Is Tufts or the University of Rochester better for studying music?

For a student who wants the deepest undergraduate music training and the most extensive performance ecosystem, the University of Rochester has the clear edge because of the Eastman School of Music. Eastman is one of the country’s major conservatories and gives Rochester an unusually large concentration of faculty, ensembles, practice facilities, concerts, and pre-professional musicians.

That distinction matters most for students considering performance, composition, music education, theory, musicology, recording-related work, or a conservatory-style Bachelor of Music.

Tufts is still a strong place to study music as part of a broader liberal-arts education. Its music department offers a BA curriculum, private instruction and active ensembles, and its Boston-area location places students near a major musical community.

The practical difference is that music is institutionally central at Rochester through Eastman, while at Tufts it is more commonly integrated with another academic focus. A student who wants conservatory intensity alongside a university education will find Rochester especially compelling; a student who wants music to remain one important part of a wider Tufts-style undergraduate experience may prefer Tufts.