2023 Best Fine & Studio Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region
Finding the Best Fine & Studio Arts School for You
Out of all the majors we analyze each year, fine and studio arts was ranked #32 in the country. In fact 37,413 degrees and certificates were handed out in 2020-2021.
Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.
The Best Fine & Studio Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 91 schools in the Great Lakes Region to see which ones offered the best programs for students.
View our full ranking methodology.
2023 Best Fine & Studio Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region
Check out the Fine Arts programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.
Top 15% Best Fine & Studio Arts Schools
Our 2023 rankings named University of Notre Dame the best school in the Great Lakes Region for fine and studio arts students. Notre Dame is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Notre Dame.
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The excellent programs at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best fine and studio arts schools in the Great Lakes Region . U-M is a very large public school located in the medium-sized city of Ann Arbor.
Fine Arts majors at U-M take out an average of $18,875 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $354, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
Full Fine & Studio Arts at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Report
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The excellent programs at Northwestern University helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best fine and studio arts schools in the Great Lakes Region . Northwestern is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Evanston.
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The excellent programs at Illinois State University helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best fine and studio arts schools in the Great Lakes Region . Located in the midsize suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public school with a fairly large student population.
On average, Fine Arts graduates from Illinois State take out $20,750 in student loans while working on their degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $303, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Fine & Studio Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. UW - Madison is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Madison.
After completing their degree, Fine Arts graduates from UW - Madison carry an average student debtload of $18,875.
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Eastern Illinois University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best fine and studio arts programs. EIU is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of Charleston.
The average amount in student loans that Fine Arts majors at EIU take out is $23,200.
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With a ranking of #7, University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire did quite well on this year’s best schools for fine and studio arts students. UW - Eau Claire is a large public school located in the city of Eau Claire.
After completing their degree, Fine Arts graduates from UW - Eau Claire carry an average student debtload of $24,312.
Full Fine & Studio Arts at University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire Report
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With a ranking of #8, DePauw University did quite well on this year’s best schools for fine and studio arts students. DePauw is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Greencastle.
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University of Wisconsin - Whitewater ranked #9 on this year’s Best Fine & Studio Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the distant town of Whitewater, UW - Whitewater is a public school with a fairly large student population.
After completing their degree, Fine Arts graduates from UW - Whitewater carry an average student debtload of $27,000.
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Ohio State University - Main Campus came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Fine & Studio Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Ohio State is a very large public school located in the large city of Columbus.
Fine Arts majors at Ohio State take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $342.
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University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for fine and studio arts students. It came in at #11 on the list. Located in the distant town of Stevens Point, UW - Stevens Point is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
The average amount in student loans that Fine Arts majors at UW - Stevens Point take out is $26,000.
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University of Wisconsin - La Crosse came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Fine & Studio Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the city of La Crosse, UW - La Crosse is a public school with a fairly large student population.
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Michigan State University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Fine & Studio Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the city of East Lansing, Michigan State is a public school with a fairly large student population.
The average amount in student loans that Fine Arts majors at Michigan State take out is $31,000.
Full Fine & Studio Arts at Michigan State University Report
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Here are some additional great schools for Fine & Studio Arts students in the Great Lakes Region that almost earned our Best Fine & Studio Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 14 | University of Wisconsin - Stout | Menomonie, WI |
| 15 | Grand Valley State University | Allendale, MI |
| 16 | University of Dayton | Dayton, OH |
| 17 | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | Champaign, IL |
| 18 | University of Evansville | Evansville, IN |
Best Fine & Studio Arts Colleges by State
Explore the best fine and studio arts colleges for a specific state in the Great Lakes region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Michigan | 729 |
| Ohio | 880 |
| Illinois | 1,584 |
| Indiana | 645 |
| Wisconsin | 585 |
More Fine & Studio Arts Rankings in the Great Lakes Region
Rankings in Majors Related to Fine Arts
Fine & Studio Arts is one of 10 different types of programs to choose from.
Majors Similar to Fine Arts
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Design & Applied Arts | 36,301 |
| Music | 25,910 |
| Drama & Theater Arts | 17,341 |
| Film, Video & Photographic Arts | 16,778 |
| General Visual & Performing Arts | 6,355 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- Read more about our ranking methodology.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Jorge Royan.
More about our data sources and methodologies.