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Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Virginia

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2023 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Virginia

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

14 Colleges
$15,552 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$26,234 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Visual & Performing Arts School for You

In 2020-2021, 3,471 degrees and certificates were awarded to visual and performing arts students who went to a Virginia college or university. This makes it the #12 most popular major in the state.

It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. 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.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Virginia to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 14 schools in Virginia 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.

Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.

In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.

2023 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Virginia

The colleges and universities below are the best value schools for visual and performing arts majors pursuing a .

Top 10 Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools

$4,800 Average Tuition & Fees

Our analysis found John Tyler Community College to be the best value school for visual and performing arts students who want to pursue a degree in Virginia. Located in the suburb of Chester, John Tyler Community College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at John Tyler Community College are $4,800 per 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.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at John Tyler Community College

$5,565 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northern Virginia Community College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Virginia list. Northern Virginia Community College is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Annandale.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Northern Virginia Community College are $5,565 a 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 excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Virginia list.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Northern Virginia Community College

#3

Virginia Tech

Blacksburg, VA
$14,174 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at Virginia Tech helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best visual and performing arts schools in Virginia. Located in the city of Blacksburg, Virginia Tech is a public school with a very large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Virginia Tech are $14,174 per year. On average, visual and performing arts graduates from Virginia Tech take out $27,133 in student loans while working on their degree.

In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Virginia Tech is ranked #3 for overall quality for visual and performing arts in Virginia.

Read More…

#4

James Madison University

Harrisonburg, VA
$12,638 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 14 schools in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, James Madison University landed the # 4 spot on the list. JMU is a fairly large public school located in the city of Harrisonburg.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at JMU are $12,638 per year. On average, visual and performing arts graduates from JMU take out $20,917 in student loans while working on their degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $440, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, JMU also is in the top 10% of our Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Virginia ranking.

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$5,561 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 14 schools in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, Tidewater Community College landed the # 5 spot on the list. Tidewater Community College is a fairly large public school located in the midsize city of Norfolk.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Tidewater Community College are $5,561 a year. Visual & Performing Arts majors at Tidewater Community College take out an average of $9,242 in student loans while working on their egree.

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#6

Radford University

Radford, VA
$11,542 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #6, Radford University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for visual and performing arts students. Radford is a medium-sized public school located in the suburb of Radford.

Radford undergraduate students pay an average of $11,542 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Visual & Performing Arts majors at Radford take out an average of $25,625 in student loans while working on their egree.

Full Visual & Performing Arts at Radford University Report

#7

Old Dominion University

Norfolk, VA
$10,800 Average Tuition & Fees

Old Dominion University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Virginia list. Located in the midsize city of Norfolk, Old Dominion is a public school with a very large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Old Dominion are $10,800 a year. After completing their degree, visual and performing arts graduates from Old Dominion carry an average student debtload of $27,125.

Read More…

#8

George Mason University

Fairfax, VA
$13,119 Average Tuition & Fees

George Mason University 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. Located in the large suburb of Fairfax, GMU is a public college with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at GMU are $13,119 a year. Visual & Performing Arts majors at GMU take out an average of $25,123 in student loans while working on their egree.

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

Full Visual & Performing Arts at George Mason University Report

$19,785 Average Tuition & Fees

University of Virginia - Main Campus did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for visual and performing arts students. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the small suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia is a public school with a fairly large student population.

University of Virginia undergraduate students pay an average of $19,785 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, visual and performing arts graduates from University of Virginia take out $17,717 in student loans while working on their degree.

University of Virginia also made our Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Virginia list, coming in at #1.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at University of Virginia - Main Campus

#10

Regent University

Virginia Beach, VA
$18,820 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #10, Regent University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for visual and performing arts students. Regent is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Virginia Beach.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Regent are $18,820 a year.

Full Visual & Performing Arts at Regent University Report

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
North Carolina 3,215
West Virginia 405
South Carolina 1,360
Florida 7,291
Arkansas 830
Mississippi 696
Tennessee 2,629
Louisiana 1,147
Alabama 1,142
Kentucky 1,067
Georgia 4,322

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

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 14 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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