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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 midsize 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.

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The excellent programs at Wake Technical Community College helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best visual and performing arts schools in North Carolina. 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 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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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Central Piedmont Community College. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in North Carolina list. Central Piedmont Community College is a fairly large public school located in the city of Charlotte.

Central Piedmont Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $2,792 in in-state tuition and fees each 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 North Carolina list.

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$4,367 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Western Carolina University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in North Carolina list. Located in the town of Cullowhee, WCU is a public college with a fairly large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at WCU are $4,367 per 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.

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$3,495 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of North Carolina at Pembroke. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in North Carolina list. UNC Pembroke is a moderately-sized public school located in the distant town of Pembroke.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UNC Pembroke are $3,495 per 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 did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for visual and performing arts students. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the large city of Charlotte, UNC Charlotte is a public school with a very large student population.

UNC Charlotte undergraduate students pay an average of $7,188 in in-state tuition and fees each 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.

In addition to its great value ranking, UNC Charlotte is in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in North Carolina list.

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$8,941 Average Tuition & Fees

University of North Carolina School of the Arts ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in North Carolina list. 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 distant town of Boone.

Appalachian State undergraduate students pay an average of $7,410 in in-state tuition and fees each 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.

Appalachian State 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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#9

East Carolina University

Greenville, NC

East Carolina University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in North Carolina ranking. 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.

ECU 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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University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in North Carolina list. Located in the small city of Chapel Hill, UNC Chapel Hill is a public school with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UNC Chapel Hill are $9,028 a 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 also made our Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in North Carolina list, coming in at #4.

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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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