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Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in North Carolina

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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.

2023 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in North Carolina

The following schools top our list of the Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Colleges.

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.

Full Visual & Performing Arts at Guilford Technical Community College Report

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.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, Wake Technical Community College 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.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Wake Technical Community College

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 large public school located in the city of Charlotte.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Central Piedmont Community College are $2,792 per 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.

Full Visual & Performing Arts at Central Piedmont Community College Report

$4,367 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Western Carolina University is a great value for visual and performing arts students. Located in the town of Cullowhee, WCU is a public college with a 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.

Full Visual & Performing Arts at Western Carolina University Report

$3,495 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at University of North Carolina at Pembroke helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best visual and performing arts schools in North Carolina. 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.

Read More…

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

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UNC Charlotte are $7,188 per 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.

UNC Charlotte 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.

Full Visual & Performing Arts at University of North Carolina at Charlotte Report

$8,941 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #7, University of North Carolina School of the Arts did quite well on this year’s best value schools for visual and performing arts students. Located in the midsize city of Winston-Salem, UNCSA is a public college with a small student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UNCSA are $8,941 per 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.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at University of North Carolina School of the Arts

Appalachian State University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value visual and performing arts programs. 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.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, Appalachian State 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.

Read More…

#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 small city of Greenville.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at ECU are $7,297 per 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.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at East Carolina University

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 city of Chapel Hill, UNC Chapel Hill is a public school with a very 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.

In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, UNC Chapel Hill is ranked #4 for overall quality for visual and performing arts in North Carolina.

Read More…

Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Colleges in the Southeast Region

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

State Degrees Awarded
West Virginia 405
South Carolina 1,360
Florida 7,291
Virginia 3,471
Arkansas 830
Mississippi 696
Louisiana 1,147
Alabama 1,142
Kentucky 1,067
Georgia 4,322
Tennessee 2,629

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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