2023 Best General Visual & Performing Arts Schools in California
Finding the Best General Visual & Performing Arts School for You
In 2020-2021, 1,179 degrees and certificates were awarded to general visual and performing arts students who went to a California college or university. This makes it the #84 most popular major in the state.
Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best General Visual & Performing Arts Schools in California ranking. Our analysis looked at 15 schools in California to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.
View our full ranking methodology.
2023 Best General Visual & Performing Arts Schools in California
Check out the visual arts programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.
Top 10 Best General Visual & Performing Arts Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Gnomon the best school in California for general visual and performing arts students. Gnomon is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the city of Hollywood.
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Out of the 15 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Otis College of Art and Design landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, Otis College of Art and Design is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
After completing their degree, visual arts graduates from Otis College of Art and Design carry an average student debtload of $27,000. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $620.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend San Jose State University. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best General Visual & Performing Arts Schools in California list. San Jose State is a very large public school located in the large city of San Jose.
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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means University of San Francisco is a great place for general visual and performing arts students. Located in the large city of San Francisco, USFCA is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - San Diego. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best General Visual & Performing Arts Schools in California list. Located in the city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Visual Arts majors at UCSD take out an average of $16,250 in student loans while working on their egree.
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Azusa Pacific University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for general visual and performing arts students. It came in at #6 on the list. Azusa Pacific is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Azusa.
After completing their degree, visual arts graduates from Azusa Pacific carry an average student debtload of $25,229. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $290.
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University of Southern California did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for general visual and performing arts students. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
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California State University - Channel Islands landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best general visual and performing arts programs. CSUCI is a medium-sized public school located in the suburb of Camarillo.
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Academy of Art University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for general visual and performing arts students. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the large city of San Francisco, Academy of Art University is a private for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.
The average amount in student loans that visual arts majors at Academy of Art University take out is $35,875.
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California State University - San Marcos came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best General Visual & Performing Arts Schools in California ranking. Located in the large suburb of San Marcos, CSUSM is a public school with a large student population.
The average amount in student loans that visual arts majors at CSUSM take out is $15,000.
Request InformationBest General Visual & Performing Arts Colleges in the Far Western US Region
Explore all the Best General Visual & Performing Arts Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Washington | 13 |
| Oregon | 66 |
| Nevada | 20 |
More General Visual & Performing Arts Rankings in California
Rankings in Majors Related to Visual Arts
One of 10 majors within the area of study, general visual and performing arts has other similar majors worth exploring.
Majors Similar to Visual Arts
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Fine & Studio Arts | 37,413 |
| Design & Applied Arts | 36,301 |
| Music | 25,910 |
| Drama & Theater Arts | 17,341 |
| Film, Video & Photographic Arts | 16,778 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 15 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 Sven Mandel / CC-BY-SA-4.0.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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