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Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in North Carolina

2023 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in North Carolina

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

21 Colleges
$12,896 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$24,820 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Visual & Performing Arts School for You

In 2020-2021, 3,215 degrees and certificates were awarded to visual and performing arts students who went to a North Carolina college or university. This makes it the #13 most popular major in the state.

There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right for you. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

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 North Carolina ranking. This report analyzed 21 schools in North Carolina 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 10 Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools

$2,289 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named Guilford Technical Community College the best value school in North Carolina for visual and performing arts students. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Jamestown, Guilford Technical Community College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Guilford Technical Community College are $2,289 a year. The average amount in student loans that visual and performing arts majors at Guilford Technical Community College take out is $19,000.

Full Visual & Performing Arts at Guilford Technical Community College Report

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Wake Technical Community College. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in North Carolina list. Located in the large suburb of Raleigh, Wake Technical Community College is a public college with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Wake Technical Community College are $2,768 a year. The average amount in student loans that visual and performing arts majors at Wake Technical Community College take out is $12,411.

Wake Technical Community College also claimed a spot on our Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in North Carolina list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.

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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Central Piedmont Community College is a great value for visual and performing arts students. Central Piedmont Community College is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Charlotte.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Central Piedmont Community College are $2,792 a year.

Central Piedmont Community College also claimed a spot on our Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in North Carolina list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category.

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$4,367 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 21 schools in North Carolina that were part of this year’s ranking, Western Carolina University landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the distant town of Cullowhee, WCU is a public college with a large student population.

WCU undergraduate students pay an average of $4,367 in in-state tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that visual and performing arts majors at WCU take out is $26,501. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $236.

Full Visual & Performing Arts at Western Carolina University Report

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$3,495 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of North Carolina at Pembroke. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in North Carolina list. UNC Pembroke is a medium-sized public school located in the distant town of Pembroke.

UNC Pembroke undergraduate students pay an average of $3,495 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, visual and performing arts graduates from UNC Pembroke carry an average student debtload of $28,954.

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University of North Carolina at Charlotte ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in North Carolina list. Located in the large city of Charlotte, UNC Charlotte is a public school with a very large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UNC Charlotte are $7,188 a year. While working on their degree, visual and performing arts majors at UNC Charlotte accumulate an average of around $26,594 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $165, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UNC Charlotte also is in the top 15% of our Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in North Carolina ranking.

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$8,941 Average Tuition & Fees

University of North Carolina School of the Arts landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value visual and performing arts programs. Located in the medium-sized city of Winston-Salem, UNCSA is a public college with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UNCSA are $8,941 a year. On average, visual and performing arts graduates from UNCSA take out $26,169 in student loans while working on their degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $444.

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Appalachian State University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in North Carolina list. Appalachian State is a very large public school located in the town of Boone.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Appalachian State are $7,410 a year. The average amount in student loans that visual and performing arts majors at Appalachian State take out is $24,534. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $299, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

In addition to its great value ranking, Appalachian State is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in North Carolina list.

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#9

East Carolina University

Greenville, NC

East Carolina University landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value visual and performing arts programs. ECU is a very large public school located in the city of Greenville.

ECU undergraduate students pay an average of $7,297 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, visual and performing arts graduates from ECU take out $26,400 in student loans while working on their degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $228, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, ECU also did well on our Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in North Carolina list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

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With a ranking of #10, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill did quite well on this year’s best value schools for visual and performing arts students. Located in the small city of Chapel Hill, UNC Chapel Hill is a public school with a very large student population.

UNC Chapel Hill undergraduate students pay an average of $9,028 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, visual and performing arts graduates from UNC Chapel Hill carry an average student debtload of $17,919.

UNC Chapel Hill did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in North Carolina list.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
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

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 21 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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