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.
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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.
Out of the 138 schools in the Middle Atlantic Region that were part of this year’s ranking, The Graduate Center, CUNY landed the # 2 spot on the list. The Graduate Center is a moderately-sized public school located in the large city of New York.
Full Visual & Performing Arts at The Graduate Center, CUNY Report
The excellent programs at Messiah University helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best visual and performing arts schools in the Middle Atlantic Region . Messiah is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Mechanicsburg.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend American Musical and Dramatic Academy. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. American Musical and Dramatic Academy is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large 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.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The College of New Jersey. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. TCNJ is a medium-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.
Full Visual & Performing Arts at The College of New Jersey Report
St Mary’s College of Maryland came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. SMCM is a small public school located in the small suburb of St. Mary's City.
Full Visual & Performing Arts at St Mary’s College of Maryland Report
With a ranking of #7, Carnegie Mellon University did quite well on this year’s best schools for visual and performing arts students. 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.
Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Carnegie Mellon University
Skidmore College ranked #8 on this year’s Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Skidmore is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Saratoga Springs.
After completing their degree, visual and performing arts graduates from Skidmore carry an average student debtload of $26,500.
Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Skidmore College
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute ranked #9 on this year’s Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. 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.
Full Visual & Performing Arts at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Report
West Chester University of Pennsylvania ranked #10 on this year’s Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Located in the large suburb of West Chester, WCUPA is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Columbia University in the City of New York ranked #11 on this year’s Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Located in the large city of New York, Columbia is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
On average, visual and performing arts graduates from Columbia take out $18,898 in student loans while working on their degree.
With a ranking of #12, American University did quite well on this year’s best schools for visual and performing arts students. The American University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the 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.
Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at American University
New York University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for visual and performing arts students. It came in at #13 on the list. NYU is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large 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.
New Jersey Institute of Technology came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Located in the large city of Newark, NJIT is a public college with a fairly large student population.
On average, visual and performing arts graduates from NJIT take out $27,000 in student loans while working on their degree.
Full Visual & Performing Arts at New Jersey Institute of Technology Report
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.
Full Visual & Performing Arts at University of Pennsylvania Report
Towson University ranked #16 on this year’s Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Located in the small city of Towson, Towson is a public college with a fairly 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.
University of Maryland - College Park did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for visual and performing arts students. It came in at #17 on the list. Located in the large suburb of College Park, UMCP is a public school with a very 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.
Goucher College landed the #18 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best visual and performing arts programs. Goucher is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Baltimore.
Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Goucher College
Muhlenberg College ranked #19 on this year’s Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Located in the midsize city of Allentown, Muhlenberg is a private not-for-profit school 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.
Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Muhlenberg College
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 large city of Long Island City.
Full Visual & Performing Arts at LaGuardia Community College Report
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 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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