Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

General Visual & Performing Arts

Find Schools Near

2022 Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts

7 Ranked Colleges
134 Degrees Awarded
$25,800 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor's in Massachusetts

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

In 2019-2020, 6,359 people earned their degree in general visual and performing arts, making the major the 125th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, general visual and performing arts graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $24,577 and had an average of $26,968 in loans still to pay off.

Across Massachusetts, there were 210 general visual and performing arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $20,600 and $28,818 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 134 general visual and performing arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $42,887 and $24,387 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts” ranking looked at 7 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in general visual and performing arts. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality general visual and performing arts programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the general visual and performing arts program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank General Visual & Performing Arts Schools

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts” list to help you make the college decision.

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. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts

The colleges and universities below are the best for massachusetts bachelor’s degree visual arts students.

Top 7 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Visual & Performing Arts in Massachusetts

#1

Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts

North Adams, Massachusetts

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts list. Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts is a small school located in North Adams, Massachusetts that handed out 14 bachelors’s visual arts degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at MCLA, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best General Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for MCLA is $16,861 for massachusetts bachelor’s degree visual arts students.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Full MCLA General Visual & Performing Arts Report

#2

University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth

North Dartmouth, Massachusetts

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts. University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth is a medium-sized school located in North Dartmouth, Massachusetts that handed out 21 bachelors’s visual arts degrees in 2019-2020.

UMass Dartmouth did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best General Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth is $18,503 for Massachusetts Bachelor’s Degree Visual Arts students.

Read more about General Visual & Performing Arts at University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth

#3

Lesley University

Cambridge, Massachusetts
#7 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Lesley University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 28 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s visual arts students in 2019-2020.

Lesley did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best General Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” list. The yearly cost to attend Lesley is $33,644 for massachusetts bachelor’s degree visual arts students.

The impressive 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. 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 full report on General Visual & Performing Arts at Lesley

#4

Stonehill College

Easton, Massachusetts

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Stonehill College. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts. This small school is located in Easton, Massachusetts, and it awarded 4 bachelors’s visual arts degrees in 2019-2020.

Stonehill not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best General Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” list. It costs about $34,658 for Massachusetts Bachelor’s Degree Visual Arts students per year to attend Stonehill College.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The low student loan default rate of 1.4% 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 Stonehill College General Visual & Performing Arts Report

#5

Harvard University

Cambridge, Massachusetts
#4 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Harvard University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts list. Harvard is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It awarded 36 bachelors’s visual arts degrees in 2019-2020.

Harvard also took the #4 spot in our “Best General Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Harvard University is $15,386 for Massachusetts Bachelor’s Degree Visual Arts students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive 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 General Visual & Performing Arts at Harvard

#6

Northeastern University

Boston, Massachusetts
#2 in overall quality

Northeastern University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts ranking. Northeastern is a private not-for-profit institution located in Boston, Massachusetts. The school has a large population, and it awarded 16 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our massachusetts bachelor’s degree visual arts students list, Northeastern has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best General Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Northeastern University is $31,093 for Massachusetts Bachelor’s Degree Visual Arts students.

With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 2.2% 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%.

Full Northeastern University General Visual & Performing Arts Report

#7

Boston University

Boston, Massachusetts

Boston University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in Massachusetts list. Boston University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Boston, Massachusetts. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Boston U also made our “Best General Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Massachusetts” list, coming in at #3. The estimated yearly cost for Boston University is $30,259 for Massachusetts Bachelor’s Degree Visual Arts students.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about General Visual & Performing Arts at Boston University

Switch to a Different Ranking Method

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

Featured Schools

Find Schools Near You