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Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Virginia

2023 Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Virginia

14 Colleges
$26,234 Avg Salary
$25,261 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Visual & Performing Arts School for You

In 2020-2021, 3,471 degrees and certificates were awarded to visual and performing arts students who went to a Virginia college or university. This makes it the #12 most popular major in the state.

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.

The Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Virginia ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 14 schools in Virginia to see which ones offered the best programs for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Virginia

The colleges and universities below are the best for visual and performing arts majors pursuing a .

Top 10 Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools

#1

Virginia Tech

Blacksburg, VA

Our analysis found Virginia Tech to be the best school for visual and performing arts students who want to pursue a degree in Virginia. Located in the small city of Blacksburg, Virginia Tech is a public college with a very large student population.

On average, visual and performing arts graduates from Virginia Tech take out $27,133 in student loans while working on their degree.

Full Visual & Performing Arts at Virginia Tech Report

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend John Tyler Community College. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Virginia list. Located in the large suburb of Chester, John Tyler Community College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

Visual & Performing Arts majors at John Tyler Community College take out an average of $5,418 in student loans while working on their egree.

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#3

James Madison University

Harrisonburg, VA

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means James Madison University is a great place for visual and performing arts students. JMU is a very large public school located in the small city of Harrisonburg.

On average, visual and performing arts graduates from JMU take out $20,917 in student loans while working on their degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $440, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Virginia - Main Campus. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Virginia list. Located in the suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia is a public school with a fairly large student population.

On average, visual and performing arts graduates from University of Virginia take out $17,717 in student loans while working on their degree.

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#5

Regent University

Virginia Beach, VA

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Regent University is a great place for visual and performing arts students. Regent is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Virginia Beach.

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#6

Marymount University

Arlington, VA

Marymount University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Virginia ranking. Located in the medium-sized city of Arlington, Marymount is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

The average amount in student loans that visual and performing arts majors at Marymount take out is $30,375.

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#7

George Mason University

Fairfax, VA

George Mason University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Virginia list. Located in the suburb of Fairfax, GMU is a public college with a very large student population.

Visual & Performing Arts majors at GMU take out an average of $25,123 in student loans while working on their egree.

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#8

Radford University

Radford, VA

With a ranking of #8, Radford University did quite well on this year’s best schools for visual and performing arts students. Radford is a moderately-sized public school located in the small suburb of Radford.

Visual & Performing Arts majors at Radford take out an average of $25,625 in student loans while working on their egree.

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#9

Shenandoah University

Winchester, VA

With a ranking of #9, Shenandoah University did quite well on this year’s best schools for visual and performing arts students. Located in the small city of Winchester, Shenandoah is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

After completing their degree, visual and performing arts graduates from Shenandoah carry an average student debtload of $26,964.

Full Visual & Performing Arts at Shenandoah University Report

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Virginia Commonwealth University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best visual and performing arts programs. Located in the city of Richmond, VCU is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Visual & Performing Arts majors at VCU take out an average of $25,571 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $280, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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Best Visual & Performing Arts Colleges in the Southeast Region

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

State Degrees Awarded
North Carolina 3,215
West Virginia 405
South Carolina 1,360
Florida 7,291
Arkansas 830
Mississippi 696
Tennessee 2,629
Louisiana 1,147
Alabama 1,142
Kentucky 1,067
Georgia 4,322

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

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 14 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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