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2024 Best Fine Arts Schools

307 Colleges in the United States
11,681 Fine Arts Degrees Awarded
Ranked #66 in popularity, fine arts is one of the most sought-after degree programs in the nation. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.

For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 307 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for fine arts students pursuing a degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 11,681 degrees in fine arts during the 2021-2022 academic year.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Fine Arts School

Best Fine Arts Schools The fine arts program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Fine Arts rankings. For our Best Overall Fine Arts School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Fine Arts Rankings by Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Fine Arts
Bachelor's Degrees in Fine Arts
Master's Degrees in Fine Arts

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Fine Arts Schools list, to help you choose the best school for you. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.

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.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.

Best Schools for Fine Arts in the United States

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the fine arts degrees they offer, see the list below. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

25 Top Schools in Fine Arts

1
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
20th Most Popular In CA
13.6% Growth in Graduates

Any student pursuing a degree in fine arts has to check out University of Southern California. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #11 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means USC is a great university overall.

There were roughly 22 fine arts students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in fine arts from University of Southern California

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
9th Most Popular In IN

University of Notre Dame is a wonderful choice for students pursuing a degree in fine arts. Notre Dame is a large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Notre Dame. A Best Colleges rank of #20 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Notre Dame is a great university overall.

There were approximately 7 fine arts students who graduated with this degree at Notre Dame in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in fine arts from University of Notre Dame

3
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
5th Most Popular In CA
58 Fine Arts Degrees Awarded

University of California - Berkeley is a wonderful option for students interested in a degree in fine arts. Located in the city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #18 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UC Berkeley is a great university overall.

There were approximately 58 fine arts students who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in fine arts from University of California - Berkeley

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In PA
34 Fine Arts Degrees Awarded

University of Pennsylvania is a great decision for students interested in a degree in fine arts. UPenn is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Philadelphia. A Best Colleges rank of #4 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UPenn is a great university overall.

There were roughly 34 fine arts students who graduated with this degree at UPenn in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in fine arts from University of Pennsylvania

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In MO

WUSTL is a large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Saint Louis. A Best Colleges rank of #17 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means WUSTL is a great university overall.

There were about 23 fine arts students who graduated with this degree at WUSTL in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in fine arts from Washington University in St Louis

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
4th Most Popular In TX
75 Fine Arts Degrees Awarded

UT Austin is a very large public university located in the city of Austin. A Best Colleges rank of #36 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UT Austin is a great university overall.

There were roughly 75 fine arts students who graduated with this degree at UT Austin in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in fine arts from The University of Texas at Austin

7
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In NH

Located in the remote town of Hanover, Dartmouth is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #25 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Dartmouth is a great college overall.

There were approximately 17 fine arts students who graduated with this degree at Dartmouth in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in fine arts from Dartmouth College

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In MD
72 Fine Arts Degrees Awarded

Located in the suburb of College Park, UMCP is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #42 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UMCP is a great university overall.

There were roughly 72 fine arts students who graduated with this degree at UMCP in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in fine arts from University of Maryland - College Park

9
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In GA
37.5% Growth in Graduates

UGA is a fairly large public university located in the city of Athens. This university ranks 3rd out of 68 schools for overall quality in the state of Georgia.

There were roughly 24 fine arts students who graduated with this degree at UGA in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in fine arts from University of Georgia

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
12th Most Popular In NY
71 Fine Arts Degrees Awarded

NYU is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of New York. A Best Colleges rank of #27 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means NYU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 71 fine arts students who graduated with this degree at NYU in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in fine arts from New York University

11
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
14th Most Popular In TX
15.0% Growth in Graduates

SMU is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Dallas. This university ranks 4th out of 115 schools for overall quality in the state of Texas.

There were about 20 fine arts students who graduated with this degree at SMU in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in fine arts from Southern Methodist University

12
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
6th Most Popular In CA
72 Fine Arts Degrees Awarded

UCSB is a very large public university located in the midsize suburb of Santa Barbara. A Best Colleges rank of #45 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UCSB is a great university overall.

There were approximately 72 fine arts students who graduated with this degree at UCSB in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in fine arts from University of California - Santa Barbara

13
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
8th Most Popular In TN
50.0% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Nashville, Vanderbilt is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #19 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Vanderbilt is a great university overall.

There were about 10 fine arts students who graduated with this degree at Vanderbilt in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in fine arts from Vanderbilt University

14
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In LA

Located in the large city of New Orleans, Tulane is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. This university ranks 1st out of 29 colleges for overall quality in the state of Louisiana.

There were approximately 25 fine arts students who graduated with this degree at Tulane in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in fine arts from Tulane University of Louisiana

15
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In FL
85 Fine Arts Degrees Awarded

UF is a fairly large public university located in the city of Gainesville. This university ranks 1st out of 77 schools for overall quality in the state of Florida.

There were about 85 fine arts students who graduated with this degree at UF in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in fine arts from University of Florida

16
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In FL
122 Fine Arts Degrees Awarded

Florida State is a fairly large public university located in the midsize city of Tallahassee. This university ranks 3rd out of 77 schools for overall quality in the state of Florida.

There were approximately 122 fine arts students who graduated with this degree at Florida State in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in fine arts from Florida State University

17
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
5th Most Popular In IL

UIUC is a fairly large public university located in the city of Champaign. A Best Colleges rank of #34 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UIUC is a great university overall.

There were about 22 fine arts students who graduated with this degree at UIUC in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in fine arts from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

18
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
6th Most Popular In MA

Brandeis is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Waltham. This university ranks 14th out of 63 colleges for overall quality in the state of Massachusetts.

There were approximately 10 fine arts students who graduated with this degree at Brandeis in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in fine arts from Brandeis University

19
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
9th Most Popular In CA
50 Fine Arts Degrees Awarded

UC Davis is a very large public university located in the suburb of Davis. This university ranks 13th out of 168 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were approximately 50 fine arts students who graduated with this degree at UC Davis in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in fine arts from University of California - Davis

20
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In CA
159 Fine Arts Degrees Awarded

Located in the city of San Jose, San Jose State is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 23rd out of 168 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were about 159 fine arts students who graduated with this degree at San Jose State in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in fine arts from San Jose State University

21
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In DC
11.1% Growth in Graduates

Located in the large city of Washington, GWU is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. This university ranks 2nd out of 8 colleges for overall quality in the state of District of Columbia.

There were approximately 18 fine arts students who graduated with this degree at GWU in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in fine arts from George Washington University

22
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In UT

Located in the city of Provo, BYU is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 1st out of 13 schools for overall quality in the state of Utah.

There were approximately 28 fine arts students who graduated with this degree at BYU in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in fine arts from Brigham Young University - Provo

23
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
23rd Most Popular In TX

TCU is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Fort Worth. This university ranks 5th out of 115 colleges for overall quality in the state of Texas.

There were about 8 fine arts students who graduated with this degree at TCU in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in fine arts from Texas Christian University

24
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
10th Most Popular In NY
39 Fine Arts Degrees Awarded

Pratt Institute is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Brooklyn.

There were approximately 39 fine arts students who graduated with this degree at Pratt Institute in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in fine arts from Pratt Institute - Main

25
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In CA
193 Fine Arts Degrees Awarded

Located in the large city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 28th out of 168 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were approximately 193 fine arts students who graduated with this degree at CSULB in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in fine arts from California State University - Long Beach

Rest of the Top Best Fine Arts Schools

26
27
28
29
30
31
32

33

34
35
36
37
Wellesley crest
Wellesley College
Wellesley, MA
38
39
40
41
The American University crest
American University
Washington, DC

42
LaGuardia crest
LaGuardia Community College
Long Island City, NY

43
44
Boston College crest
Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA
45
46

Honorable Mentions

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Fine Arts Schools award.

RankCollegeLocation
47The University of AlabamaTuscaloosa, AL
48University of North TexasDenton, TX
49Illinois State UniversityNormal, IL
50University of Colorado BoulderBoulder, CO
51University of ArkansasFayetteville, AR
52Baylor UniversityWaco, TX
53University of Massachusetts AmherstAmherst, MA
54DePauw UniversityGreencastle, IN
55Syracuse UniversitySyracuse, NY
56University of KansasLawrence, KS
57University of TulsaTulsa, OK
58University of MiamiCoral Gables, FL
59Smith CollegeNorthampton, MA
60University of South Carolina - ColumbiaColumbia, SC
61Binghamton UniversityVestal, NY

Fine Arts by Region

View the Best Fine Arts Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

View All Rankings >

Fine Arts is one of 13 different types of Fine & Studio Arts programs to choose from.

Related MajorAnnual Graduates
Art Studies18,755
Art History3,491
Intermedia/Multimedia801
Other Fine Arts & Art Studies773
Painting643
Jewelry Arts443
Drawing323
Sculpture217
Fiber, Textile & Weaving Arts164
Printmaking162

View All Fine Arts Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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