43,120 | $14,251 | $8,123 | 28.6% |
| Graduates across all fields who borrowed left with a median of $15,000 in federal loans at University of California-Irvine, which reports median earnings of $43,120 for its Music graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 10 | University of the Pacific · Stockton, CA | $43,093 | $25,447 | $17,004 | 71.3% |
| University of the Pacific reports an average net price of $25,447 and median earnings of $43,093 for its Music graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 11 | California State University-Sacramento · Sacramento, CA | $42,774 | $9,338 | $6,501 | 94.0% |
| California State University-Sacramento admits 94% of applicants and reports median earnings of $42,774 for its Music graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 12 | California State University-Chico · Chico, CA | $42,269 | $14,480 | $9,902 | 92.7% |
| Median federal debt among Music completers who borrowed is $23,500 at California State University-Chico, which ranks 91st on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions. | |||||
| 13 | San Diego State University · San Diego, CA | $42,090 | $15,364 | $9,910 | 36.2% |
| San Diego State University admits 36% of applicants and reports median earnings of $42,090 for its Music graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 14 | Chapman University · Orange, CA | $41,698 | $46,555 | $33,559 | 65.4% |
| Chapman University ranks 14th on this list, with an average net price of $46,555. | |||||
| 15 | California State University-Northridge · Northridge, CA | $40,669 | $7,021 | $4,905 | 93.5% |
| Median earnings of $40,669 for its Music graduates four years after completing are posted by California State University-Northridge, which admits 93% of applicants. | |||||
| 16 | California Institute of the Arts · Valencia, CA | $40,294 | $46,080 | $26,686 | 32.3% |
| California Institute of the Arts ranks 1462nd on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions, with median federal debt of $19,500 among Music completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 17 | California State University-Monterey Bay · Seaside, CA | $40,077 | $13,663 | $9,970 | 97.4% |
| An average net price of $9,970 for families earning under $30,000 is listed by California State University-Monterey Bay, which admits 97% of applicants. | |||||
| 18 | California State University-Fullerton · Fullerton, CA | $39,590 | $6,555 | $3,315 | 90.5% |
| California State University-Fullerton ranks 18th on this list and shows an average net price of $6,555. | |||||
| 19 | California State University-Los Angeles · Los Angeles, CA | $39,120 | $3,967 | $2,877 | 91.3% |
| A public university in Los Angeles, California State University-Los Angeles ranks 19th on this list and reports median earnings of $39,120 for its Music graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 20 | San Francisco State University · San Francisco, CA | $38,639 | $12,278 | $9,341 | 96.4% |
| San Francisco State University ranks 20th on this list and reports median federal debt of $15,500 among Music completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 21 | University of Southern California · Los Angeles, CA | $34,124 | $32,740 | $13,516 | 9.8% |
| University of Southern California admits 10% of applicants and reports median earnings of $34,124 for its Music graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 22 | University of California-Santa Barbara · Santa Barbara, CA | $33,825 | $16,109 | $9,231 | 33.0% |
| Graduates across all fields who borrowed left with a median of $13,993 in federal loans at University of California-Santa Barbara, which admits 33% of applicants. | |||||
| 23 | California Lutheran University · Thousand Oaks, CA | $32,316 | $30,109 | $22,161 | 75.7% |
| California Lutheran University reports median earnings of $32,316 for its Music graduates four years after completing, with an average net price of $30,109. | |||||
| 24 | University of California-Santa Cruz · Santa Cruz, CA | $26,353 | $17,890 | $8,717 | 65.8% |
| University of California-Santa Cruz admits 66% of applicants and reports median earnings of $26,353 for its Music graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 25 | California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt · Arcata, CA | $25,194 | $13,171 | $8,483 | 98.2% |
| California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt admits 98% of applicants and reports 13 graduates in the earnings cohort. | |||||
| 26 | Azusa Pacific University · Azusa, CA | $24,615 | $22,212 | $15,781 | 88.4% |
| Azusa Pacific University posts median earnings of $24,615 for its Music graduates four years after completing, with 27 graduates in the earnings cohort. | |||||
| 27 | University of California-Berkeley · Berkeley, CA | $24,369 | $13,481 | $5,311 | 11.0% |
| A public university in Berkeley, University of California-Berkeley ranks 4th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions. | |||||
| 28 | University of California-Riverside · Riverside, CA | $11,481 | $14,304 | $8,852 | 76.4% |
| University of California-Riverside reports an average net price of $8,852 for families earning under $30,000, and its Music graduates earn a median of $11,481 four years after completing. | |||||
How this list is ordered
Programs are ordered by the median earnings of their Music graduates four years after completing, or two years for programs that report only a two-year figure, highest first. The figure captures federally aided completers who were working and not enrolled, measured four years after they finished the program. For 5 of the 28 listed programs the figure is the two-year completion median rather than the four-year one. The metric does not adjust for graduate school enrollment, cost, or who enrolls, and it is not a measure of teaching quality. Sonoma State University leads University of Redlands by $6,258, and the spread from the top of the list to the bottom reaches $54,052.
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