Master's · Boulder, Colorado

Is Music at University of Colorado Boulder worth it?

Low confidence Low confidence: fewer than 40 graduates behind the earnings figures.

The verdict · all families, in-state, half paid with loans

Graduates typically don't earn back the cost within 20 years, compared with the no-degree baseline.

Earnings 1 year after graduating: $33,640; Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Earnings 4 years after graduating: $48,454; Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Typical federal debt at graduation: $29,326; NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
Typical borrowing (no graduate net price is published): $31k (likely $31k – $31k); AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
Earnings bump, year 4: −$16k a year vs bachelor's graduates 4 years out in CO; 2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
Payback: Not within 20 years in most scenarios; Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
10-year net return: −$363k (likely −$438k – −$287k); Today's dollars
20-year net return: −$490k (likely −$648k – −$318k); Today's dollars

Scorecard reports no net price for graduate programs; cost is based on what graduates typically borrowed.