2023 Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Rocky Mountains 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.
It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 25 schools in the Rocky Mountains 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 Rocky Mountains Region
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 Colorado State University - Fort Collins the best school in the Rocky Mountains Region for visual and performing arts students. Colorado State is a very large public school located in the midsize city of Fort Collins.
On average, visual and performing arts graduates from Colorado State take out $25,232 in student loans while working on their degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $467.
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Out of the 25 schools in the Rocky Mountains Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Arapahoe Community College landed the # 2 spot on the list. Arapahoe Community College is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Littleton.
Visual & Performing Arts majors at Arapahoe Community College take out an average of $23,985 in student loans while working on their egree.
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The excellent programs at University of Wyoming helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best visual and performing arts schools in the Rocky Mountains Region . Located in the town of Laramie, UW is a public college with a large student population.
While working on their degree, visual and performing arts majors at UW accumulate an average of around $19,130 in student debt.
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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means University of Idaho is a great place for visual and performing arts students. Located in the distant town of Moscow, U of I is a public school with a large student population.
After completing their degree, visual and performing arts graduates from U of I carry an average student debtload of $24,000.
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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means University of Utah is a great place for visual and performing arts students. Located in the city of Salt Lake City, U of U is a public school with a very large student population.
While working on their degree, visual and performing arts majors at U of U accumulate an average of around $21,991 in student debt.
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With a ranking of #6, University of Colorado Boulder did quite well on this year’s best schools for visual and performing arts students. Located in the midsize city of Boulder, CU - Boulder is a public college with a fairly large student population.
On average, visual and performing arts graduates from CU - Boulder take out $20,437 in student loans while working on their degree.
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With a ranking of #7, Brigham Young University - Provo did quite well on this year’s best schools for visual and performing arts students. BYU is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Provo.
Visual & Performing Arts majors at BYU take out an average of $11,000 in student loans while working on their egree.
Full Visual & Performing Arts at Brigham Young University - Provo Report
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University of Northern Colorado came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking. University of Northern Colorado is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Greeley.
While working on their degree, visual and performing arts majors at University of Northern Colorado accumulate an average of around $24,382 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $349.
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Montana State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for visual and performing arts students. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the remote town of Bozeman, MSU Bozeman is a public college with a large student population.
Visual & Performing Arts majors at MSU Bozeman take out an average of $26,500 in student loans while working on their egree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $337.
Full Visual & Performing Arts at Montana State University Report
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Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best visual and performing arts programs. RMCAD is a small private for-profit school located in the city of Lakewood.
After completing their degree, visual and performing arts graduates from RMCAD carry an average student debtload of $44,406. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $420, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
Full Visual & Performing Arts at Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design Report
Request InformationBest Visual & Performing Arts Colleges by State
Explore the best visual and performing arts schools for a specific state in the Rocky Mountains region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Colorado | 1,943 |
| Utah | 1,871 |
| Montana | 318 |
| Idaho | 591 |
| Wyoming | 179 |
More Visual & Performing Arts Rankings in the Rocky Mountains 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 |
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 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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