How much debt do Radford University music graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $27,000, which ranks 3rd lowest of 5 music bachelor's programs in Virginia. That works out to about $286 a month over 10 years.

Is a music degree from Radford University worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 68% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 92%.

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

Q: Do Radford University music graduates stay in Virginia?

Most do. 53% (16 of 30) were working in Virginia one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Music
Public university
Radford, VA
About 19 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Radford University music graduates earn more than graduates of most music programs nationally, $39,593 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $27,000 in federal loans, close to the national median of $26,000. It is one of the higher-paying music degrees in Virginia.

First-year earnings$39,59390th percentile of 229 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$41,9216% more than year one

Median federal debt$27,0003rd lowest of 5 Virginia programs

Debt-to-earnings68%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.

	Radford University	Virginia	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$39,593	$34,611	$25,532
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$41,921	$41,921	$40,860
Median federal debt at graduation	$27,000	$26,000	$26,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	68%	69%	92%
Programs compared		5	229

Five years out, Radford University graduates earn about the national figure and about the same as 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.

Radford UniversityOther 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 6% between the first and fifth year.

Radford University grads, year 1$39,593

Radford University grads, year 5$41,921

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.

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $286 a month, or 8.7% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

53% of graduates (16 of 30) were working in Virginia one year after graduating. Prices in the Blacksburg area are about 7% below the national average, so a $39,593 salary here buys what about $42,706 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 Radford University

In-state tuition and fees	$12,548 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$25,633 / year
Average net price after aid	$14,578 / year
Admission rate	90%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	49%
Undergraduate students	6,038

Music ranks 11th of 29 bachelor's programs at Radford University by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($69,662), Computer Science ($66,857), and Medical Laboratory Science ($63,606).

Common questions

The median graduate earns $39,593 one year after graduating and $41,921 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 Radford University programs, ranked30 programs by pay and debt