2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Visual & Performing Arts (With Aid)
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
Visual & Performing Arts is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 10th of all the majors we analyze. In 2019-2020, 155,377 degrees were awarded to students with this major. In 2017-2018, visual and performing arts graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $25,427 and had an average of $28,377 in loans still to pay off.
At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 96,991 visual and performing arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid” ranking looked at 833 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in visual and performing arts. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality visual and performing arts programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the visual and performing arts program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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One Size Does Not Fit All
When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid” list to help you make the college decision.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid
The colleges and universities below are the best for bachelor’s degree visual & performing arts students with aid.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Visual & Performing Arts (With Aid)
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid. The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is a large school located in Edinburg, Texas that handed out 171 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend UT Rio Grande Valley is $4,514 for bachelor’s degree visual & performing arts students with aid.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Visual & Performing Arts Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Fashion Institute of Technology. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid. New York, New York is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees to 618 students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on this list, FIT SUNY is in the top on our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category. It costs about $10,523 for bachelor’s degree visual & performing arts students with aid per year to attend Fashion Institute of Technology.
With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Visual & Performing Arts at Fashion Institute of Technology
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid. UNC Chapel Hill is a large public school situated in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. It awarded 112 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2019-2020.
UNC Chapel Hill also claimed a top spot on our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The yearly cost to attend UNC Chapel Hill is $12,352 for bachelor’s degree visual & performing arts students with aid.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Los Angeles. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid. California State University - Los Angeles is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 191 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $2,768 for Bachelor’s Degree Visual & Performing Arts students with aid per year to attend Cal State LA.
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%.
Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at California State University - Los Angeles
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid. Located in Seattle, Washington, this large public school handed out 287 degrees to qualified bachelors’s visual and performing arts students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on this list, UW Seattle is in the top on our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend UW Seattle is $13,297 for Bachelor’s Degree Visual & Performing Arts students with aid.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.
Baruch College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #6. Baruch College is a public institution located in New York, New York. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 12 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Baruch College is $3,562 for Bachelor’s Degree Visual & Performing Arts students with aid.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 3.4% 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%.
Hunter College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #7. New York, New York is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees to 226 students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Hunter College is $2,490 for Bachelor’s Degree Visual & Performing Arts students with aid.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of Florida ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Gainesville, Florida is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees to 298 students in 2019-2020.
UF excels when it comes to visual and performing arts quality. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The estimated yearly cost for University of Florida is $6,302 for Bachelor’s Degree Visual & Performing Arts students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.
Stanford University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #9. Located in Stanford, California, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 53 degrees to qualified bachelors’s visual and performing arts students in 2019-2020.
Stanford also took the #1 spot in our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $11,496 for Bachelor’s Degree Visual & Performing Arts students with aid per year to attend Stanford.
The student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
New York City College of Technology landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. City Tech is a fairly large public school situated in Brooklyn, New York. It awarded 167 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for New York City College of Technology is $3,667 for Bachelor’s Degree Visual & Performing Arts students with aid.
With a ranking of #11, The City College of New York did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. CCNY is a fairly large public school situated in New York, New York. It awarded 254 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $2,385 for bachelor’s degree visual & performing arts students with aid per year to attend CCNY.
California State University - Fullerton did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #12. This large school is located in Fullerton, California, and it awarded 584 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Fullerton is $7,991 for Bachelor’s Degree Visual & Performing Arts students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Visual & Performing Arts at California State University - Fullerton
Texas A&M International University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Laredo, Texas is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees to 25 students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $3,074 for bachelor’s degree visual & performing arts students with aid per year to attend Texas A&M International University.
Read more about Visual & Performing Arts at Texas A&M International University
Lehman College ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Bronx, New York, this fairly large public school awarded 87 degrees to qualified bachelors’s visual and performing arts students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Lehman is $1,814 for Bachelor’s Degree Visual & Performing Arts students with aid.
Berea College came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Berea College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Berea, Kentucky. It awarded 33 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Berea is $5,184 for Bachelor’s Degree Visual & Performing Arts students with aid.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Brooklyn College ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Brooklyn, New York, this fairly large public school handed out 181 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s visual and performing arts students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $2,683 for Bachelor’s Degree Visual & Performing Arts students with aid per year to attend Brooklyn College.
The low student loan default rate of 5.0% 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 Visual & Performing Arts at Brooklyn College
California State University - Northridge ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. CSUN is a large public school situated in Northridge, California. It awarded 474 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Northridge is $8,414 for bachelor’s degree visual & performing arts students with aid.
The low student loan default rate of 2.0% 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 Visual & Performing Arts at California State University - Northridge
University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #18. UW - Madison is located in Madison, Wisconsin and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 172 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees to qualified students.
UW - Madison also claimed a top spot on our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools in this category. It costs about $17,708 for Bachelor’s Degree Visual & Performing Arts students with aid per year to attend UW - Madison.
The student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at University of Wisconsin - Madison
Queens College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #19. Queens College is a fairly large school located in Queens, New York that handed out 215 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for QC is $3,067 for Bachelor’s Degree Visual & Performing Arts students with aid.
The low student loan default rate of 4.4% 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 full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Queens College
Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music is a small school located in San Juan, that handed out 35 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music is $5,733 for bachelor’s degree visual & performing arts students with aid.
The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Read more about Visual & Performing Arts at Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music
University of North Carolina School of the Arts did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #21. University of North Carolina School of the Arts is a small public school situated in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It awarded 223 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2019-2020.
UNCSA excels when it comes to visual and performing arts quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $13,885 for bachelor’s degree visual & performing arts students with aid per year to attend UNCSA.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
California State University - Fresno came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. This large school is located in Fresno, California, and it awarded 191 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Fresno State is $5,464 for Bachelor’s Degree Visual & Performing Arts students with aid.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, 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 87%.
Full California State University - Fresno Visual & Performing Arts Report
Brigham Young University - Idaho did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #23. Rexburg, Idaho is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees to 255 students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for BYU - I is $7,167 for bachelor’s degree visual & performing arts students with aid.
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%.
With a ranking of #24, California State University - Long Beach did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. California State University - Long Beach is a large school located in Long Beach, California that handed out 909 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, CSULB is also in the top of our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Long Beach is $9,622 for Bachelor’s Degree Visual & Performing Arts students with aid.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Farmingdale State College ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Farmingdale State College is located in Farmingdale, New York and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 45 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees to qualified students.
It costs about $8,638 for Bachelor’s Degree Visual & Performing Arts students with aid per year to attend Farmingdale State College.
The low student loan default rate of 4.5% 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 Visual & Performing Arts at SUNY College of Technology at Farmingdale
Rest of the Best 50 in Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid
Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
Rest of the Top 15% Colleges in Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid
While not in the ‘top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
Rank | College | Location |
---|---|---|
51 | University of North Carolina at Greensboro | Greensboro, NC |
52 | University of North Florida | Jacksonville, FL |
53 | University of California - Riverside | Riverside, CA |
54 | Iowa State University | Ames, IA |
55 | California State University - San Bernardino | San Bernardino, CA |
56 | Indiana University - Bloomington | Bloomington, IN |
57 | University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire | Eau Claire, WI |
58 | Brigham Young University - Provo | Provo, UT |
59 | University of Wisconsin - Stout | Menomonie, WI |
60 | Yale University | New Haven, CT |
61 | University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma | Chickasha, OK |
62 | Texas Woman’s University | Denton, TX |
63 | University of North Texas | Denton, TX |
64 | University of Wisconsin - Parkside | Kenosha, WI |
65 | West Texas A&M University | Canyon, TX |
Rank | College | Location |
---|---|---|
116 | University of California - Santa Barbara | Santa Barbara, CA |
117 | Texas A&M University - Commerce | Commerce, TX |
118 | SUNY Fredonia | Fredonia, NY |
119 | Shepherd University | Shepherdstown, WV |
120 | University of Southern Indiana | Evansville, IN |
121 | University of California - Berkeley | Berkeley, CA |
122 | Michigan State University | East Lansing, MI |
123 | The University of Texas at Arlington | Arlington, TX |
124 | North Dakota State University - Main Campus | Fargo, ND |
125 | Duke University | Durham, NC |
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Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Visual & Performing Arts in the Southeast Region (With Aid)
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Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools
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Visual & Performing Arts students with family income $48-$75k
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Visual & Performing Arts (Income Over $110k)
Visual & Performing Arts students with family income exceeding $110k
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Most Popular Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Visual & Performing Arts
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Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Visual & Performing Arts (Income $30-$48k)
Visual & Performing Arts students with family income $30-$48k
Best Value Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Visual & Performing Arts (Income $75-$110k)
Visual & Performing Arts students with family income $75-$110k
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.
Credits
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Bonnielou2013.
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