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2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid

364 Ranked Colleges
9,794 Degrees Awarded
$8,200 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor's For Those Getting Aid

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2019-2020, 12,032 people earned their degree in fine arts, making the major the 67th most popular in the United States.

At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 9,794 fine arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 364 colleges that offered a degree in fine arts. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality fine arts programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the fine arts program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Fine Arts Schools

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons 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.

Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for bachelor’s degree fine arts students with aid.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Fine Arts (With Aid)

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. UT Rio Grande Valley is a large public school situated in Edinburg, Texas. It awarded 102 bachelors’s fine arts degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for UT Rio Grande Valley is $4,514 for Bachelor’s Degree Fine 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 UT Rio Grande Valley Fine Arts Report

#2

Hunter College

New York, New York

Out of the 364 schools in the Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Hunter College landed the #2 spot on the list. Hunter College is a large school located in New York, New York that handed out 78 bachelors’s fine arts degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Hunter College is $2,490 for bachelor’s degree fine arts students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 4.0% 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 full report on Fine Arts at Hunter College

#3

The City College of New York

New York, New York

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The City College of New York. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. CCNY is located in New York, New York and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 136 bachelors’s fine arts degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend CCNY is $2,385 for Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students with aid.

Full CCNY Fine Arts Report

#4

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Top 10% in overall quality

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 #4 for the Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 20 bachelors’s fine arts degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UNC Chapel Hill is also in the top of our “Best Fine Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best Fine Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is $12,352 for bachelor’s degree fine arts students with aid.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Fine Arts at UNC Chapel Hill

Top 20% in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Fullerton. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid. Fullerton, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s fine arts degrees to 289 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on this list, Cal State Fullerton is in the top on our “Best Fine Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our “Best Fine Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Cal State Fullerton is $7,991 for bachelor’s degree fine arts students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 2.7% 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 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Cal State Fullerton Fine Arts Report

#6

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#1 in overall quality

Stanford University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #6. This fairly large school is located in Stanford, California, and it awarded 14 bachelors’s fine arts degrees in 2019-2020.

Stanford not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Fine Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Stanford is $11,496 for bachelor’s degree fine arts students with aid.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student-to-faculty ratio of 4 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 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Fine Arts at Stanford

#7

Lehman College

Bronx, New York

Lehman College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #7. Lehman is a fairly large school located in Bronx, New York that handed out 12 bachelors’s fine arts degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Lehman College is $1,814 for Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students with aid.

Read more about Fine Arts at Lehman College

#8

University of Florida

Gainesville, Florida
Top 10% in overall quality

University of Florida did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #8. University of Florida is located in Gainesville, Florida and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 58 bachelors’s fine arts degrees to qualified students.

On top of its placing in this ranking, UF also did well on our “Best Fine Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best Fine Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $6,302 for Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students with aid per year to attend University of Florida.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.

Read more about Fine Arts at University of Florida

#9

Fashion Institute of Technology

New York, New York
Top 20% in overall quality

Fashion Institute of Technology did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #9. Fashion Institute of Technology is a medium-sized school located in New York, New York that handed out 26 bachelors’s fine arts degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, FIT SUNY is also in the top of our “Best Fine Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our “Best Fine Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $10,523 for bachelor’s degree fine arts students with aid per year to attend Fashion Institute of Technology.

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 student loan default rate at the school is 3.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Fashion Institute of Technology Fine Arts Report

#10

Queens College

Queens, New York

With a ranking of #10, Queens College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Queens, New York, this fairly large public school awarded 46 degrees to qualified bachelors’s fine arts students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Queens College is $3,067 for Bachelor’s Degree Fine 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 more about Fine Arts at QC

Top 15% in overall quality

California State University - Long Beach landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. CSULB is a large school located in Long Beach, California that handed out 190 bachelors’s fine arts degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, CSULB is also in the top of our “Best Fine Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our “Best Fine Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $9,622 for bachelor’s degree fine arts students with aid per year to attend CSULB.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The low 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 Fine Arts at California State University - Long Beach

With a ranking of #12, Texas A&M International University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Texas A&M International University is located in Laredo, Texas and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 16 bachelors’s fine arts degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $3,074 for Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students with aid per year to attend Texas A&M International University.

Full Texas A&M International University Fine Arts Report

#13

Florida State University

Tallahassee, Florida
#23 in overall quality

Florida State University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Florida State is a large school located in Tallahassee, Florida that handed out 96 bachelors’s fine arts degrees in 2019-2020.

Florida State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #23 on our “Best Fine Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $9,789 for bachelor’s degree fine arts students with aid per year to attend Florida State.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Florida State University Fine Arts Report

#14

Brooklyn College

Brooklyn, New York

Brooklyn College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #14. Brooklyn College is a fairly large public school situated in Brooklyn, New York. It awarded 35 bachelors’s fine arts degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Brooklyn College is $2,683 for Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students with aid.

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 Fine Arts at Brooklyn College

Florida International University ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Miami, Florida, this large public school handed out 61 degrees to qualified bachelors’s fine arts students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Florida International University is $7,296 for bachelor’s degree fine arts students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.

Full FIU Fine Arts Report

#16

University of Central Florida

Orlando, Florida
Top 15% in overall quality

University of Central Florida did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #16. UCF is a public institution located in Orlando, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 128 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UCF excels when it comes to fine arts quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our “Best Fine Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend UCF is $10,274 for bachelor’s degree fine arts students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Fine Arts at UCF

#17

Truman State University

Kirksville, Missouri
Top 10% in overall quality

Truman State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #17. Truman State is located in Kirksville, Missouri and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 20 bachelors’s fine arts degrees to qualified students.

On top of its placing in this ranking, Truman State also did well on our “Best Fine Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The estimated yearly cost for Truman State is $12,462 for Bachelor’s Degree Fine Arts students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Truman State Fine Arts Report

#18

College of Staten Island CUNY

Staten Island, New York

College of Staten Island CUNY came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. College of Staten Island CUNY is a public institution located in Staten Island, New York. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 24 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $5,118 for bachelor’s degree fine arts students with aid per year to attend CSI.

Full CSI Fine Arts Report

#15 in overall quality

The University of Texas at Austin ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Austin, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s fine arts degrees to 53 students in 2019-2020.

UT Austin also made our “Best Fine Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #15. It costs about $18,023 for bachelor’s degree fine arts students with aid per year to attend The University of Texas at Austin.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The low student loan default rate of 2.7% 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 Fine Arts at The University of Texas at Austin

University of South Florida - Main Campus came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. This large school is located in Tampa, Florida, and it awarded 40 bachelors’s fine arts degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend USF Tampa is $8,355 for bachelor’s degree fine arts students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Fine Arts at USF Tampa

#21

University of North Florida

Jacksonville, Florida

With a ranking of #21, University of North Florida did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. UNF is a fairly large public school situated in Jacksonville, Florida. It awarded 72 bachelors’s fine arts degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $9,606 for bachelor’s degree fine arts students with aid per year to attend University of North Florida.

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%.

Read more about Fine Arts at UNF

#22

The University of West Florida

Pensacola, Florida

The University of West Florida came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. The University of West Florida is a public institution located in Pensacola, Florida. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 42 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend The University of West Florida is $7,406 for bachelor’s degree fine arts students with aid.

Read full report on Fine Arts at UWF

#23

University of Missouri - St Louis

Saint Louis, Missouri

University of Missouri - St Louis came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Saint Louis, Missouri, this fairly large public school handed out 32 degrees to qualified bachelors’s fine arts students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend UMSL is $9,435 for bachelor’s degree fine arts students with aid.

Read more about Fine Arts at UMSL

Top 15% in overall quality

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a large public school situated in Champaign, Illinois. It awarded 1 bachelors’s fine arts degrees in 2019-2020.

UIUC also claimed a top spot on our “Best Fine Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category. The estimated yearly cost for University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $15,880 for bachelor’s degree fine arts students with aid.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 2.4% 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%.

Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Fine Arts Report

#25

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, Indiana
Top 25% in overall quality

Purdue University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Fine Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #25. Purdue is a large school located in West Lafayette, Indiana that handed out 15 bachelors’s fine arts degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $13,986 for bachelor’s degree fine arts students with aid per year to attend Purdue.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Fine Arts at Purdue University - Main Campus

Rest of the Best 50 in Best Value Fine 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:

#26

University of Georgia

Athens, Georgia
#28

Indiana University - Bloomington

Bloomington, Indiana
#29

University of Maryland - College Park

College Park, Maryland
#31

University of North Texas

Denton, Texas
#31

University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Greensboro, North Carolina
#34

Towson University

Towson, Maryland
#36

San Jose State University

San Jose, California
#37

Appalachian State University

Boone, North Carolina
#40

Northern Kentucky University

Highland Heights, Kentucky
#41

Rhode Island College

Providence, Rhode Island
#48

University of California - Berkeley

Berkeley, California
#49

Texas State University

San Marcos, Texas
#50

University of Wisconsin - Stout

Menomonie, Wisconsin

Rest of the Top 15% Colleges in Best Value Fine 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 California State University - Stanislaus Turlock, CA
52 Saint Cloud State University Saint Cloud, MN
53 University of California - Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA
54 University of Northern Iowa Cedar Falls, IA
55 Texas A&M University - Commerce Commerce, TX

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 Jorge Royan.

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