2023 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Great Lakes 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.
With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.
The Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 93 schools in the Great Lakes Region to see which programs offered the best value experiences for visual and performing arts students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.
Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. 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.
In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
Top 15% Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools
Our analysis found Madison Area Technical College to be the best value school for visual and performing arts students who want to pursue a degree in the Great Lakes Region . Madison College is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Madison.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Madison College are $6,769 per year. The average amount in student loans that visual and performing arts majors at Madison College take out is $14,374.
In addition to its great value ranking, Madison College is in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region list.
Full Visual & Performing Arts at Madison Area Technical College Report
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Milwaukee Area Technical College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the large city of Milwaukee, MATC is a public school with a large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at MATC are $6,908 a year.
Full Visual & Performing Arts at Milwaukee Area Technical College Report
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Sinclair Community College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the city of Dayton, Sinclair Community College is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Sinclair Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $8,076 in tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, visual and performing arts majors at Sinclair Community College accumulate an average of around $14,075 in student debt.
Full Visual & Performing Arts at Sinclair Community College Report
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Ivy Tech Community College. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the large city of Indianapolis, Ivy Tech Community College is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Ivy Tech Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $8,927 in tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that visual and performing arts majors at Ivy Tech Community College take out is $13,912.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Ivy Tech Community College also is in the top 20% of our Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking.
Full Visual & Performing Arts at Ivy Tech Community College Report
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The excellent programs at Youngstown State University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best visual and performing arts schools in the Great Lakes Region . Located in the city of Youngstown, Youngstown State University is a public college with a large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Youngstown State University are $9,732 a year. After completing their degree, visual and performing arts graduates from Youngstown State University carry an average student debtload of $31,000.
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Southern Illinois University Edwardsville landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value visual and performing arts programs. SIUE is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Edwardsville.
SIUE undergraduate students pay an average of $11,496 in tuition and fees each year. Visual & Performing Arts majors at SIUE take out an average of $26,362 in student loans while working on their egree.
Full Visual & Performing Arts at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Report
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University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire 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 small city of Eau Claire, UW - Eau Claire is a public college with a fairly large student population.
UW - Eau Claire undergraduate students pay an average of $17,149 in tuition and fees each year. On average, visual and performing arts graduates from UW - Eau Claire take out $25,656 in student loans while working on their degree.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UW - Eau Claire also is in the top 10% of our Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking.
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University of Wisconsin - Whitewater 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. UW - Whitewater is a large public school located in the town of Whitewater.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UW - Whitewater are $16,602 per year. While working on their degree, visual and performing arts majors at UW - Whitewater accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, UW - Whitewater also did well on our Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at University of Wisconsin - Whitewater
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Eastern Illinois University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the town of Charleston, EIU is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
EIU undergraduate students pay an average of $14,551 in tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, visual and performing arts majors at EIU accumulate an average of around $25,868 in student debt.
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Western Illinois University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the remote town of Macomb, WIU is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at WIU are $13,297 per year. After completing their degree, visual and performing arts graduates from WIU carry an average student debtload of $30,384.
Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Western Illinois University
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University of Wisconsin - Stout came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. UW - Stout is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of Menomonie.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UW - Stout are $17,820 a year. On average, visual and performing arts graduates from UW - Stout take out $29,166 in student loans while working on their degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $131, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UW - Stout also is in the top 10% of our Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking.
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University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for visual and performing arts students. It came in at #12 on the list. UW - Stevens Point is a medium-sized public school located in the distant town of Stevens Point.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UW - Stevens Point are $17,035 a year. On average, visual and performing arts graduates from UW - Stevens Point take out $26,037 in student loans while working on their degree.
Full Visual & Performing Arts at University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point Report
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Ferris State University landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value visual and performing arts programs. Ferris is a fairly large public school located in the distant town of Big Rapids.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Ferris are $13,188 per year. Visual & Performing Arts majors at Ferris take out an average of $27,305 in student loans while working on their egree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $235.
Full Visual & Performing Arts at Ferris State University Report
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These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 14 | Northern Illinois University | Dekalb, IL |
| 15 | University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh | Oshkosh, WI |
| 16 | Central Michigan University | Mount Pleasant, MI |
| 17 | University of Akron Main Campus | Akron, OH |
| 18 | Illinois State University | Normal, IL |
Best Visual & Performing Arts Colleges by State
Explore the best visual and performing arts schools for a specific state in the Great Lakes region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Indiana | 2,306 |
| Michigan | 3,433 |
| Ohio | 4,641 |
| Illinois | 5,502 |
| Wisconsin | 2,248 |
More Visual & Performing Arts Rankings in the Great Lakes 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 |
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 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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