by our College Data Analytics Team
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual has developed its “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Visual & Performing Arts Major” 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 2021-2022, 150,273 degrees were awarded to students with this major. In , visual & performing arts graduates who were awarded their degree in , earned an average of $26,820 and had an average of $26,756 in loans still to pay off.
At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 95,224 visual & performing arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,724 and $23,030 respectively.
For this year’s “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Visual & Performing Arts Major” ranking, we looked at 1,443 colleges that offer a degree in visual & performing arts. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in visual & performing arts.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Visual & Performing Arts Major” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
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. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
The colleges and universities below are the best for bachelor’s degree visual & performing arts students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwest College of Art & Design. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Visual & Performing Arts Major list. This small school is located in Tacoma, Washington, and it awarded 19 bachelors’s visual & performing arts degrees in 2021-2022.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Pennsylvania College of Art and Design. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Visual & Performing Arts Major list. This small school is located in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 44 bachelors’s visual & performing arts degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergraduate 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. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Pennsylvania College of Art and Design Visual & Performing Arts Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Hussian College-Relativity Campus California. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Visual & Performing Arts Major list. Hussian College-Relativity Campus California is a small private for-profit school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 51 bachelors’s visual & performing arts degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.6% 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 Hussian College-Relativity Campus California
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Cornish College of the Arts. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Visual & Performing Arts Major list. Cornish College of the Arts is a small school located in Seattle, Washington that handed out 112 bachelors’s visual & performing arts degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read more about Visual & Performing Arts at Cornish College of the Arts
Out of the 1,443 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Visual & Performing Arts Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Design Institute of San Diego landed the #1 spot on the list. Design Institute of San Diego is a small private for-profit school situated in San Diego, California. It awarded 26 bachelors’s visual & performing arts degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergraduate 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.
Read more about Visual & Performing Arts at Design Institute of San Diego
American Academy of Art did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Visual & Performing Arts Major ranking, coming in at #6. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this small private for-profit school handed out 37 degrees to qualified bachelors’s visual & performing arts students in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.9% 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 undergraduate 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.
Full American Academy of Art Visual & Performing Arts Report
With a ranking of #7, Nossi College of Art did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Visual & Performing Arts Major list. Nossi College of Art is a small private for-profit school situated in Nashville, Tennessee. It awarded 45 bachelors’s visual & performing arts degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read more about Visual & Performing Arts at Nossi College of Art
Escuela de Artes Plasticas y Diseno de Puerto Rico landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Visual & Performing Arts Major ranking. San Juan, Puerto Rico is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s visual & performing arts degrees to 54 students in 2021-2022.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Visual & Performing Arts Major ranking, coming in at #9. Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design is a small school located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin that handed out 169 bachelors’s visual & performing arts degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.0% 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%.
Full Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design Visual & Performing Arts Report
Compass College of Cinematic Arts landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Visual & Performing Arts Major ranking. Compass College of Cinematic Arts is a private not-for-profit institution located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The school has a small population, and it awarded 14 bachelors’s degrees in 2021-2022.
Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Compass College of Cinematic Arts
Moore College of Art and Design ranked #11 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Visual & Performing Arts Major list. Moore College is a small school located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that handed out 87 bachelors’s visual & performing arts degrees in 2021-2022.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low undergrad 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 Moore College of Art and Design
Otis College of Art and Design landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Visual & Performing Arts Major ranking. Otis College of Art and Design is a small school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 240 bachelors’s visual & performing arts degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 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 Otis College of Art and Design
Cleveland Institute of Art ranked #13 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Visual & Performing Arts Major list. CIA is a private not-for-profit institution located in Cleveland, Ohio. The school has a small population, and it awarded 101 bachelors’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergraduate 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. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Visual & Performing Arts at Cleveland Institute of Art
Massachusetts College of Art and Design did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Visual & Performing Arts Major ranking, coming in at #14. Massachusetts College of Art and Design is a small school located in Boston, Massachusetts that handed out 284 bachelors’s visual & performing arts degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Massachusetts College of Art and Design
Art Academy of Cincinnati did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Visual & Performing Arts Major ranking, coming in at #16. Cincinnati, Ohio is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s visual & performing arts degrees to 44 students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
With a ranking of #17, Columbus College of Art and Design did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Visual & Performing Arts Major list. Columbus College of Art and Design is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Columbus, Ohio. It awarded 154 bachelors’s visual & performing arts degrees in 2021-2022.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Kansas City Art Institute landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Visual & Performing Arts Major ranking. This small school is located in Kansas City, Missouri, and it awarded 120 bachelors’s visual & performing arts degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Kansas City Art Institute
With a ranking of #19, Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Visual & Performing Arts Major list. Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music is a small public school situated in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It awarded 63 bachelors’s visual & performing arts degrees in 2021-2022.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 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
Laguna College of Art and Design landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Visual & Performing Arts Major ranking. Located in Laguna Beach, California, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 90 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s visual & performing arts students in 2021-2022.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #21, Montserrat College of Art did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Visual & Performing Arts Major list. Montserrat College of Art is a private not-for-profit institution located in Beverly, Massachusetts. The school has a small population, and it awarded 54 bachelors’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Montserrat College of Art
University of North Carolina School of the Arts ranked #22 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Visual & Performing Arts Major list. University of North Carolina School of the Arts is located in Winston Salem, North Carolina and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 221 bachelors’s visual & performing arts degrees to qualified students.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.2% 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 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
With a ranking of #23, The University of the Arts did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Visual & Performing Arts Major list. UArts is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It awarded 308 bachelors’s visual & performing arts degrees in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
College for Creative Studies landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Visual & Performing Arts Major ranking. College for Creative Studies is a private not-for-profit institution located in Detroit, Michigan. The school has a small population, and it awarded 118 bachelors’s degrees in 2021-2022.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Los Angeles College of Music did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Visual & Performing Arts Major ranking, coming in at #25. Los Angeles College of Music is a small private for-profit school situated in Pasadena, California. It awarded 34 bachelors’s visual & performing arts degrees in 2021-2022.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Not only did these schools make the top 51 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
While not in the ’top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 52 | The Juilliard School | New York, NY |
| 53 | Purchase College | Purchase, NY |
| 54 | American Musical and Dramatic Academy | New York, NY |
| 55 | Gnomon | Hollywood, CA |
| 56 | AI Miami International University of Art and Design | Miami, FL |
| 57 | California Institute of the Arts | Valencia, CA |
| 58 | Savannah College of Art and Design | Savannah, GA |
| 59 | Five Towns College | Dix Hills, NY |
| 60 | Maine College of Art | Portland, ME |
| 61 | The New England Conservatory of Music | Boston, MA |
| 62 | Manhattan School of Music | New York, NY |
| 63 | Pratt Institute - Main | Brooklyn, NY |
| 64 | Los Angeles Film School | Hollywood, CA |
| 65 | School of Visual Arts | New York, NY |
| 66 | New York Film Academy | Burbank, CA |
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 67 | Bennington College | Bennington, VT |
| 68 | California College of the Arts | San Francisco, CA |
| 69 | Emerson College | Boston, MA |
| 70 | San Francisco Conservatory of Music | San Francisco, CA |
| 71 | The New School | New York, NY |
| 72 | Rhode Island School of Design | Providence, RI |
| 73 | The Art Institute of Atlanta | Atlanta, GA |
| 74 | Cogswell College | San Jose, CA |
| 75 | Belmont University | Nashville, TN |
| 76 | Hampshire College | Amherst, MA |
| 77 | Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art | New York, NY |
| 78 | Woodbury University | Burbank, CA |
| 79 | Full Sail University | Winter Park, FL |
| 80 | Lawrence University | Appleton, WI |
| 81 | Interior Designers Institute | Newport Beach, CA |
| 82 | Stevens - The Institute of Business & Arts | Saint Louis, MO |
| 83 | Oberlin College | Oberlin, OH |
| 84 | New York School of Interior Design | New York, NY |
| 85 | Muhlenberg College | Allentown, PA |
| 86 | Wade College | Dallas, TX |
| 87 | Oklahoma City University | Oklahoma City, OK |
| 88 | Millikin University | Decatur, IL |
| 89 | Villa Maria College | Buffalo, NY |
| 90 | University of Advancing Technology | Tempe, AZ |
| 91 | Dean College | Franklin, MA |
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 92 | Newschool of Architecture and Design | San Diego, CA |
| 93 | Bard College | Annandale-On-Hudson, NY |
| 94 | Bloomfield College | Bloomfield, NJ |
| 95 | Fashion Institute of Technology | New York, NY |
| 96 | University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma | Chickasha, OK |
| 97 | Principia College | Elsah, IL |
| 98 | Stephens College | Columbia, MO |
| 99 | William Peace University | Raleigh, NC |
| 100 | Cazenovia College | Cazenovia, NY |
| 101 | Musicians Institute | Hollywood, CA |
| 102 | SAE Expression College | Emeryville, CA |
| 103 | Point Park University | Pittsburgh, PA |
| 104 | The Modern College of Design | Kettering, OH |
| 105 | Ithaca College | Ithaca, NY |
| 106 | Academy of Art University | San Francisco, CA |
| 107 | SUNY Fredonia | Fredonia, NY |
| 108 | Albright College | Reading, PA |
| 109 | Loyola University New Orleans | New Orleans, LA |
| 110 | Luther College | Decorah, IA |
| 111 | Dillard University | New Orleans, LA |
| 112 | University of North Carolina at Asheville | Asheville, NC |
| 113 | Baldwin Wallace University | Berea, OH |
| 114 | Hollins University | Roanoke, VA |
| 115 | Alfred University | Alfred, NY |
| 116 | Southern Virginia University | Buena Vista, VA |
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 117 | SUNY Potsdam | Potsdam, NY |
| 118 | St Olaf College | Northfield, MN |
| 119 | Brevard College | Brevard, NC |
| 120 | The Baptist College of Florida | Graceville, FL |
| 121 | Skidmore College | Saratoga Springs, NY |
| 122 | Wheaton College Massachusetts | Norton, MA |
| 123 | Lesley University | Cambridge, MA |
| 124 | University of Montevallo | Montevallo, AL |
| 125 | Bethany Lutheran College | Mankato, MN |
| 126 | SUNY Oneonta | Oneonta, NY |
| 127 | Southern Oregon University | Ashland, OR |
| 128 | Visible Music College | Memphis, TN |
| 129 | Wagner College | Staten Island, NY |
| 130 | Occidental College | Los Angeles, CA |
| 131 | Whitman College | Walla Walla, WA |
| 132 | Mansfield University of Pennsylvania | Mansfield, PA |
| 133 | Middle Tennessee State University | Murfreesboro, TN |
| 134 | Chapman University | Orange, CA |
| 135 | Westmont College | Santa Barbara, CA |
| 136 | Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts | North Adams, MA |
| 137 | Eureka College | Eureka, IL |
| 138 | Wesleyan University | Middletown, CT |
| 139 | Bob Jones University | Greenville, SC |
| 140 | Florida Southern College | Lakeland, FL |
| 141 | University of Hartford | West Hartford, CT |
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 142 | Barnard College | New York, NY |
| 143 | University of Wisconsin - Stout | Menomonie, WI |
| 144 | Kutztown University of Pennsylvania | Kutztown, PA |
| 145 | Greensboro College | Greensboro, NC |
| 146 | Vassar College | Poughkeepsie, NY |
| 147 | Sweet Briar College | Sweet Briar, VA |
| 148 | Cornell College | Mount Vernon, IA |
| 149 | Maryville College | Maryville, TN |
| 150 | Atlantic University College | Guaynabo, PR |
| 151 | Drew University | Madison, NJ |
| 152 | Baptist University of the Americas | San Antonio, TX |
| 153 | Ouachita Baptist University | Arkadelphia, AR |
| 154 | Fairleigh Dickinson University - Florham Campus | Madison, NJ |
| 155 | Living Arts College | Raleigh, NC |
| 156 | Kenyon College | Gambier, OH |
| 157 | Bethel College - North Newton | North Newton, KS |
| 158 | Flagler College - St Augustine | Saint Augustine, FL |
| 159 | Northern Vermont University | Johnson, VT |
| 160 | LaGrange College | Lagrange, GA |
| 161 | Taylor University | Upland, IN |
| 162 | Clark Atlanta University | Atlanta, GA |
| 163 | Young Harris College | Young Harris, GA |
| 164 | Catawba College | Salisbury, NC |
| 165 | Mills College | Oakland, CA |
| 166 | Keene State College | Keene, NH |
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 192 | Knox College | Galesburg, IL |
| 193 | Adrian College | Adrian, MI |
| 194 | Earlham College | Richmond, IN |
| 195 | San Francisco State University | San Francisco, CA |
| 196 | Nazareth College | Rochester, NY |
| 197 | Oglethorpe University | Atlanta, GA |
| 197 | Southwestern University | Georgetown, TX |
| 199 | Meredith College | Raleigh, NC |
| 200 | FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising - San Francisco | San Francisco, CA |
| 201 | Goshen College | Goshen, IN |
| 202 | Covenant College | Lookout Mountain, GA |
| 203 | EDP University - San Juan | San Juan, PR |
| 204 | Hamilton College | Clinton, NY |
| 205 | Champlain College | Burlington, VT |
| 206 | Salem College | Winston-Salem, NC |
| 207 | SUNY New Paltz | New Paltz, NY |
| 208 | Hastings College | Hastings, NE |
| 209 | Virginia Commonwealth University | Richmond, VA |
| 210 | Centenary University | Hackettstown, NJ |
| 211 | Birmingham Southern College | Birmingham, AL |
| 212 | Franklin College | Franklin, IN |
| 213 | Palm Beach Atlantic University | West Palm Beach, FL |
| 214 | Lyon College | Batesville, AR |
| 215 | Winthrop University | Rock Hill, SC |
| 216 | Centenary College of Louisiana | Shreveport, LA |
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 217 | Oklahoma Christian University | Edmond, OK |
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
