2027 Best Value Painting Schools in the Southeast Region
[Painting](/majors/visual-and-performing-arts/fine-and-studio-arts/painting/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. The best values balance affordable tuition against strong post-graduation earnings.
To produce this 2027 ranking, College Factual evaluated 3 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes for painting students.
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2027 Best Value Painting Schools in the Southeast Region
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in painting, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Painting Schools
For return on investment in painting, no school beat Virginia Commonwealth University this year. Set in the city of Richmond, Virginia Commonwealth University is a very large public institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $16,720, with out-of-state students paying around $39,884. Students borrow a median of $23,374 to complete the painting program here. Early-career painting graduates make about $20,934. That is a strong return on a $23,374 median debt. Virginia Commonwealth University admits about 93% of applicants.
A rank of #2 makes University Of Miami one of the best values for painting. University Of Miami is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Coral Gables. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $62,616. Students borrow a median of $17,750 to complete the painting program here. Early-career painting graduates make about $57,234. Set against $17,750 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. University Of Miami admits about 19% of applicants.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Savannah College Of Art And Design earned it the #3 place for painting. Located in the city of Savannah, Savannah College Of Art And Design is a very large private not-for-profit university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $41,630. Painting graduates carry a median of $27,000 in student loans. Soon after graduation, painting degree recipients from Savannah College Of Art And Design generally make around $30,812. Set against $27,000 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 83%.
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Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2027 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 3 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 3 ranked 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 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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
