2026 Most Popular Visual & Performing Arts Schools
There are 2,217 colleges that offer a degree in Visual & Performing Arts. Learn more about the most popular schools below:
Finding the Best Visual & Performing Arts School for You
With all the Visual & Performing Arts programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendance, there are many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Most Popular Visual & Performing Arts Schools ranking. Our analysis looked at 2,217 schools in the United States offering Visual & Performing Arts programs. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from each school’s program.
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2026 Most Popular Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the United States
Check out the Visual & Performing Arts programs at these schools if you want to attend one of the most popular in the United States.
Top 25 Most Popular Visual & Performing Arts Schools
The most popular school in the United States for Visual & Performing Arts students is Full Sail University. Located in Winter Park, FL, this is a private for-profit institution. This school awarded 2,710 degrees in Visual & Performing Arts in the most recent reporting year. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $26,076. Read More…
New York University comes in at #2 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Visual & Performing Arts majors. Located in New York, NY, this is a private nonprofit institution. This school awarded 1,990 degrees in Visual & Performing Arts in the most recent reporting year. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $59,956. Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at New York University
Fashion Institute of Technology landed the #3 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Visual & Performing Arts Schools ranking. Fashion Institute of Technology is a public school located in New York, NY. During the most recent year for which we have data, 1,578 people earned their degree in Visual & Performing Arts from this school. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $32,277. Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Fashion Institute of Technology
Savannah College of Art and Design comes in at #4 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Visual & Performing Arts majors. Savannah College of Art and Design is a private nonprofit school located in Savannah, GA. During the most recent year for which we have data, 1,523 people earned their degree in Visual & Performing Arts from this school. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $25,862. Read More…
The New School landed the #5 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Visual & Performing Arts Schools ranking. The New School is a private nonprofit school located in New York, NY. This school awarded 1,434 degrees in Visual & Performing Arts in the most recent reporting year. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $26,730. Full Visual & Performing Arts at The New School Report
Berklee College of Music comes in at #6 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Visual & Performing Arts majors. Located in Boston, MA, this is a private nonprofit institution. This school awarded 1,269 degrees in Visual & Performing Arts in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $20,342. Full Visual & Performing Arts at Berklee College of Music Report
University of Central Florida comes in at #7 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Visual & Performing Arts majors. Located in Orlando, FL, this is a public institution. This school awarded 1,175 degrees in Visual & Performing Arts in the most recent reporting year. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $41,960. Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at University of Central Florida
Los Angeles Film School comes in at #8 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Visual & Performing Arts majors. Los Angeles Film School is a private for-profit school located in Hollywood, CA. During the most recent year for which we have data, 1,164 people earned their degree in Visual & Performing Arts from this school. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $20,763. Full Visual & Performing Arts at Los Angeles Film School Report
University of Southern California landed the #9 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Visual & Performing Arts Schools ranking. University of Southern California is a private nonprofit school located in Los Angeles, CA. During the most recent year for which we have data, 1,163 people earned their degree in Visual & Performing Arts from this school. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $63,275. Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at University of Southern California
Southern New Hampshire University comes in at #10 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Visual & Performing Arts majors. Southern New Hampshire University is a private nonprofit school located in Manchester, NH. During the most recent year for which we have data, 1,090 people earned their degree in Visual & Performing Arts from this school. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $54,644. Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Southern New Hampshire University
Mesa Community College comes in at #11 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Visual & Performing Arts majors. Located in Mesa, AZ, this is a public institution. This school awarded 1,073 degrees in Visual & Performing Arts in the most recent reporting year. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $60,009. Read More…
California State University-Long Beach comes in at #12 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Visual & Performing Arts majors. California State University-Long Beach is a public school located in Long Beach, CA. This school awarded 1,005 degrees in Visual & Performing Arts in the most recent reporting year. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $38,082. Full Visual & Performing Arts at California State University-Long Beach Report
Columbia College Chicago landed the #13 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Visual & Performing Arts Schools ranking. Located in Chicago, IL, this is a private nonprofit institution. This school awarded 989 degrees in Visual & Performing Arts in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $24,908. Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Columbia College Chicago
School of the Art Institute of Chicago landed the #14 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Visual & Performing Arts Schools ranking. School of the Art Institute of Chicago is a private nonprofit school located in Chicago, IL. This school awarded 958 degrees in Visual & Performing Arts in the most recent reporting year. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $24,516. Full Visual & Performing Arts at School of the Art Institute of Chicago Report
Arizona State University Campus Immersion comes in at #15 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Visual & Performing Arts majors. Arizona State University Campus Immersion is a public school located in Tempe, AZ. This school awarded 896 degrees in Visual & Performing Arts in the most recent reporting year. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $48,210. Full Visual & Performing Arts at Arizona State University Campus Immersion Report
University of North Texas comes in at #16 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Visual & Performing Arts majors. University of North Texas is a public school located in Denton, TX. During the most recent year for which we have data, 852 people earned their degree in Visual & Performing Arts from this school. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $42,036. Read More…
Pratt Institute-Main comes in at #17 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Visual & Performing Arts majors. Located in Brooklyn, NY, this is a private nonprofit institution. This school awarded 756 degrees in Visual & Performing Arts in the most recent reporting year. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $29,447. Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Pratt Institute-Main
Utah Valley University landed the #18 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Visual & Performing Arts Schools ranking. Utah Valley University is a public school located in Orem, UT. This school awarded 750 degrees in Visual & Performing Arts in the most recent reporting year. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $48,225. Read More…
Belmont University comes in at #19 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Visual & Performing Arts majors. Belmont University is a private nonprofit school located in Nashville, TN. During the most recent year for which we have data, 727 people earned their degree in Visual & Performing Arts from this school. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $37,296. Read More…
Indiana University-Bloomington comes in at #20 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Visual & Performing Arts majors. Located in Bloomington, IN, this is a public institution. During the most recent year for which we have data, 720 people earned their degree in Visual & Performing Arts from this school. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $48,621. Read More…
Glendale Community College comes in at #21 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Visual & Performing Arts majors. Glendale Community College is a public school located in Glendale, AZ. This school awarded 719 degrees in Visual & Performing Arts in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $67,419. Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Glendale Community College
Virginia Commonwealth University comes in at #22 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Visual & Performing Arts majors. Located in Richmond, VA, this is a public institution. This school awarded 715 degrees in Visual & Performing Arts in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $41,934. Read More…
California State University-Fullerton landed the #23 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Visual & Performing Arts Schools ranking. Located in Fullerton, CA, this is a public institution. During the most recent year for which we have data, 700 people earned their degree in Visual & Performing Arts from this school. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $39,215. Read More…
Chandler-Gilbert Community College landed the #24 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Visual & Performing Arts Schools ranking. Chandler-Gilbert Community College is a public school located in Chandler, AZ. This school awarded 692 degrees in Visual & Performing Arts in the most recent reporting year. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $45,169. Read More…
New York Film Academy comes in at #25 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Visual & Performing Arts majors. New York Film Academy is a private for-profit school located in Burbank, CA. During the most recent year for which we have data, 644 people earned their degree in Visual & Performing Arts from this school. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $15,956. Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at New York Film Academy
Rest of the Top Most Popular Visual & Performing Arts Schools
Additional Noteworthy Schools
Here are some additional great schools for this major that just missed the list above.
Visual & Performing Arts by Region
View the Most Popular Visual & Performing Arts Schools ranking for a specific region near you.
| Region |
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| New England |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Great Lakes |
| Plains States |
| Southeast |
| Southwest |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Far Western US |
More Visual & Performing Arts Rankings
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this Most Popular Visual & Performing Arts Schools list, to help you choose the best school for you.
Majors Related to Visual & Performing Arts
Visual & Performing Arts Concentrations
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Design & Applied Arts | 38,798 |
| Fine & Studio Arts | 37,770 |
| Music | 25,853 |
| Film, Video & Photographic Arts | 18,927 |
| Drama & Theater Arts | 16,640 |
| General Visual & Performing Arts | 7,225 |
| Arts & Media Management | 4,430 |
| Dance | 3,274 |
| Other Visual Art | 941 |
| Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry | 67 |
| Community/Environmental/Socially-Engaged Art | 12 |
References
*The average salary above is for the top 25 schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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