VanderCook College of Music

VanderCook College of Music logo
#5139 / #1347
Global Influence / U.S. Influence
#775
Most Desirable School
Private music school in Chicago, Illinois

VanderCook College of Music at a Glance

U.S. influence rank
#1347
Acceptance rate (fall 2024)
89%
Tuition and fees (2025–26)
$31,840
Graduation rate
27%
Undergraduates (fall 2024)
76

Reviewed by , Vice President and Academic Editor. Influence ranks come from our InfluenceRanking™ methodology; other figures come from federal data, with the year shown under each section. Report an error

About VanderCook College of Music

According to Wikipedia, VanderCook College of Music is a private music school in Chicago, Illinois. It is the only college in the United States solely specializing in the training of music educators. Students may pursue a Bachelor of Music in Education , Master of Music in Education , and Master of Music in Education and Certification. The college is located in a Mies van der Rohe building on the campus of Illinois Institute of Technology . VanderCook is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and the National Association of Schools of Music.

VanderCook College of Music Admissions, Retention, and Graduation Information

Annual ApplicationsAcceptanceRetention RateGraduation Rate
3789%88%27%

Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); acceptance rate for fall 2024; test scores for fall 2024; applications and enrollment for fall 2023; retention for students who started in fall 2023; graduation rate within six years for students who started in 2019.

How Much Does VanderCook College of Music Cost To Attend?

Tuition and fees (in-state)
$31,840
Average Net Price by Family Income (2021–22)
IncomeAverage Net Cost
0 - 30K$14,737
30K - 48K$21,366
48K - 75K$21,414
75K - 110K$20,209
110K+$27,348

Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); tuition and fees for 2025–26; net price for 2024–25, for first-time, full-time students receiving financial aid.

How Much Do VanderCook College of Music Graduates Make?

Ten years after starting college, former VanderCook College of Music students who received federal financial aid earn a median of $54,590 a year, and 96% of those not still in school are working.

Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard; students who started college in 2011–12 or 2012–13, measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars.

VanderCook College of Music's Demographics

Students enrolled at any time during the 2023–24 school year, including part-time and online students.

Student BodyUnder-GradsGraduates
1,015110905

Source: National Center for Education Statistics; 12-month enrollment for 2023–24.

Where is VanderCook College of Music?

VanderCook College of Music is located at 3140 South Federal Street, Chicago, IL 60616-3731.

How Safe is VanderCook College of Music?

Relative to its enrollment, VanderCook College of Music has a violent crime rate of less than 0.01% and a property crime rate of less than 0.01%. Chicago has a violent crime rate of 0.54% and a property crime rate of 3.49%. Sources: campus: U.S. Department of Education Campus Safety and Security data, on-campus offenses in 2024 (violent: murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault; property: burglary, motor vehicle theft and arson, which excludes ordinary theft); city: FBI Crime Data Explorer, offenses reported to the city police in 2024.

What Is VanderCook College of Music Known For?

VanderCook College of Music is known for its academic work in the following disciplines:

VanderCook College of Music's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered

Each rank compares how much VanderCook College of Music's faculty and alumni have shaped a field with other schools, using Wikipedia, Wikidata and scholarly citation databases such as Crossref and Semantic Scholar. World and U.S. ranks reflect modern influence; the historical rank counts influence across all time. How we rank influence

Education
#8131
World Rank
#8136
Historical Rank
#2169
USA Rank

VanderCook College of Music ranks #2169 in the U.S. and #8131 worldwide for influence in Education.

education Degrees