How much debt do JMU music graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $20,968, which ranks the lowest of 5 music bachelor's programs in Virginia. That works out to about $222 a month over 10 years.

Is a music degree from JMU worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 58% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 92%, and the share of borrowers in default two years into repayment is 20% or less.

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

Q: Do JMU music graduates stay in Virginia?

Most do. 76% (45 of 59) were working in Virginia one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Music
Public university
Harrisonburg, VA
About 69 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

JMU music graduates earn more than graduates of most music programs nationally, $36,106 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $20,968 in federal loans, less than at 80% of music programs in the country. Strong value, but not one of the highest-paying music degrees in Virginia.

First-year earnings$36,10681st percentile of 229 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$45,78327% more than year one

Median federal debt$20,968The lowest of 5 Virginia programs

Debt-to-earnings58%Virginia median 69%, national 92%

How it compares

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

	JMU	Virginia	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$36,106	$34,611	$25,532
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$45,783	$41,921	$40,860
Median federal debt at graduation	$20,968	$26,000	$26,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	58%	69%	92%
Programs compared		5	229

Five years out, JMU graduates earn more than the national figure and about $3,862 more than the Virginia median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Virginia music program

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

JMUOther Virginia programs

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

What graduates earn over time

Pay rises about 27% between the first and fifth year.

JMU grads, year 1$36,106

JMU grads, year 5$45,783

All Virginia music grads, year 5$41,921

Year 1 and year 5 figures come from different graduating classes, so the growth rate is an estimate.

Does family income change the outcome?

Graduates who received Pell Grants, which go to students from lower-income families, earned $10,561 less in their first year than other graduates. They also borrowed more. Students who expect to rely on grants should weigh this gap.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$34,176Median debt $25,000

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$44,737Median debt $19,500

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $222 a month, or 7.4% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (61 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	20% or less
Paying down the balance	40–59%
Paused payments (forbearance)	20–39%
In default	20% or less

The government publishes these as ranges to protect privacy. They were measured in 2018 to 2020, partly during the pandemic pause on federal loan payments, so the forbearance share may be higher than usual. Separately, 31 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $30,000.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

76% of graduates (45 of 59) were working in Virginia one year after graduating. Prices in the Harrisonburg area are about 5% below the national average, so a $36,106 salary here buys what about $38,050 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

$72,170

Median pay in Virginia. 31,100 people work in this job in Virginia. 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%: $49,900Top 10%: $107,930

Sound Engineering Technicians

$49,920

Median pay in Virginia. 120 people work in this job in Virginia. 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%: $26,910Top 10%: $105,240

Music Directors and Composers

$59,050

Median pay in Virginia. 370 people work in this job in Virginia. 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%: $42,910Top 10%: $130,980

About JMU

In-state tuition and fees	$14,250 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$31,604 / year
Average net price after aid	$23,322 / year
Admission rate	72%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	80%
Undergraduate students	20,888

Music ranks 26th of 39 bachelor's programs at JMU by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer and Information Science ($81,761), Information Science ($80,173), and Nursing ($76,490).

Common questions

The median graduate earns $36,106 one year after graduating and $45,783 five years after. The median across music bachelor's programs in Virginia is $34,611.

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 Virginia 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 Virginia, ranked5 programs by pay and debt Music bachelor's programs in the US, ranked229 programs by pay and debt All JMU programs, ranked39 programs by pay and debt