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Best Value Fine & Studio Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region

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2023 Best Value Fine & Studio Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

91 Colleges
$15,670 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$24,359 Avg Salary

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 Value 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 value programs for Fine Arts students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.

Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.

2023 Best Value Fine & Studio Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region

The following schools top our list of the Best Value Fine & Studio Arts Colleges.

Top 15% Best Fine & Studio Arts Schools

$27,786 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named Columbia College Chicago the best value school in the Great Lakes Region for fine and studio arts students. Columbia is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Chicago.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Columbia are $27,786 a year. While working on their degree, Fine Arts majors at Columbia accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt.

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Out of the 91 schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Sinclair Community College landed the # 2 spot on the list. Sinclair Community College is a large public school located in the midsize city of Dayton.

Sinclair Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $8,076 in tuition and fees each year.

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#3

Ivy Tech Community College

Indianapolis, IN

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Ivy Tech Community College. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Fine & Studio Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Ivy Tech Community College is a very large public school located in the city of Indianapolis.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Ivy Tech Community College are $8,927 per year.

In addition to its great value ranking, Ivy Tech Community College is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Fine & Studio Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region list.

Read full report on Fine & Studio Arts at Ivy Tech Community College

$11,496 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 91 schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the large suburb of Edwardsville, SIUE is a public college with a large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at SIUE are $11,496 a year. The average amount in student loans that Fine Arts majors at SIUE take out is $29,772.

Full Fine & Studio Arts at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Report

#5

Youngstown State University

Youngstown, OH
$9,732 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at Youngstown State University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best fine and studio arts schools in the Great Lakes Region . Youngstown State University is a fairly large public school located in the city of Youngstown.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Youngstown State University are $9,732 a year. On average, Fine Arts graduates from Youngstown State University take out $31,000 in student loans while working on their degree.

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#6

Ferris State University

Big Rapids, MI
$13,188 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #6, Ferris State University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for fine and studio arts students. Located in the town of Big Rapids, Ferris is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Ferris are $13,188 per year. The average amount in student loans that Fine Arts majors at Ferris take out is $28,875.

Full Fine & Studio Arts at Ferris State University Report

University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for fine and studio arts students. It came in at #6 on the list. UW - Eau Claire is a large public school located in the small city of Eau Claire.

UW - Eau Claire undergraduate students pay an average of $17,149 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, Fine Arts graduates from UW - Eau Claire carry an average student debtload of $24,312.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UW - Eau Claire also is in the top 10% of our Best Fine & Studio Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking.

Full Fine & Studio Arts at University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire Report

University of Wisconsin - Whitewater did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for fine and studio arts students. It came in at #8 on the list. Located in the town of Whitewater, UW - Whitewater is a public college with a large student population.

UW - Whitewater undergraduate students pay an average of $16,602 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, Fine Arts graduates from UW - Whitewater carry an average student debtload of $27,000.

UW - Whitewater also claimed a spot on our Best Fine & Studio Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.

Read full report on Fine & Studio Arts at University of Wisconsin - Whitewater

#9

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, IL
$14,551 Average Tuition & Fees

Eastern Illinois University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Fine & Studio Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. EIU is a medium-sized public school located in the town of Charleston.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at EIU are $14,551 per year. The average amount in student loans that Fine Arts majors at EIU take out is $23,200.

Read full report on Fine & Studio Arts at Eastern Illinois University

#10

Central Michigan University

Mount Pleasant, MI
$13,094 Average Tuition & Fees

Central Michigan University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Fine & Studio Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the town of Mount Pleasant, Central Michigan is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Central Michigan undergraduate students pay an average of $13,094 in tuition and fees each year. Fine Arts majors at Central Michigan take out an average of $29,200 in student loans while working on their egree.

Full Fine & Studio Arts at Central Michigan University Report

University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for fine and studio arts students. It came in at #11 on the list. Located in the town of Stevens Point, UW - Stevens Point is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UW - Stevens Point are $17,035 a year. The average amount in student loans that Fine Arts majors at UW - Stevens Point take out is $26,000.

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$14,738 Average Tuition & Fees

Northern Illinois University landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value fine and studio arts programs. Located in the small suburb of Dekalb, NIU is a public college with a large student population.

NIU undergraduate students pay an average of $14,738 in tuition and fees each year. On average, Fine Arts graduates from NIU take out $26,781 in student loans while working on their degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $336.

Read full report on Fine & Studio Arts at Northern Illinois University

With a ranking of #13, University of Wisconsin - La Crosse did quite well on this year’s best value schools for fine and studio arts students. Located in the small city of La Crosse, UW - La Crosse is a public school with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UW - La Crosse are $18,014 a year.

UW - La Crosse excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Fine & Studio Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region list.

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Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional great value schools for Fine & Studio Arts students in the Great Lakes Region seeking value that almost earned our Best Value Fine & Studio Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region award.

Rank College Location
14 University of Wisconsin - Stout Menomonie, WI
15 University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh Oshkosh, WI
15 University of Wisconsin - River Falls River Falls, WI
17 Western Illinois University Macomb, IL
18 University of Akron Main Campus Akron, OH

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

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.

  • 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.

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