by our College Data Analytics TeamCollege Factual looked at 556 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 94,458 bachelor's degrees in visual & performing arts to qualified students.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
The visual & performing arts bachelor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:
The overall quality of a bachelor's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To take this into account we include a school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a collection of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their bachelor's degree from the school. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their bachelor's degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.
The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.
Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for visual & performing arts students working on their bachelor's degree.
The visual & performing arts school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools.
In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.
The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in visual & performing arts. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
New York University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in visual & performing arts. NYU is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of New York.More information about a bachelor’s in visual & performing arts from New York University
Any student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in visual & performing arts needs to check out Northwestern University. Located in the small city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in visual & performing arts from Northwestern University
Any student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in visual & performing arts needs to look into Fashion Institute of Technology. FIT SUNY is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of New York.More information about a bachelor’s in visual & performing arts from Fashion Institute of Technology
It is difficult to beat University of Michigan - Ann Arbor if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in visual & performing arts. Located in the city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in visual & performing arts from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Located in the large city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in visual & performing arts from University of Southern California
Located in the city of Ithaca, Cornell is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in visual & performing arts from Cornell University
Iowa State is a very large public university located in the small city of Ames.More information about a bachelor’s in visual & performing arts from Iowa State University
Carnegie Mellon is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Pittsburgh.More information about a bachelor’s in visual & performing arts from Carnegie Mellon University
Located in the large city of Nashville, Vanderbilt is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in visual & performing arts from Vanderbilt University
Brown is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the midsize city of Providence.More information about a bachelor’s in visual & performing arts from Brown University
Located in the medium-sized city of Orange, Chapman is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population.More information about a bachelor’s in visual & performing arts from Chapman University
Located in the city of Nashville, Belmont is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population.More information about a bachelor’s in visual & performing arts from Belmont University
Located in the city of Los Angeles, FIDM Los Angeles is a private for-profit school with a small student population.More information about a bachelor’s in visual & performing arts from FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising - Los Angeles
Pratt Institute is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Brooklyn.More information about a bachelor’s in visual & performing arts from Pratt Institute - Main
UW Seattle is a very large public university located in the city of Seattle.More information about a bachelor’s in visual & performing arts from University of Washington - Seattle Campus
Notre Dame is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Notre Dame.More information about a bachelor’s in visual & performing arts from University of Notre Dame
WUSTL is a large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Saint Louis.More information about a bachelor’s in visual & performing arts from Washington University in St Louis
Located in the city of Providence, RISD is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.More information about a bachelor’s in visual & performing arts from Rhode Island School of Design
Located in the large city of New York, American Musical and Dramatic Academy is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.More information about a bachelor’s in visual & performing arts from American Musical and Dramatic Academy
Emerson is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit college located in the large city of Boston.More information about a bachelor’s in visual & performing arts from Emerson College
Located in the medium-sized city of Savannah, SCAD is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in visual & performing arts from Savannah College of Art and Design
Located in the large suburb of Rochester, RIT is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in visual & performing arts from Rochester Institute of Technology
MICA is a small private not-for-profit college located in the city of Baltimore.More information about a bachelor’s in visual & performing arts from Maryland Institute College of Art
Located in the city of Boston, Boston U is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in visual & performing arts from Boston University
Located in the medium-sized city of Syracuse, Syracuse is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in visual & performing arts from Syracuse University
This section represents the rest of the colleges awarded a Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools badge. Showing in this list means the college was ranked in the top 20% of the 556 different United States visual & performing arts schools we analyzed.
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools award.
View the Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Fine & Studio Arts | 23,952 |
| Design & Applied Arts | 19,777 |
| Music | 15,299 |
| Film, Video & Photographic Arts | 12,664 |
| Drama & Theater Arts | 12,468 |
| General Visual & Performing Arts | 4,199 |
| Arts & Media Management | 2,899 |
| Dance | 2,650 |
| Other Visual Art | 483 |
| Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry | 61 |
