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2023 Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools

617 Colleges
$26,700 Avg Salary
$25,051 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Visual & Performing Arts School for You

In 2020-2021, 149,215 visual and performing arts students received their degrees and certificates, making the major the #10 most popular in the country.

It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. 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.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 617 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best programs for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the United States

The colleges and universities below are the best for visual and performing arts majors pursuing a .

Top 25 Top Schools in Visual & Performing Arts

#1

University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame, IN

Our analysis found University of Notre Dame to be the best school for visual and performing arts students who want to pursue a degree in the United States. Notre Dame is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Notre Dame.

After completing their degree, visual and performing arts graduates from Notre Dame carry an average student debtload of $19,625.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at University of Notre Dame

#2

Duke University

Durham, NC

Out of the 617 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Duke University landed the # 2 spot on the list. Duke is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Durham.

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#3

Lafayette College

Easton, PA

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Lafayette College. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools list. Located in the suburb of Easton, Lafayette is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

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Out of the 617 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, The Graduate Center, CUNY landed the # 4 spot on the list. The Graduate Center is a moderately-sized public school located in the large city of New York.

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#5

Dartmouth College

Hanover, NH

The excellent programs at Dartmouth College helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best visual and performing arts schools in the United States. Dartmouth is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the town of Hanover.

After completing their degree, visual and performing arts graduates from Dartmouth carry an average student debtload of $14,319.

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#6

College of the Holy Cross

Worcester, MA

College of the Holy Cross did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for visual and performing arts students. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the medium-sized city of Worcester, Holy Cross is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

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#7

Emory University

Atlanta, GA

With a ranking of #7, Emory University did quite well on this year’s best schools for visual and performing arts students. Emory is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Atlanta.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Emory University

#8

Virginia Tech

Blacksburg, VA

Virginia Tech did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for visual and performing arts students. It came in at #8 on the list. Located in the city of Blacksburg, Virginia Tech is a public college with a very large student population.

After completing their degree, visual and performing arts graduates from Virginia Tech carry an average student debtload of $27,133.

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#9

Brandeis University

Waltham, MA

With a ranking of #9, Brandeis University did quite well on this year’s best schools for visual and performing arts students. Brandeis is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Waltham.

Full Visual & Performing Arts at Brandeis University Report

#10

Winona State University

Winona, MN

Winona State University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best visual and performing arts programs. Winona State is a medium-sized public school located in the distant town of Winona.

After completing their degree, visual and performing arts graduates from Winona State carry an average student debtload of $27,500.

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With a ranking of #11, John Tyler Community College did quite well on this year’s best schools for visual and performing arts students. Located in the suburb of Chester, John Tyler Community College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

The average amount in student loans that visual and performing arts majors at John Tyler Community College take out is $5,418.

Full Visual & Performing Arts at John Tyler Community College Report

Madison Area Technical College ranked #12 on this year’s Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools list. Located in the city of Madison, Madison College is a public college with a large student population.

After completing their degree, visual and performing arts graduates from Madison College carry an average student debtload of $14,374.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Madison Area Technical College

#13

Messiah University

Mechanicsburg, PA

With a ranking of #13, Messiah University did quite well on this year’s best schools for visual and performing arts students. Messiah is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Mechanicsburg.

Full Visual & Performing Arts at Messiah University Report

#14

Northwestern University

Evanston, IL

Northwestern University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools ranking. Northwestern is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Evanston.

After completing their degree, visual and performing arts graduates from Northwestern carry an average student debtload of $17,079. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $431.

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With a ranking of #15, University of Nebraska at Kearney did quite well on this year’s best schools for visual and performing arts students. Located in the distant town of Kearney, UNK is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

Full Visual & Performing Arts at University of Nebraska at Kearney Report

#16

Sacred Heart University

Fairfield, CT

With a ranking of #16, Sacred Heart University did quite well on this year’s best schools for visual and performing arts students. Sacred Heart is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Fairfield.

The average amount in student loans that visual and performing arts majors at Sacred Heart take out is $24,768.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Sacred Heart University

#17

Luther College

Decorah, IA

With a ranking of #17, Luther College did quite well on this year’s best schools for visual and performing arts students. Luther is a small private not-for-profit school located in the remote town of Decorah.

On average, visual and performing arts graduates from Luther take out $27,000 in student loans while working on their degree.

Full Visual & Performing Arts at Luther College Report

North Dakota State University - Main Campus ranked #18 on this year’s Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools list. Located in the city of Fargo, North Dakota State University is a public school with a fairly large student population.

On average, visual and performing arts graduates from North Dakota State University take out $24,833 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at North Dakota State University - Main Campus

The University of Texas at Austin did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for visual and performing arts students. It came in at #19 on the list. UT Austin is a very large public school located in the large city of Austin.

On average, visual and performing arts graduates from UT Austin take out $22,725 in student loans while working on their degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $358.

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University of California - Berkeley came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools ranking. UC Berkeley is a very large public school located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley.

After completing their degree, visual and performing arts graduates from UC Berkeley carry an average student debtload of $16,924.

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#21

James Madison University

Harrisonburg, VA

James Madison University ranked #21 on this year’s Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools list. JMU is a very large public school located in the small city of Harrisonburg.

After completing their degree, visual and performing arts graduates from JMU carry an average student debtload of $20,917. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $440.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at James Madison University

#22

Drake University

Des Moines, IA

Drake University ranked #22 on this year’s Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools list. Located in the midsize city of Des Moines, Drake is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

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#23

Williams College

Williamstown, MA

With a ranking of #23, Williams College did quite well on this year’s best schools for visual and performing arts students. Located in the fringe town of Williamstown, Williams is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

After completing their degree, visual and performing arts graduates from Williams carry an average student debtload of $10,803.

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The College of New Jersey came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools ranking. TCNJ is a medium-sized public school located in the large suburb of Ewing.

Visual & Performing Arts majors at TCNJ take out an average of $25,000 in student loans while working on their egree.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at The College of New Jersey

#25

St Mary's College of Maryland

St. Mary's City, MD

St Mary’s College of Maryland came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools ranking. SMCM is a small public school located in the small suburb of St. Mary's City.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at St Mary’s College of Maryland

Rest of the Top 50 Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools

#26

Michigan State University

East Lansing, MI
#28

Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA
#29

Skidmore College

Saratoga Springs, NY
#32

National University

La Jolla, CA
#33

University of Virginia - Main Campus

Charlottesville, VA
#34

University of Georgia

Athens, GA
#35

Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA
#36

University of Evansville

Evansville, IN
#38

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, IN
#40

Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN
#43

Belmont University

Nashville, TN
#46

Truman State University

Kirksville, MO
#47

Wellesley College

Wellesley, MA
#48

American University

Washington, DC
#49

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, IL
#50

Hamline University

Saint Paul, MN

Additional Award Winners

This section shows the rest of the schools awarded a Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools badge. Showing in this list means the school was ranked in the top 15% of the 617 different United States visual and performing arts schools we analyzed.

Rank College Location
51 Rice University Houston, TX
52 University of Washington - Seattle Campus Seattle, WA
53 University of Tulsa Tulsa, OK
54 New York University New York, NY
55 University of Wisconsin - Stout Menomonie, WI
56 University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA
57 Texas Christian University Fort Worth, TX
58 University of Iowa Iowa City, IA
59 Nebraska Wesleyan University Lincoln, NE
60 DePauw University Greencastle, IN
61 Towson University Towson, MD
62 Harding University Searcy, AR
63 Wheaton College Illinois Wheaton, IL
64 Kansas State University Manhattan, KS
65 University of Missouri - Columbia Columbia, MO
66 San Jose State University San Jose, CA
67 Mount Saint Mary’s University Los Angeles, CA
68 Clemson University Clemson, SC
69 University of Maryland - College Park College Park, MD
70 University of North Carolina School of the Arts Winston-Salem, NC
71 Loyola Marymount University Los Angeles, CA
72 Goucher College Baltimore, MD
73 Iowa State University Ames, IA
74 Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX
75 University of Wisconsin - Whitewater Whitewater, WI
76 University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA
77 University of Nebraska at Omaha Omaha, NE
78 Colorado State University - Fort Collins Fort Collins, CO
78 University of Nebraska - Lincoln Lincoln, NE
80 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL
81 University of Florida Gainesville, FL
82 Muhlenberg College Allentown, PA
83 College for Creative Studies Detroit, MI
84 Illinois State University Normal, IL
85 University of California - Irvine Irvine, CA
86 St Olaf College Northfield, MN
87 University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point Stevens Point, WI
88 University of Puget Sound Tacoma, WA
89 University of Dayton Dayton, OH
90 LaGuardia Community College Long Island City, NY
91 University of Northern Iowa Cedar Falls, IA
92 Emerson College Boston, MA

Honorable Mentions

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools award.

Rank College Location
93 University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus Pittsburgh, PA
94 University of California - Davis Davis, CA
95 University of California - Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA
96 Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX
97 Vassar College Poughkeepsie, NY
98 Arizona State University - Skysong Scottsdale, AZ
99 West Texas A&M University Canyon, TX
100 Taylor University Upland, IN
101 University of South Dakota Vermillion, SD
102 Lebanon Valley College Annville, PA
103 Arapahoe Community College Littleton, CO
104 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC
105 Tufts University Medford, MA
106 Boston University Boston, MA
107 Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania Slippery Rock, PA
108 University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN
109 Miami University - Oxford Oxford, OH
110 Auburn University Auburn, AL
111 University of Arkansas Fayetteville, AR
112 Ohio State University - Main Campus Columbus, OH
113 Chapman University Orange, CA
114 Scottsdale Community College Scottsdale, AZ
115 Texas A&M University - Commerce Commerce, TX
116 University of California - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA
117 Texas State University San Marcos, TX
118 Otterbein University Westerville, OH
119 Minnesota State University - Mankato Mankato, MN
120 Valencia College Orlando, FL
121 Ithaca College Ithaca, NY
122 Otis College of Art and Design Los Angeles, CA
123 North Central College Naperville, IL

Visual & Performing Arts by Region

View the Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Great Lakes

Visual & Performing Arts Majors to Study

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
General Visual & Performing Arts 6,355
Arts & Media Management 4,788
Dance 3,288
Other Visual Art 912
Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry 119
Community/Environmental/Socially-Engaged Art 10

Related Major Annual Graduates
Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities 556,813
English Language & Literature 54,635
Foreign Languages & Linguistics 33,333
Theology & Religious Vocations 27,459
Philosophy & Religious Studies 19,993

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 Bonnielou2013.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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