How much debt do Bradley University music graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $27,000, which ranks 9th lowest of 13 music bachelor's programs in Illinois. That works out to about $286 a month over 10 years.

Is a music degree from Bradley University worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 96% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 92%. Compare the cost with other Illinois programs before deciding.

Bradley University Music (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Bachelor's in Music
Private nonprofit university
Peoria, IL
About 2 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Bradley University music graduates earn about what music graduates earn nationally, $28,137 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $27,000 in federal loans, close to the national median of $26,000. Several Illinois programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$28,13761st percentile of 229 programs nationally

Median federal debt$27,0009th lowest of 13 Illinois programs

Debt-to-earnings96%Illinois median 93%, national 92%

How it compares

Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Illinois and national columns are the medians across all music bachelor's programs that report the figure.

	Bradley University	Illinois	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$28,137	$28,137	$25,532
Median federal debt at graduation	$27,000	$26,648	$26,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	96%	93%	92%
Programs compared		13	229

Debt and first-year pay at every Illinois music program

Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Illinois medians.

Bradley UniversityOther Illinois programs

Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $286 a month, or 12.2% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

Prices in the Peoria area are about 9% below the national average, so a $28,137 salary here buys what about $30,841 buys in a typical US city.

Careers this field leads to

These are the jobs that the federal crosswalk from fields of study to occupations links to music, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education

$79,990

Median pay in Illinois. 44,670 people work in this job in Illinois. Nationally, jobs are projected to stay about the same in number from 2025 to 2035, with about 63,500 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $49,020Top 10%: $135,960

Sound Engineering Technicians

$73,130

Median pay in Illinois. 570 people work in this job in Illinois. Nationally, jobs are projected to shrink 3% from 2025 to 2035, with about 1,000 openings a year. Typical education to start: postsecondary nondegree award.

Bottom 10%: $31,200Top 10%: $113,460

Music Directors and Composers

$49,270

Median pay in Illinois. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 1% from 2025 to 2035, with about 4,200 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree, plus less than 5 years of related work experience.

Bottom 10%: $31,930Top 10%: $104,000

About Bradley University

Tuition and fees	$42,160 / year
Average net price after aid	$22,719 / year
Admission rate	77%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	76%
Undergraduate students	3,574

Music ranks 23rd of 26 bachelor's programs at Bradley University by first-year earnings. The top three are Electrical Engineering ($76,475), Nursing ($73,143), and Civil Engineering ($72,573).

Other music bachelor's programs near Peoria

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Bradley UniversityPeoria, IL · private nonprofit		$28,137	$27,000
Illinois StateNormal, IL · public	35 mi	$32,853	$20,500
Western Illinois UniversityMacomb, IL · public	58 mi	$32,666	$30,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $28,137 one year after graduating. The median across music bachelor's programs in Illinois is $28,137.

About this data

Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid (grants or loans).
Earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school. Graduates who went straight to further study are not included.
Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
Some schools with several campuses report one combined figure for all of them. We count each of those schools once, and leave them out of Illinois comparisons when their main campus is in another state.
Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025.
School-level numbers like tuition, admission rate, and graduation rate are for the whole school, not the music program.

Sources

U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024

Music bachelor's programs in Illinois, ranked13 programs by pay and debt Music bachelor's programs in the US, ranked229 programs by pay and debt All Bradley University programs, ranked26 programs by pay and debt