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2023 Best Value Colleges for General Visual & Performing Arts in the Great Lakes Region

12 Ranked Colleges
413 Degrees Awarded
$20,300 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Visual Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Visual Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking - to help you make that decision.

In 2020-2021, 6,355 people earned their degree in general visual and performing arts, making the major the 116th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, general visual and performing arts graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $25,134 and had an average of $26,019 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 413 general visual and performing arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $24,172 and $32,890 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Visual Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking, we looked at 12 colleges that offer a degree 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.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the general visual and performing arts program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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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 in the Great Lakes Region” list to help you make the college decision.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Visual Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region visual arts students.

Top 12 Best Value Colleges for General Visual & Performing Arts in the Great Lakes Region

1

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Visual Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - Whitewater landed the #1 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Whitewater, Wisconsin, and it awarded 41 ’s visual arts degrees in 2020-2021.

UW - Whitewater also made our “Best General Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #4. The yearly cost to attend UW - Whitewater is $14,417 for great lakes region visual arts students.

Read full report on General Visual & Performing Arts at University of Wisconsin - Whitewater

2
Central Michigan crest
Central Michigan University
Mount Pleasant, Michigan

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Central Michigan University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Visual Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, this fairly large public school awarded 2 degrees to qualified ’s visual arts students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Central Michigan, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best General Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $16,007 for great lakes region visual arts students per year to attend Central Michigan.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about General Visual & Performing Arts at Central Michigan

3

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Visual Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - Stout landed the #3 spot on the list. University of Wisconsin - Stout is a medium-sized public school situated in Menomonie, Wisconsin. It awarded 20 ’s visual arts degrees in 2020-2021.

UW - Stout not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best General Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Stout is $15,589 for great lakes region visual arts students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on General Visual & Performing Arts at University of Wisconsin - Stout

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Ohio University - Athens Campus. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Visual Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Athens, Ohio is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s visual arts degrees to 25 students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at OHIO Athens, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best General Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend OHIO Athens is $23,831 for great lakes region visual arts students.

Read more about General Visual & Performing Arts at Ohio University - Athens Campus

5

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Visual Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis is a large school located in Indianapolis, Indiana that handed out 12 ’s visual arts degrees in 2020-2021.

IUPUI did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best General Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $12,416 for great lakes region visual arts students per year to attend Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.2% 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 Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis General Visual & Performing Arts Report

6

Bowling Green State University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Visual Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #6. Bowling Green State University - Main Campus is located in Bowling Green, Ohio and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 18 ’s visual arts degrees to qualified students.

BGSU also took the #10 spot in our “Best General Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for BGSU is $18,558 for Great Lakes Region Visual Arts students.

Full Bowling Green State University - Main Campus General Visual & Performing Arts Report

7

With a ranking of #7, Grace College and Theological Seminary did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Visual Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Grace College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Winona Lake, Indiana. The school has a small population, and it awarded 2 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Grace College not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best General Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Grace College and Theological Seminary is $20,060 for great lakes region visual arts students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.1% 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 General Visual & Performing Arts at Grace College

8

University of Illinois at Chicago did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Visual Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #8. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 15 ’s visual arts degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our great lakes region visual arts students list, UIC has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best General Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UIC is $13,214 for great lakes region visual arts students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.5% 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 University of Illinois at Chicago

9

With a ranking of #9, University of Saint Francis - Fort Wayne did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Visual Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Fort Wayne, Indiana is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s visual arts degrees to 14 students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at University of St. Francis Fort Wayne, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best General Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Saint Francis - Fort Wayne is $18,389 for great lakes region visual arts students.

The low undergrad 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 University of St. Francis Fort Wayne

10
Dominican U crest
Dominican University
River Forest, Illinois

With a ranking of #10, Dominican University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Visual Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in River Forest, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 2 diplomas to qualified ’s visual arts students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Dominican U, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best General Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Dominican University is $18,645 for Great Lakes Region Visual Arts students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate 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.

Read full report on General Visual & Performing Arts at Dominican U

11

With a ranking of #11, Columbus College of Art and Design did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Visual Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. This small school is located in Columbus, Ohio, and it awarded 14 ’s visual arts degrees in 2020-2021.

CCAD did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best General Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $26,493 for Great Lakes Region Visual Arts students per year to attend CCAD.

The impressive undergraduate 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.

Read more about General Visual & Performing Arts at Columbus College of Art and Design

12

School of the Art Institute of Chicago did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Visual Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #12. School of the Art Institute of Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 16 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

School of the Art Institute of Chicago also took the #2 spot in our “Best General Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend School of the Art Institute of Chicago is $45,909 for great lakes region visual arts students.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full School of the Art Institute of Chicago General Visual & Performing Arts Report

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Notes and References

References

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