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2022 Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k

120 Ranked Colleges
3,699 Degrees Awarded
$7,600 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor's For Those Making $0-$30k

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

In 2019-2020, 6,359 people earned their degree in general visual and performing arts, making the major the 125th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, general visual and performing arts graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $24,577 and had an average of $26,968 in loans still to pay off.

At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 3,699 general visual and performing arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 120 colleges that offered a degree in general visual and performing arts. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality general visual and performing arts programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the general visual and performing arts program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Visual & Performing Arts (Income $0-$30k)

#1

Duke University

Durham, North Carolina
#1 in overall quality

Out of the 120 schools in the Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Duke University landed the #1 spot on the list. Durham, North Carolina is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s visual arts degrees to 7 students in 2019-2020.

Duke also made our “Best General Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #1. The yearly cost to attend Duke University is $-7,808 for Bachelor’s Degree Visual Arts students whose families make $0-$30k. When an average net price is negative, it usually means that the student will receive more financial aid than it costs to attend the school.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The low student loan default rate of 0.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full Duke University General Visual & Performing Arts Report

#2

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
#4 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Pennsylvania. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Pennsylvania is a large school located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that handed out 12 bachelors’s visual arts degrees in 2019-2020.

UPenn not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best General Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $3,181 for bachelor’s degree visual arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UPenn.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%.

Read more about General Visual & Performing Arts at UPenn

#3

University of Florida

Gainesville, Florida

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Florida. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. UF is a public institution located in Gainesville, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 53 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UF did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best General Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Florida is $1,994 for Bachelor’s Degree Visual Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on General Visual & Performing Arts at University of Florida

#4

Harvard University

Cambridge, Massachusetts
#17 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Harvard University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k. Harvard University is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 36 bachelors’s visual arts degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Harvard, the school also landed the #17 spot in our “Best General Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Harvard University is $2,973 for bachelor’s degree visual arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read more about General Visual & Performing Arts at Harvard

#5

Rice University

Houston, Texas
#10 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Rice University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Rice is located in Houston, Texas and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 20 bachelors’s visual arts degrees to qualified students.

Rice also took the #10 spot in our “Best General Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $3,437 for bachelor’s degree visual arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Rice.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read full report on General Visual & Performing Arts at Rice

University of Central Florida came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UCF is a large public school situated in Orlando, Florida. It awarded 283 bachelors’s visual arts degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCF, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best General Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $6,211 for bachelor’s degree visual arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UCF.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%.

Full UCF General Visual & Performing Arts Report

#7

Lehman College

Bronx, New York

With a ranking of #7, Lehman College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. This fairly large school is located in Bronx, New York, and it awarded 14 bachelors’s visual arts degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Lehman College is $234 for Bachelor’s Degree Visual Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Lehman General Visual & Performing Arts Report

#8

Northeastern University

Boston, Massachusetts
#9 in overall quality

Northeastern University landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Northeastern is a large school located in Boston, Massachusetts that handed out 16 bachelors’s visual arts degrees in 2019-2020.

Northeastern did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best General Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $10,239 for Bachelor’s Degree Visual Arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Northeastern.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Northeastern University General Visual & Performing Arts Report

#8 in overall quality

Texas A&M University - College Station ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. College Station, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s visual arts degrees to 15 students in 2019-2020.

Texas A&M College Station not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best General Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Texas A&M University - College Station is $11,454 for bachelor’s degree visual arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Texas A&M University - College Station General Visual & Performing Arts Report

University of California - San Diego landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UCSD is a public institution located in La Jolla, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 116 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UCSD not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best General Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for UCSD is $9,280 for Bachelor’s Degree Visual Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UCSD General Visual & Performing Arts Report

#11

University of Wisconsin - Whitewater

Whitewater, Wisconsin

With a ranking of #11, University of Wisconsin - Whitewater did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Wisconsin - Whitewater is located in Whitewater, Wisconsin and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 40 bachelors’s visual arts degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Whitewater is $11,868 for Bachelor’s Degree Visual Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full UW - Whitewater General Visual & Performing Arts Report

University of Wisconsin - Parkside landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Wisconsin - Parkside is a small school located in Kenosha, Wisconsin that handed out 25 bachelors’s visual arts degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for UW - Parkside is $6,652 for bachelor’s degree visual arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about General Visual & Performing Arts at UW - Parkside

With a ranking of #13, Arizona State University - Tempe did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Tempe, Arizona, and it awarded 26 bachelors’s visual arts degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Arizona State University - Tempe is $7,044 for Bachelor’s Degree Visual Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on General Visual & Performing Arts at Arizona State University - Tempe

The University of Texas at Austin landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Austin, Texas, this large public school awarded 93 degrees to qualified bachelors’s visual arts students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree visual arts students whose families make $0-$30k list, UT Austin has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best General Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for The University of Texas at Austin is $12,203 for bachelor’s degree visual arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about General Visual & Performing Arts at UT Austin

#13 in overall quality

With a ranking of #15, University of Missouri - Columbia did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Mizzou is a large school located in Columbia, Missouri that handed out 55 bachelors’s visual arts degrees in 2019-2020.

Mizzou not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best General Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $10,940 for Bachelor’s Degree Visual Arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Mizzou.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Visual & Performing Arts at Mizzou

#16

Florida Gulf Coast University

Fort Myers, Florida

Florida Gulf Coast University ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. FGCU is a public institution located in Fort Myers, Florida. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 8 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $7,824 for bachelor’s degree visual arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Florida Gulf Coast University.

Read full report on General Visual & Performing Arts at FGCU

The University of Texas at Dallas came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. The University of Texas at Dallas is located in Richardson, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 155 bachelors’s visual arts degrees to qualified students.

UT Dallas also took the #19 spot in our “Best General Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for The University of Texas at Dallas is $10,857 for bachelor’s degree visual arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 4.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about General Visual & Performing Arts at UT Dallas

California State University - San Marcos ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. California State University - San Marcos is a public institution located in San Marcos, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 93 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend CSUSM is $9,517 for bachelor’s degree visual arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Visual & Performing Arts at CSUSM

#19

University of Wisconsin - Stout

Menomonie, Wisconsin

With a ranking of #19, University of Wisconsin - Stout did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Wisconsin - Stout is a medium-sized school located in Menomonie, Wisconsin that handed out 28 bachelors’s visual arts degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend UW - Stout is $10,695 for bachelor’s degree visual arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Visual & Performing Arts at University of Wisconsin - Stout

With a ranking of #20, Iowa State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Ames, Iowa, this large public school awarded 5 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s visual arts students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Iowa State is $10,054 for bachelor’s degree visual arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Visual & Performing Arts at Iowa State University

#21

SUNY Oneonta

Oneonta, New York

SUNY Oneonta ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. This medium-sized school is located in Oneonta, New York, and it awarded 42 bachelors’s visual arts degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree visual arts students whose families make $0-$30k list, SUNY Oneonta has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best General Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for SUNY Oneonta is $11,106 for Bachelor’s Degree Visual Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Visual & Performing Arts at SUNY Oneonta

#22

Texas Tech University

Lubbock, Texas

With a ranking of #22, Texas Tech University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Texas Tech University is a public institution located in Lubbock, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 2 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Texas Tech University is $12,317 for Bachelor’s Degree Visual Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on General Visual & Performing Arts at Texas Tech

#23

University of North Carolina at Asheville

Asheville, North Carolina

University of North Carolina at Asheville came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Asheville, North Carolina is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s visual arts degrees to 47 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for University of North Carolina at Asheville is $8,063 for Bachelor’s Degree Visual Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about General Visual & Performing Arts at UNCA

#24

Southern Oregon University

Ashland, Oregon

With a ranking of #24, Southern Oregon University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Southern Oregon University is a medium-sized public school situated in Ashland, Oregon. It awarded 36 bachelors’s visual arts degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Southern Oregon University is $7,293 for bachelor’s degree visual arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on General Visual & Performing Arts at Southern Oregon University

#25

SUNY New Paltz

New Paltz, New York

SUNY New Paltz came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. SUNY New Paltz is a medium-sized public school situated in New Paltz, New York. It awarded 52 bachelors’s visual arts degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for SUNY New Paltz is $11,543 for Bachelor’s Degree Visual Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 3.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about General Visual & Performing Arts at SUNY New Paltz

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Notes and References

References

  • 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).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

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