How much debt do University of Louisville music graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $20,745, which ranks 2nd lowest of 7 music bachelor's programs in Kentucky. That works out to about $220 a month over 10 years.

Is a music degree from University of Louisville worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 103% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 92%. Compare the cost with other Kentucky programs before deciding.

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

Bachelor's in Music
Public university
Louisville, KY
About 35 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

University of Louisville music graduates earn less than graduates of most music programs nationally, $20,125 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $20,745 in federal loans, less than at 81% of music programs in the country. Debt is low, but pay is also below the Kentucky median of $31,088.

First-year earnings$20,12522nd percentile of 229 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$44,130119% more than year one

Median federal debt$20,7452nd lowest of 7 Kentucky programs

Debt-to-earnings103%Kentucky median 79%, national 92%

How it compares

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

	University of Louisville	Kentucky	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$20,125	$31,088	$25,532
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$44,130	$41,644	$40,860
Median federal debt at graduation	$20,745	$24,317	$26,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	103%	79%	92%
Programs compared		7	229

Five years out, University of Louisville graduates earn more than the national figure and about $2,486 more than the Kentucky median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Kentucky music program

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

University of LouisvilleOther Kentucky 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 119% between the first and fifth year.

University of Louisville grads, year 1$20,125

University of Louisville grads, year 5$44,130

All Kentucky music grads, year 5$41,644

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 $220 a month, or 13.1% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

Prices in the Louisville area are about 7% below the national average, so a $20,125 salary here buys what about $21,623 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

$61,560

Median pay in Kentucky. 12,780 people work in this job in Kentucky. 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%: $47,130Top 10%: $83,310

Sound Engineering Technicians

$74,100

Median pay in Kentucky. 60 people work in this job in Kentucky. 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%: $47,950Top 10%: $81,020

Music Directors and Composers

$73,710

Median pay nationwide. 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.

About University of Louisville

In-state tuition and fees	$13,136 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$29,482 / year
Average net price after aid	$17,988 / year
Admission rate	79%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	61%
Undergraduate students	14,727

Music ranks 34th of 34 bachelor's programs at University of Louisville by first-year earnings. The top three are Electrical Engineering ($77,732), Industrial Engineering ($74,163), and Computer Engineering ($72,710).

Common questions

The median graduate earns $20,125 one year after graduating and $44,130 five years after. The median across music bachelor's programs in Kentucky is $31,088.

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 Kentucky 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 Kentucky, ranked7 programs by pay and debt Music bachelor's programs in the US, ranked229 programs by pay and debt All University of Louisville programs, ranked34 programs by pay and debt