by our College Data Analytics TeamFor its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 30 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for painting students pursuing a degree. Combined, these schools handed out 643 degrees in painting to qualified students.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings
Your choice of painting school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. For our Best Overall Painting School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.
You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Painting Schools list, to help you choose the best school for you. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.
If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the painting degrees they offer, see the list below.
It's difficult to beat Rhode Island School of Design if you wish to pursue a degree in painting. RISD is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Providence.
There were roughly 46 painting students who graduated with this degree at RISD in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in painting from Rhode Island School of Design
Massachusetts College of Art and Design is a good choice for students pursuing a degree in painting. Located in the city of Boston, Massachusetts College of Art and Design is a public college with a small student population.
There were roughly 28 painting students who graduated with this degree at Massachusetts College of Art and Design in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in painting from Massachusetts College of Art and Design
It's hard to beat Washington University in St Louis if you wish to pursue a degree in painting. Located in the suburb of Saint Louis, WUSTL is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #21 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means WUSTL is a great university overall.
There were roughly 1 painting students who graduated with this degree at WUSTL in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in painting from Washington University in St Louis
It is difficult to beat Maryland Institute College of Art if you wish to pursue a degree in painting. Located in the city of Baltimore, MICA is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
There were roughly 44 painting students who graduated with this degree at MICA in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in painting from Maryland Institute College of Art
Boston U is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Boston. A Best Colleges rank of #23 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Boston U is a great university overall.
There were about 29 painting students who graduated with this degree at Boston U in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in painting from Boston University
Located in the city of Brooklyn, Pratt Institute is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.
There were about 40 painting students who graduated with this degree at Pratt Institute in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in painting from Pratt Institute - Main
SCAD is a fairly large private not-for-profit college located in the medium-sized city of Savannah.
There were about 64 painting students who graduated with this degree at SCAD in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in painting from Savannah College of Art and Design
Located in the large city of Philadelphia, Temple is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #97 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Temple is a great university overall.
There were approximately 34 painting students who graduated with this degree at Temple in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in painting from Temple University
Located in the city of Kansas City, Kansas City Art Institute is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly small student population.
There were about 22 painting students who graduated with this degree at Kansas City Art Institute in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in painting from Kansas City Art Institute
California College of the Arts is a small private not-for-profit college located in the large city of San Francisco.
There were approximately 14 painting students who graduated with this degree at California College of the Arts in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in painting from California College of the ArtsView the Best Painting Schools for a specific region near you.
One of 13 majors within the Fine & Studio Arts area of study, Painting has other similar majors worth exploring.
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Art Studies | 18,755 |
| Fine Arts | 11,681 |
| Art History | 3,491 |
| Intermedia/Multimedia | 801 |
| Other Fine Arts & Art Studies | 773 |
| Jewelry Arts | 443 |
| Drawing | 323 |
| Sculpture | 217 |
| Fiber, Textile & Weaving Arts | 164 |
| Printmaking | 162 |
More about our data sources and methodologies.
