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Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Far Western US Region

2023 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Far Western US Region

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

79 Colleges
$20,787 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$27,203 Avg Salary

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

$5,135 Average Tuition & Fees

Our analysis found Spokane Falls Community College to be the best value school for visual and performing arts students who want to pursue a degree in the Far Western US Region . 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.

Full Visual & Performing Arts at Spokane Falls Community College Report

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#2

National University

La Jolla, CA

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 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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#3

College of Southern Nevada

Las Vegas, NV
$11,534 Average Tuition & Fees

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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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means San Jose State University is a great value for visual and performing arts students. Located in the large city of San Jose, San Jose State is a public school with a very large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at San Jose State are $19,732 a year.

San Jose State also claimed a spot on our Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Far Western US Region list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.

Full Visual & Performing Arts at San Jose State University Report

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$9,012 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 79 schools in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Los Angeles Trade Technical College landed the # 5 spot on the list. Los Angeles Trade Technical College is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Los Angeles.

Los Angeles Trade Technical College undergraduate students pay an average of $9,012 in tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Los Angeles Trade Technical College

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$18,875 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #6, California State University - East Bay did quite well on this year’s best value schools for visual and performing arts students. Cal State East Bay is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Hayward.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Cal State East Bay are $18,875 a 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.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at California State University - East Bay

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#7

Sonoma State University

Rohnert Park, CA
$19,868 Average Tuition & Fees

Sonoma State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for visual and performing arts students. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the large suburb of Rohnert Park, SSU is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at SSU are $19,868 a 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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#8

San Diego Mesa College

San Diego, CA
$8,512 Average Tuition & Fees

San Diego Mesa College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for visual and performing arts students. It came in at #8 on the list. Located in the large city of San Diego, San Diego Mesa College is a public school with a large student population.

San Diego Mesa College undergraduate students pay an average of $8,512 in tuition and fees each year.

Full Visual & Performing Arts at San Diego Mesa College Report

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$18,856 Average Tuition & Fees

California State University - Fullerton did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for visual and performing arts students. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the suburb of Fullerton, Cal State Fullerton is a public school with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Cal State Fullerton are $18,856 a 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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$18,726 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #10, California State University - Long Beach did quite well on this year’s best value schools for visual and performing arts students. Located in the city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public school with a fairly large student population.

CSULB undergraduate students pay an average of $18,726 in tuition and fees each 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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#11

Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA

Mount Saint Mary’s University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for visual and performing arts students. It came in at #11 on the list. MSMU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Los Angeles.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at MSMU are $45,388 a year.

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Additional 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 schools 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

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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