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Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Colorado

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2023 Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Colorado

12 Colleges
$27,049 Avg Salary
$27,015 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Visual & Performing Arts School for You

In 2020-2021, 1,943 degrees and certificates were awarded to visual and performing arts students who went to a Colorado college or university. This makes it the #11 most popular major in the state.

Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. 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.

The Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Colorado ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 12 schools in Colorado to see which ones offered the best programs for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Colorado

The following schools top our list of the Best Visual & Performing Arts Colleges.

Top 10 Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools

Our 2023 rankings named Colorado State University - Fort Collins the best school in Colorado for visual and performing arts students. Colorado State is a fairly large public school located in the 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.

Full Visual & Performing Arts at Colorado State University - Fort Collins Report

#2

Arapahoe Community College

Littleton, CO

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Arapahoe Community College. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Colorado 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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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus is a great place for visual and performing arts students. Located in the city of Denver, CU Anschutz is a public school with a fairly large student population.

On average, visual and performing arts graduates from CU Anschutz take out $25,837 in student loans while working on their degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $267.

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The excellent programs at University of Colorado Boulder helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best visual and performing arts schools in Colorado. Located in the medium-sized 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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Out of the 12 schools in Colorado that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Northern Colorado landed the # 5 spot on the list. 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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With a ranking of #6, Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design did quite well on this year’s best schools for visual and performing arts students. RMCAD is a small private for-profit school located in the midsize 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.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design

Community College of Aurora landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best visual and performing arts programs. Located in the city of Aurora, CCA is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

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#8

University of Denver

Denver, CO

University of Denver 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 large city of Denver, DU is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

On average, visual and performing arts graduates from DU take out $26,000 in student loans while working on their degree.

Full Visual & Performing Arts at University of Denver Report

#9

Fort Lewis College

Durango, CO

With a ranking of #9, Fort Lewis College did quite well on this year’s best schools for visual and performing arts students. FLC is a small public school located in the town of Durango.

On average, visual and performing arts graduates from FLC take out $17,881 in student loans while working on their degree.

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#10

Colorado Mesa University

Grand Junction, CO

With a ranking of #10, Colorado Mesa University did quite well on this year’s best schools for visual and performing arts students. Colorado Mesa is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Grand Junction.

Visual & Performing Arts majors at Colorado Mesa take out an average of $28,244 in student loans while working on their egree.

Full Visual & Performing Arts at Colorado Mesa University Report

Best Visual & Performing Arts Colleges in the Rocky Mountains Region

Explore all the Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Rocky Mountains Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Utah 1,871
Montana 318
Idaho 591
Wyoming 179

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 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.

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