Top Music Programs in New York by Earnings (2026)
Updated
Part of Best Art & Design Colleges in New York
This page ranks the 19 Music programs in New York by the median earnings of Music graduates four years after completing. Hofstra University leads the list at $56,847, followed by New York University at $52,841 and Ithaca College at $51,338.
The median across the listed schools is $35,060, with a spread of $41,559 from the top figure of $56,847 to the lowest of $15,288.
The list splits almost evenly between public and private institutions, with 10 public and 9 private nonprofit schools. CUNY Hunter College posts the lowest average net price at $2,984, while CUNY Bernard M Baruch College ranks 2nd on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions.
The ranked list
| Rank | School | Program Earnings | Average net price | Net price, families under $30K | Admission rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hofstra University · Hempstead, NY | $56,847 | $34,176 | $28,219 | 68.1% |
| Hofstra University reports median earnings of $56,847 for its Music graduates four years after completing, the highest on this list. | |||||
| 2 | New York University · New York, NY | $52,841 | $37,050 | $16,977 | 9.2% |
| New York University admits 9% of applicants and its Music graduates earn a median of $52,841 four years after completing. | |||||
| 3 | Ithaca College · Ithaca, NY | $51,338 | $33,926 | $21,901 | 69.0% |
| Ithaca College ranks 3rd on this list, with a median of $27,000 in federal debt among Music completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 4 | SUNY at Fredonia · Fredonia, NY | $45,794 | $15,897 | $9,395 | 77.7% |
| SUNY at Fredonia shows an average net price of $15,897 alongside median earnings of $45,794 for its Music graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 5 | CUNY City College · New York, NY | $44,058 | $3,776 | $1,251 | 60.0% |
| CUNY City College ranks 48th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions and reports median earnings of $44,058 for its Music graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 6 | SUNY at Purchase College · Purchase, NY | $41,926 | $18,913 | $11,835 | 74.1% |
| SUNY at Purchase College posts median earnings of $41,926 for its Music graduates four years after completing, with an admission rate of 74%. | |||||
| 7 | State University of New York at Oswego · Oswego, NY | $41,122 | $16,236 | $8,714 | 80.6% |
| State University of New York at Oswego reports median earnings of $41,122 for its Music graduates four years after completing, and graduates across all fields who borrowed left with a median of $20,880 in federal loans. | |||||
| 8 | CUNY Hunter College · New York, NY | $39,600 | $2,984 | $1,029 | 53.8% |
| CUNY Hunter College carries an average net price of $2,984, the lowest on the page, and its Music graduates earn a median of $39,600 four years after completing. | |||||
| 9 | SUNY College at Potsdam · Potsdam, NY | $36,677 | $13,624 | $8,623 | 77.7% |
| SUNY College at Potsdam has an admission rate of 78% and a median of $26,262 in federal debt among Music completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 10 | CUNY Bernard M Baruch College · New York, NY | $35,060 | $3,033 | $607 | 47.5% |
| CUNY Bernard M Baruch College ranks 2nd on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions and reports median earnings of $35,060 for its Music graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 11 | University of Rochester · Rochester, NY | $34,888 | $29,278 | $9,678 | 40.1% |
| University of Rochester reports median earnings of $34,888 for its Music graduates four years after completing, with an average net price of $29,278. | |||||
| 12 | The New School · New York, NY | $32,930 | $58,741 | $50,140 | 63.5% |
| The New School shows a median of $23,000 in federal debt among Music completers who borrowed, alongside an admission rate of 63%. | |||||
| 13 | The Juilliard School · New York, NY | $32,842 | $43,571 | $30,168 | 9.2% |
| The Juilliard School admits 9% of applicants and reports median earnings of $32,842 for its Music graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 14 | Manhattan School of Music · New York, NY | $27,952 | $51,754 | $31,392 | 40.8% |
| Manhattan School of Music ranks 14th on this list, with 92 graduates in the earnings cohort and median federal debt of $26,994 among Music completers who borrowed. | |||||
| 15 | Adelphi University · Garden City, NY | $25,194 | $30,783 | $24,095 | 65.9% |
| Adelphi University posts an average net price of $30,783 and sits 370th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions. | |||||
| 16 | SUNY Buffalo State University · Buffalo, NY | $21,166 | $11,346 | $7,405 | 73.0% |
| A public university in Buffalo, SUNY Buffalo State University reports median earnings of $21,166 for its Music graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 17 | CUNY Lehman College · Bronx, NY | $21,052 | $3,148 | $1,589 | 56.6% |
| CUNY Lehman College carries an average net price of $3,148 and an admission rate of 57%. | |||||
| 18 | Mercy University · Dobbs Ferry, NY | $16,992 | $14,072 | $11,974 | 85.8% |
| Mercy University ranks 309th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions and shows median earnings of $16,992 for its Music graduates four years after completing. | |||||
| 19 | State University of New York at New Paltz · New Paltz, NY | $15,288 | $18,809 | $10,541 | 61.6% |
| State University of New York at New Paltz lists 22 graduates in the earnings cohort and an average net price of $10,541 for families earning under $30,000. | |||||
How this list is ordered
Programs are ordered by the median earnings of their Music graduates four years after completing, highest first. Only programs with a reported earnings cohort in New York appear. The figure captures federally aided completers who were working and not enrolled four years after finishing. For 6 of the 19 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. Hofstra University leads New York University by $4,006, and the spread from the top of the list to the bottom reaches $41,559.
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