Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Most Popular Visual & Performing Arts Schools in New York

Find Schools Near

2023 Most Popular Visual & Performing Arts Schools in New York

150 Colleges
$27,125 Avg Salary
$22,397 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Visual & Performing Arts School for You

Visual & Performing Arts is one of the most popular subjects to study in New York. With 16,536 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, it ranked 7th out of all the majors we track in the state.

With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best 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.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Most Popular Visual & Performing Arts Schools in New York to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 150 schools in New York to see which programs were the most popular for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Visual & Performing Arts program at each school on the list.

The colleges and universities below are the most popular for visual and performing arts majors pursuing a .

Our analysis found Fashion Institute of Technology to be the most popular school for visual and performing arts students who want to pursue a degree in New York. FIT SUNY is a medium-sized public school located in the city of New York.

Visual & Performing Arts majors at FIT SUNY take out an average of $19,456 in student loans while working on their egree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $288.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Fashion Institute of Technology

#2

New York University

New York, NY

Out of the 150 schools in New York that were part of this year’s ranking, New York University landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the large city of New York, NYU is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

While working on their degree, visual and performing arts majors at NYU accumulate an average of around $22,596 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $1,008, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read More…

#3

The New School

New York, NY

The excellent programs at The New School helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best visual and performing arts schools in New York. Located in the large city of New York, New School University is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.

Visual & Performing Arts majors at New School University take out an average of $24,799 in student loans while working on their egree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $835.

Read More…

#4

Pratt Institute - Main

Brooklyn, NY

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Pratt Institute - Main is a great place for visual and performing arts students. Pratt Institute is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Brooklyn.

After completing their degree, visual and performing arts graduates from Pratt Institute carry an average student debt load of $22,750. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $1,005, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Visual & Performing Arts at Pratt Institute - Main Report

#5

School of Visual Arts

New York, NY

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend School of Visual Arts. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Popular Visual & Performing Arts Schools in New York list. SVA is a small private for-profit school located in the large city of New York.

While working on their degree, visual and performing arts majors at SVA accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $935, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Visual & Performing Arts at School of Visual Arts Report

American Musical and Dramatic Academy ranked #6 on this year’s Most Popular Visual & Performing Arts Schools in New York list. Located in the large city of New York, American Musical and Dramatic Academy is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

After completing their degree, visual and performing arts graduates from American Musical and Dramatic Academy carry an average student debt load of $22,000. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $938, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Visual & Performing Arts at American Musical and Dramatic Academy Report

#7

Purchase College

Purchase, NY

Purchase College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Visual & Performing Arts Schools in New York ranking. Purchase College is a small public school located in the large suburb of Purchase.

The average amount in student loans that visual and performing arts majors at Purchase College take out is $25,659. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $533, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Visual & Performing Arts at Purchase College Report

Pace University - New York landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular visual and performing arts programs. Pace University is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of New York.

While working on their degree, visual and performing arts majors at Pace University accumulate an average of around $26,219 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $808.

Read More…

Columbia University in the City of New York ranked #9 on this year’s Most Popular Visual & Performing Arts Schools in New York list. Columbia is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of New York.

On average, visual and performing arts graduates from Columbia take out $18,898 in student loans while working on their degree.

Full Visual & Performing Arts at Columbia University in the City of New York Report

#10

Syracuse University

Syracuse, NY

Syracuse University ranked #10 on this year’s Most Popular Visual & Performing Arts Schools in New York list. Located in the city of Syracuse, Syracuse is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.

The average amount in student loans that visual and performing arts majors at Syracuse take out is $27,000. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $680.

Full Visual & Performing Arts at Syracuse University Report

Rochester Institute of Technology ranked #11 on this year’s Most Popular Visual & Performing Arts Schools in New York list. Located in the large suburb of Rochester, RIT is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.

While working on their degree, visual and performing arts majors at RIT accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $378.

Read More…

#12

Brooklyn College

Brooklyn, NY

Brooklyn College came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Visual & Performing Arts Schools in New York ranking. Brooklyn College is a large public school located in the city of Brooklyn.

On average, visual and performing arts graduates from Brooklyn College take out $15,341 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Brooklyn College

#13

Hunter College

New York, NY

Hunter College ranked #13 on this year’s Most Popular Visual & Performing Arts Schools in New York list. Located in the large city of New York, Hunter is a public school with a very large student population.

While working on their degree, visual and performing arts majors at Hunter accumulate an average of around $9,188 in student debt.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Hunter College

#14

Queens College

Queens, NY

Queens College ranked #14 on this year’s Most Popular Visual & Performing Arts Schools in New York list. Located in the city of Queens, QC is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Visual & Performing Arts majors at QC take out an average of $16,088 in student loans while working on their egree.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Queens College

#15

University of Rochester

Rochester, NY

University of Rochester ranked #15 on this year’s Most Popular Visual & Performing Arts Schools in New York list. University of Rochester is a large private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Rochester.

Visual & Performing Arts majors at University of Rochester take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $713, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at University of Rochester

The City College of New York did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for visual and performing arts students. It came in at #16 on the list. CCNY is a large public school located in the city of New York.

After completing their degree, visual and performing arts graduates from CCNY carry an average student debt load of $13,445.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at The City College of New York

#17

Ithaca College

Ithaca, NY

Ithaca College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for visual and performing arts students. It came in at #17 on the list. Ithaca is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Ithaca.

While working on their degree, visual and performing arts majors at Ithaca accumulate an average of around $25,216 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $543.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Ithaca College

#18

Manhattan School of Music

New York, NY

With a ranking of #18, Manhattan School of Music did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for visual and performing arts students. Manhattan School of Music is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of New York.

The average amount in student loans that visual and performing arts majors at Manhattan School of Music take out is $26,616. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $1,039, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Manhattan School of Music

#19

The Juilliard School

New York, NY

With a ranking of #19, The Juilliard School did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for visual and performing arts students. Located in the large city of New York, Juilliard is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

On average, visual and performing arts graduates from Juilliard take out $26,616 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read More…

#20

University at Buffalo

Buffalo, NY

University at Buffalo did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for visual and performing arts students. It came in at #20 on the list. University at Buffalo is a very large public school located in the large suburb of Buffalo.

The average amount in student loans that visual and performing arts majors at University at Buffalo take out is $23,277.

Read More…

Marymount Manhattan College ranked #21 on this year’s Most Popular Visual & Performing Arts Schools in New York list. MMC is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of New York.

While working on their degree, visual and performing arts majors at MMC accumulate an average of around $26,094 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $912, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read More…

New York City College of Technology did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for visual and performing arts students. It came in at #22 on the list. Located in the large city of Brooklyn, City Tech is a public school with a large student population.

After completing their degree, visual and performing arts graduates from City Tech carry an average student debt load of $7,620.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at New York City College of Technology

Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional popular schools for Visual & Performing Arts students in the state of New York that almost earned our Most Popular Visual & Performing Arts Schools in New York award.

Rank College Location
23 Bard College Annandale-On-Hudson, NY
24 SUNY New Paltz New Paltz, NY
25 SUNY Oneonta Oneonta, NY
26 SUNY Fredonia Fredonia, NY
27 Fordham University Bronx, NY
28 LaGuardia Community College Long Island City, NY
29 New York School of Interior Design New York, NY
30 Queensborough Community College Bayside, NY

Best Visual & Performing Arts Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region

Explore all the Most Popular Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
New Jersey 2,574
Pennsylvania 5,464
Maryland 2,055
Delaware 182
District of Columbia 586

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 25 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.

Featured Schools

Find Schools Near You

Our free school finder matches students with accredited colleges across the U.S.