2023 Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region
Finding the Best Visual & Performing Arts School for You
With 149,215 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, visual and performing arts is the #10 most popular major in the United States.
Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 138 schools in the Middle Atlantic Region to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.
View our full ranking methodology.
2023 Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region
The following schools top our list of the Best Visual & Performing Arts Colleges.
Top 15% Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Lafayette College the best school in the Middle Atlantic Region for visual and performing arts students. Located in the large suburb of Easton, Lafayette is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The Graduate Center, CUNY. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. The Graduate Center is a medium-sized public school located in the large city of New York.
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Messiah University is a great place for visual and performing arts students. Messiah is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Mechanicsburg.
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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means American Musical and Dramatic Academy is a great place for visual and performing arts students. American Musical and Dramatic Academy is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of New York.
After completing their degree, visual and performing arts graduates from American Musical and Dramatic Academy carry an average student debtload of $22,000. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $938, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend The College of New Jersey. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. TCNJ is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of Ewing.
The average amount in student loans that visual and performing arts majors at TCNJ take out is $25,000.
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St Mary’s College of Maryland 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. SMCM is a small public school located in the small suburb of St. Mary's City.
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Carnegie Mellon University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best visual and performing arts programs. Located in the city of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.
Visual & Performing Arts majors at Carnegie Mellon take out an average of $25,831 in student loans while working on their egree.
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With a ranking of #8, Skidmore College did quite well on this year’s best schools for visual and performing arts students. Skidmore is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small suburb of Saratoga Springs.
After completing their degree, visual and performing arts graduates from Skidmore carry an average student debtload of $26,500.
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With a ranking of #9, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute did quite well on this year’s best schools for visual and performing arts students. Located in the city of Troy, RPI is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.
On average, visual and performing arts graduates from RPI take out $27,000 in student loans while working on their degree.
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With a ranking of #10, West Chester University of Pennsylvania did quite well on this year’s best schools for visual and performing arts students. Located in the large suburb of West Chester, WCUPA is a public school with a fairly large student population.
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Columbia University in the City of New York came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Located in the large city of New York, Columbia is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.
On average, visual and performing arts graduates from Columbia take out $18,898 in student loans while working on their degree.
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American University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. The American University is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Washington.
While working on their degree, visual and performing arts majors at The American University accumulate an average of around $25,282 in student debt.
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With a ranking of #13, New York University did quite well on this year’s best schools for visual and performing arts students. NYU is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of New York.
While working on their degree, visual and performing arts majors at NYU accumulate an average of around $22,596 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $1,008, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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With a ranking of #14, New Jersey Institute of Technology did quite well on this year’s best schools for visual and performing arts students. Located in the large city of Newark, NJIT is a public school with a large student population.
On average, visual and performing arts graduates from NJIT take out $27,000 in student loans while working on their degree.
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University of Pennsylvania landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best visual and performing arts programs. UPenn is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Philadelphia.
While working on their degree, visual and performing arts majors at UPenn accumulate an average of around $24,541 in student debt.
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Towson University landed the #16 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best visual and performing arts programs. Located in the small city of Towson, Towson is a public school with a very large student population.
The average amount in student loans that visual and performing arts majors at Towson take out is $20,542. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $259, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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University of Maryland - College Park ranked #17 on this year’s Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Located in the suburb of College Park, UMCP is a public college with a fairly large student population.
While working on their degree, visual and performing arts majors at UMCP accumulate an average of around $21,323 in student debt.
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Goucher College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for visual and performing arts students. It came in at #18 on the list. Goucher is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Baltimore.
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Muhlenberg College 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. Located in the midsize city of Allentown, Muhlenberg is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Visual & Performing Arts majors at Muhlenberg take out an average of $26,966 in student loans while working on their egree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $538.
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LaGuardia Community College ranked #20 on this year’s Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. LaGuardia is a fairly large public school located in the city of Long Island City.
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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 in the Middle Atlantic Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 21 | University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus | Pittsburgh, PA |
| 22 | Vassar College | Poughkeepsie, NY |
| 23 | Lebanon Valley College | Annville, PA |
| 24 | Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania | Slippery Rock, PA |
| 25 | Ithaca College | Ithaca, NY |
| 26 | University of Delaware | Newark, DE |
| 27 | Millersville University of Pennsylvania | Millersville, PA |
Best Visual & Performing Arts Colleges by State
Explore the best visual and performing arts schools for a specific state in the Middle Atlantic region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| New Jersey | 2,574 |
| Pennsylvania | 5,464 |
| New York | 16,536 |
| Maryland | 2,055 |
| Delaware | 182 |
| District of Columbia | 586 |
More Visual & Performing Arts Rankings in the Middle Atlantic Region
Visual & Performing Arts Related Rankings by Major
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 |
Majors Similar to Visual & Performing Arts
| 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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