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Most Popular Fine & Studio Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region

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2023 Most Popular Fine & Studio Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region

248 Colleges
$24,359 Avg Salary
$26,991 Avg Student Debt

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.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Most Popular Fine & Studio Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This report analyzed 248 schools in the Great Lakes Region to see which ones were the most popular programs for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Fine & Studio Arts program at each school on the list.

The colleges and universities below are the most popular for Fine Arts majors pursuing a .

Our analysis found School of the Art Institute of Chicago to be the most popular school for fine and studio arts students who want to pursue a degree in the Great Lakes Region . School of the Art Institute of Chicago is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago.

On average, Fine Arts graduates from School of the Art Institute of Chicago take out $27,000 in student loans while working on their degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $864.

Read full report on Fine & Studio Arts at School of the Art Institute of Chicago

The excellent programs at University of Wisconsin - Madison 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 . UW - Madison is a very large public school located in the city of Madison.

Fine Arts majors at UW - Madison take out an average of $18,875 in student loans while working on their egree.

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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a great place for fine and studio arts students. U-M is a very large public school located in the city of Ann Arbor.

While working on their degree, Fine Arts majors at U-M accumulate an average of around $18,875 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $354, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Fine & Studio Arts at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

The excellent programs at University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee 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 . UWM is a fairly large public school located in the city of Milwaukee.

While working on their degree, Fine Arts majors at UWM accumulate an average of around $28,988 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $306.

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

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Ohio State University - Main Campus. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Most Popular Fine & Studio Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Ohio State is a very large public school located in the large city of Columbus.

On average, Fine Arts graduates from Ohio State take out $27,000 in student loans while working on their degree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $342.

Full Fine & Studio Arts at Ohio State University - Main Campus Report

With a ranking of #6, Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for fine and studio arts students. IUPUI is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Indianapolis.

The average amount in student loans that Fine Arts majors at IUPUI take out is $23,000. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $201, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Fine & Studio Arts at Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis

Illinois State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for fine and studio arts students. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the midsize suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public college with a very large student population.

After completing their degree, Fine Arts graduates from Illinois State carry an average student debt load of $20,750. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $303, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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Indiana University - Bloomington did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for fine and studio arts students. It came in at #8 on the list. Located in the city of Bloomington, IU Bloomington is a public college with a very large student population.

The average amount in student loans that Fine Arts majors at IU Bloomington take out is $19,500.

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With a ranking of #8, Kent State University at Kent did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for fine and studio arts students. Located in the suburb of Kent, Kent State is a public school with a very large student population.

On average, Fine Arts graduates from Kent State take out $31,000 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read full report on Fine & Studio Arts at Kent State University at Kent

Northern Illinois University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular fine and studio arts programs. Located in the suburb of Dekalb, NIU is a public school with a fairly large student population.

After completing their degree, Fine Arts graduates from NIU carry an average student debt load of $26,781. 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

University of Cincinnati - Main Campus did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for fine and studio arts students. It came in at #11 on the list. Located in the city of Cincinnati, UC is a public college with a very large student population.

While working on their degree, Fine Arts majors at UC accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $248.

Read full report on Fine & Studio Arts at University of Cincinnati - Main Campus

With a ranking of #12, Northern Michigan University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for fine and studio arts students. Northern Michigan University is a medium-sized public school located in the remote town of Marquette.

Fine Arts majors at Northern Michigan University take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree.

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#12

Ball State University

Muncie, IN

Ball State University ranked #12 on this year’s Most Popular Fine & Studio Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Ball State is a very large public school located in the city of Muncie.

While working on their degree, Fine Arts majors at Ball State accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $194.

Read full report on Fine & Studio Arts at Ball State University

#14

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, IL

Eastern Illinois University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for fine and studio arts students. It came in at #14 on the list. EIU is a medium-sized public school located in the distant town of Charleston.

On average, Fine Arts graduates from EIU take out $23,200 in student loans while working on their degree.

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Ohio University - Athens Campus came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Fine & Studio Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. OHIO Athens is a fairly large public school located in the distant town of Athens.

The average amount in student loans that Fine Arts majors at OHIO Athens take out is $26,166. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $363.

Full Fine & Studio Arts at Ohio University - Athens Campus Report

Grand Valley State University landed the #16 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular fine and studio arts programs. GVSU is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Allendale.

The average amount in student loans that Fine Arts majors at GVSU take out is $25,905. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $225.

Read full report on Fine & Studio Arts at Grand Valley State University

#17

Wayne State University

Detroit, MI

Wayne State University landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular fine and studio arts programs. Located in the large city of Detroit, Wayne State is a public college with a very large student population.

Fine Arts majors at Wayne State take out an average of $33,449 in student loans while working on their egree.

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University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for fine and studio arts students. It came in at #18 on the list. UIUC is a very large public school located in the city of Champaign.

Full Fine & Studio Arts at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Report

#18

Purdue University Fort Wayne

Fort Wayne, IN

Purdue University Fort Wayne did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for fine and studio arts students. It came in at #18 on the list. PFW is a moderately-sized public school located in the large city of Fort Wayne.

While working on their degree, Fine Arts majors at PFW accumulate an average of around $24,550 in student debt.

Full Fine & Studio Arts at Purdue University Fort Wayne Report

University of Southern Indiana did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for fine and studio arts students. It came in at #20 on the list. USI is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of Evansville.

On average, Fine Arts graduates from USI take out $23,873 in student loans while working on their degree.

Full Fine & Studio Arts at University of Southern Indiana Report

Bowling Green State University - Main Campus landed the #20 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular fine and studio arts programs. Located in the fringe town of Bowling Green, BGSU is a public college with a large student population.

On average, Fine Arts graduates from BGSU take out $27,000 in student loans while working on their degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $281.

Read More…

#22

Eastern Michigan University

Ypsilanti, MI

Eastern Michigan University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Fine & Studio Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the large suburb of Ypsilanti, Eastern Michigan is a public school with a fairly large student population.

While working on their degree, Fine Arts majors at Eastern Michigan accumulate an average of around $30,500 in student debt. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $145.

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University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Fine & Studio Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. UW - Eau Claire is a large public school located in the small city of Eau Claire.

While working on their degree, Fine Arts majors at UW - Eau Claire accumulate an average of around $24,312 in student debt.

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Southern Illinois University Carbondale did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for fine and studio arts students. It came in at #23 on the list. Located in the city of Carbondale, SIUC is a public college with a fairly large student population.

After completing their degree, Fine Arts graduates from SIUC carry an average student debt load of $26,000.

Read full report on Fine & Studio Arts at Southern Illinois University Carbondale

University of Illinois at Chicago ranked #25 on this year’s Most Popular Fine & Studio Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the large city of Chicago, UIC is a public college with a very large student population.

Fine Arts majors at UIC take out an average of $23,415 in student loans while working on their egree.

Full Fine & Studio Arts at University of Illinois at Chicago Report

#26

Cleveland Institute of Art

Cleveland, OH
#30

Cranbrook Academy of Art

Bloomfield Hills, MI
#30

Youngstown State University

Youngstown, OH
#33

Indiana State University

Terre Haute, IN
#33

Oberlin College

Oberlin, OH
#36

University of Chicago

Chicago, IL
#36

Columbia College Chicago

Chicago, IL

Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional popular schools for Fine & Studio Arts students in the Great Lakes Region that almost earned our Most Popular Fine & Studio Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region award.

Rank College Location
38 Purdue University - Main Campus West Lafayette, IN
39 Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, MI
40 University of Akron Main Campus Akron, OH
41 University of Wisconsin - Whitewater Whitewater, WI
42 University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh Oshkosh, WI
43 Shawnee State University Portsmouth, OH
44 University of Wisconsin - River Falls River Falls, WI
44 Central Michigan University Mount Pleasant, MI
44 Northwestern University Evanston, IL
47 Ferris State University Big Rapids, MI
48 Wright State University - Main Campus Dayton, OH
49 Grand Rapids Community College Grand Rapids, MI
49 Cleveland State University Cleveland, OH

Best Fine & Studio Arts Colleges by State

Explore the best fine and studio arts schools for a specific state in the Great Lakes region.

State Degrees Awarded
Michigan 729
Ohio 880
Illinois 1,584
Indiana 645
Wisconsin 585

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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