2023 Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Washington
Finding the Best Visual & Performing Arts School for You
Visual & Performing Arts is the #12 most popular major in Washington with 1,718 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.
With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. 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 help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Washington ranking. Our analysis looked at 12 schools in Washington to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.
View our full ranking methodology.
2023 Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Washington
The colleges and universities below are the best for visual and performing arts majors pursuing a .
Top 10 Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools
Our 2023 rankings named University of Washington - Seattle Campus the best school in Washington for visual and performing arts students. UW Seattle is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Seattle.
The average amount in student loans that visual and performing arts majors at UW Seattle take out is $15,288.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Puget Sound. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Washington list. Located in the midsize city of Tacoma, Puget Sound is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Visual & Performing Arts majors at Puget Sound take out an average of $26,507 in student loans while working on their egree.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Western Washington University. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Washington list. Located in the small city of Bellingham, WWU is a public college with a large student population.
After completing their degree, visual and performing arts graduates from WWU carry an average student debtload of $22,526. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $390.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Washington State University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Washington list. Located in the town of Pullman, Wazzu is a public college with a very large student population.
While working on their degree, visual and performing arts majors at Wazzu accumulate an average of around $23,721 in student debt.
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The excellent programs at Seattle Pacific University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best visual and performing arts schools in Washington. Located in the city of Seattle, SPU is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
The average amount in student loans that visual and performing arts majors at SPU take out is $25,000.
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With a ranking of #6, Pacific Lutheran University did quite well on this year’s best schools for visual and performing arts students. PLU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Tacoma.
On average, visual and performing arts graduates from PLU take out $26,333 in student loans while working on their degree.
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Cornish College of the Arts did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for visual and performing arts students. It came in at #7 on the list. Cornish College of the Arts is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Seattle.
After completing their degree, visual and performing arts graduates from Cornish College of the Arts carry an average student debtload of $26,494. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $817.
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With a ranking of #8, Seattle University did quite well on this year’s best schools for visual and performing arts students. Seattle U is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Seattle.
On average, visual and performing arts graduates from Seattle U take out $25,000 in student loans while working on their degree.
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Central Washington University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Washington list. CWU is a large public school located in the distant town of Ellensburg.
While working on their degree, visual and performing arts majors at CWU accumulate an average of around $25,125 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $306, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Spokane Falls Community College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Washington ranking. Located in the medium-sized city of Spokane, Spokane Falls Community College is a public college with a small student population.
The average amount in student loans that visual and performing arts majors at Spokane Falls Community College take out is $14,193.
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Request InformationBest Visual & Performing Arts Colleges in the Far Western US Region
Explore all the Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| California | 22,397 |
| Oregon | 1,672 |
| Hawaii | 196 |
| Nevada | 554 |
| Alaska | 60 |
More Visual & Performing Arts Rankings in Washington
Rankings in Majors Related to Visual & Performing Arts
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 |
Most Popular Related Majors
| 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 12 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.