2023 Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Virginia
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
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 city of Blacksburg, Virginia Tech is a public college with a fairly 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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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means John Tyler Community College is a great place for visual and performing arts students. Located in the 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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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend James Madison University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Virginia list. JMU is a fairly 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 very 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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Out of the 14 schools in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, Regent University landed the # 5 spot on the list. Regent is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Virginia Beach.
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Marymount University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Virginia ranking. Located in the 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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With a ranking of #7, George Mason University did quite well on this year’s best schools for visual and performing arts students. Located in the suburb of Fairfax, GMU is a public school with a fairly 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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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 medium-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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Shenandoah University landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best visual and performing arts programs. Located in the 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.
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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 midsize city of Richmond, VCU is a public school with a very 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.
Full Visual & Performing Arts at Virginia Commonwealth University Report
Request InformationBest 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 |
| Mississippi | 696 |
| South Carolina | 1,360 |
| Florida | 7,291 |
| Arkansas | 830 |
| Alabama | 1,142 |
| Kentucky | 1,067 |
| Georgia | 4,322 |
| Tennessee | 2,629 |
| Louisiana | 1,147 |
More Visual & Performing Arts Rankings in Virginia
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 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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