by our College Data Analytics TeamIn 2025, College Factual analyzed 21 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 3,997 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. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:
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 consider a college's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a host of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
Average early-career salary of those graduating with their bachelor's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your bachelor's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.
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 colleges for visual & performing arts students working on their bachelor's degree.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois 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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in visual & performing arts.
Northwestern University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in visual & performing arts. Located in the 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
Columbia College Chicago is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in visual & performing arts. Columbia is a medium-sized private not-for-profit college located in the large city of Chicago.More information about a bachelor’s in visual & performing arts from Columbia College Chicago
Every student who is interested in a bachelor's degree in visual & performing arts has to look into School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Located in the large city of Chicago, School of the Art Institute of Chicago is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.More information about a bachelor’s in visual & performing arts from School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Any student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in visual & performing arts has to look into DePaul University. DePaul is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Chicago.More information about a bachelor’s in visual & performing arts from DePaul University
UIUC is a very large public university located in the city of Champaign.More information about a bachelor’s in visual & performing arts from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Illinois State is a very large public university located in the midsize suburb of Normal.More information about a bachelor’s in visual & performing arts from Illinois State University
Located in the suburb of Wheaton, Wheaton College Illinois is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.More information about a bachelor’s in visual & performing arts from Wheaton College Illinois
Located in the city of Chicago, UIC is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in visual & performing arts from University of Illinois at Chicago
Bradley is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized city of Peoria.More information about a bachelor’s in visual & performing arts from Bradley University
Illinois Wesleyan is a small private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Bloomington.More information about a bachelor’s in visual & performing arts from Illinois Wesleyan University
Explore all the Best Visual & Performing Arts Colleges in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Fine & Studio Arts | 1,222 |
| Design & Applied Arts | 735 |
| Drama & Theater Arts | 734 |
| Music | 557 |
| Film, Video & Photographic Arts | 446 |
| Arts & Media Management | 144 |
| General Visual & Performing Arts | 75 |
| Dance | 47 |
| Other Visual Art | 37 |
