2023 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Southeast 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 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 Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Southeast Region ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 129 schools in the Southeast 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 2023 rankings named John Tyler Community College the best value school in the Southeast Region for visual and performing arts students. John Tyler Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of Chester.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at John Tyler Community College are $10,803 a year. 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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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Gwinnett Technical College is a great value for visual and performing arts students. GTC is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of Lawrenceville.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at GTC are $5,636 per year. The average amount in student loans that visual and performing arts majors at GTC take out is $16,605.
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Valencia College is a great value for visual and performing arts students. Valencia College is a very large public school located in the large city of Orlando.
Valencia College undergraduate students pay an average of $9,383 in tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, visual and performing arts majors at Valencia College accumulate an average of around $13,092 in student debt.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Valencia College also is in the top 20% of our Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Southeast Region ranking.
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The excellent programs at Western Carolina University helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best visual and performing arts schools in the Southeast Region . Located in the town of Cullowhee, WCU is a public school with a fairly large student population.
WCU undergraduate students pay an average of $8,367 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, visual and performing arts graduates from WCU carry an average student debtload of $26,501. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $236, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Out of the 129 schools in the Southeast Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Guilford Technical Community College landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the midsize suburb of Jamestown, Guilford Technical Community College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Guilford Technical Community College are $7,665 a year. After completing their degree, visual and performing arts graduates from Guilford Technical Community College carry an average student debtload of $19,000.
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Wake Technical Community College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. Located in the suburb of Raleigh, Wake Technical Community College is a public school with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Wake Technical Community College are $8,912 a year. After completing their degree, visual and performing arts graduates from Wake Technical Community College carry an average student debtload of $12,411.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Wake Technical Community College also did well on our Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Southeast Region list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Full Visual & Performing Arts at Wake Technical Community College Report
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Central Piedmont Community College landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value visual and performing arts programs. Central Piedmont Community College is a large public school located in the city of Charlotte.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Central Piedmont Community College are $8,936 a year.
Central Piedmont Community College excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Southeast Region list.
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With a ranking of #8, University of Southern Mississippi did quite well on this year’s best value schools for visual and performing arts students. Southern Miss is a large public school located in the city of Hattiesburg.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Southern Miss are $11,204 a year.
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Seminole State College of Florida ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the city of Sanford, Seminole State is a public school with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Seminole State are $11,456 a year. While working on their degree, visual and performing arts majors at Seminole State accumulate an average of around $22,417 in student debt.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Seminole State also did well on our Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Southeast Region list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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University of North Carolina at Pembroke ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Southeast Region list. UNC Pembroke is a moderately-sized public school located in the distant town of Pembroke.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UNC Pembroke are $7,495 a year. While working on their degree, visual and performing arts majors at UNC Pembroke accumulate an average of around $28,954 in student debt.
Full Visual & Performing Arts at University of North Carolina at Pembroke Report
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With a ranking of #11, Northern Virginia Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for visual and performing arts students. Located in the large suburb of Annandale, Northern Virginia Community College is a public school with a very large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Northern Virginia Community College are $11,648 per year. After completing their degree, visual and performing arts graduates from Northern Virginia Community College carry an average student debtload of $16,891.
Northern Virginia Community College also claimed a spot on our Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Southeast Region list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.
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Arkansas State University - Main Campus came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. A-State is a large public school located in the small city of Jonesboro.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at A-State are $12,698 a year. After completing their degree, visual and performing arts graduates from A-State carry an average student debtload of $26,500.
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University of Central Arkansas did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for visual and performing arts students. It came in at #13 on the list. Located in the small city of Conway, UCA is a public school with a fairly large student population.
UCA undergraduate students pay an average of $16,433 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, visual and performing arts graduates from UCA carry an average student debtload of $24,486.
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With a ranking of #14, Regent University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for visual and performing arts students. Located in the city of Virginia Beach, Regent is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Regent are $18,820 a year.
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Liberty University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for visual and performing arts students. It came in at #15 on the list. Liberty University is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Lynchburg.
Liberty University undergraduate students pay an average of $16,160 in tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, visual and performing arts majors at Liberty University accumulate an average of around $26,278 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $459.
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Miami Dade College landed the #16 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value visual and performing arts programs. MDC is a fairly large public school located in the city of Miami.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at MDC are $9,661 a year. While working on their degree, visual and performing arts majors at MDC accumulate an average of around $6,813 in student debt.
MDC excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Southeast Region list.
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Harding University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. Harding is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Searcy.
Harding undergraduate students pay an average of $22,230 in tuition and fees each year.
Harding also claimed a spot on our Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Southeast Region list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category.
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University of Memphis ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Southeast Region list. UofM is a very large public school located in the large city of Memphis.
UofM undergraduate students pay an average of $14,088 in tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, visual and performing arts majors at UofM accumulate an average of around $25,117 in student debt.
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East Tennessee State University ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Southeast Region list. ETSU is a large public school located in the city of Johnson City.
ETSU undergraduate students pay an average of $12,740 in tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that visual and performing arts majors at ETSU take out is $20,676.
Full Visual & Performing Arts at East Tennessee 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 Southeast Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | University of South Florida - Main Campus | Tampa, FL |
| 21 | University of North Carolina at Charlotte | Charlotte, NC |
| 22 | Virginia Tech | Blacksburg, VA |
| 22 | James Madison University | Harrisonburg, VA |
| 24 | University of North Georgia | Dahlonega, GA |
| 25 | Shepherd University | Shepherdstown, WV |
Best Visual & Performing Arts Colleges by State
Explore the best visual and performing arts schools for a specific state in the Southeast region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| North Carolina | 3,215 |
| West Virginia | 405 |
| Mississippi | 696 |
| South Carolina | 1,360 |
| Florida | 7,291 |
| Virginia | 3,471 |
| Arkansas | 830 |
| Alabama | 1,142 |
| Kentucky | 1,067 |
| Georgia | 4,322 |
| Tennessee | 2,629 |
| Louisiana | 1,147 |
More Visual & Performing Arts Rankings in the Southeast 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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