2023 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Far Western US Region
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Visual & Performing Arts School for You
In 2020-2021, 149,215 visual and performing arts students received a degree or certificate, making the major the #10 most popular in the country.
There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right for you. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. This report analyzed 79 schools in the Far Western US Region to see which ones offered the best value programs for visual and performing arts students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.
When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.
Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
Top 15% Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Spokane Falls Community College the best value school in the Far Western US Region for visual and performing arts students. Located in the city of Spokane, Spokane Falls Community College is a public college with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Spokane Falls Community College are $5,135 a year. The average amount in student loans that visual and performing arts majors at Spokane Falls Community College take out is $14,193.
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Out of the 79 schools in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, National University landed the # 2 spot on the list. National University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of La Jolla.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at National University are $13,320 a year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, National University also did well on our Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Far Western US Region list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend College of Southern Nevada. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Far Western US Region list. CSN is a very large public school located in the city of Las Vegas.
CSN undergraduate students pay an average of $11,534 in tuition and fees each year.
Full Visual & Performing Arts at College of Southern Nevada Report
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Out of the 79 schools in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, San Jose State University landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the city of San Jose, San Jose State is a public college with a fairly large student population.
San Jose State undergraduate students pay an average of $19,732 in tuition and fees each year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, San Jose State also is in the top 20% of our Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking.
Full Visual & Performing Arts at San Jose State University Report
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Los Angeles Trade Technical College. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Los Angeles Trade Technical College is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Los Angeles.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Los Angeles Trade Technical College are $9,012 a year.
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California State University - East Bay ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Cal State East Bay is a large public school located in the suburb of Hayward.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Cal State East Bay are $18,875 per year. While working on their degree, visual and performing arts majors at Cal State East Bay accumulate an average of around $18,111 in student debt.
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Sonoma State University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. Located in the suburb of Rohnert Park, SSU is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
SSU undergraduate students pay an average of $19,868 in tuition and fees each year. On average, visual and performing arts graduates from SSU take out $17,514 in student loans while working on their degree.
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San Diego Mesa College ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Located in the city of San Diego, San Diego Mesa College is a public college with a large student population.
San Diego Mesa College undergraduate students pay an average of $8,512 in tuition and fees each year.
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With a ranking of #9, California State University - Fullerton did quite well on this year’s best value schools for visual and performing arts students. Located in the large suburb of Fullerton, Cal State Fullerton is a public college with a very large student population.
Cal State Fullerton undergraduate students pay an average of $18,856 in tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, visual and performing arts majors at Cal State Fullerton accumulate an average of around $20,671 in student debt.
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California State University - Long Beach came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. Located in the city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public school with a very large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at CSULB are $18,726 a year. The average amount in student loans that visual and performing arts majors at CSULB take out is $18,481.
Full Visual & Performing Arts at California State University - Long Beach Report
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Mount Saint Mary’s University landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value visual and performing arts programs. MSMU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Los Angeles.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at MSMU are $45,388 per year.
Request InformationAdditional Noteworthy Schools
Here are some additional great value schools for Visual & Performing Arts students in the Far Western US Region seeking value that almost earned our Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Far Western US Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | San Francisco State University | San Francisco, CA |
| 13 | California State Polytechnic University - Pomona | Pomona, CA |
| 14 | San Diego State University | San Diego, CA |
| 15 | Western Washington University | Bellingham, WA |
| 15 | California State University - Northridge | Northridge, CA |
Best Visual & Performing Arts Colleges by State
Explore the best visual and performing arts colleges for a specific state in the Far Western US region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| California | 22,397 |
| Washington | 1,718 |
| Oregon | 1,672 |
| Hawaii | 196 |
| Nevada | 554 |
| Alaska | 60 |
More Visual & Performing Arts Rankings in the Far Western US Region
Visual & Performing Arts Related Majors for Visual & Performing Arts
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.
- 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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