General Visual & Performing Arts is a field worth a close look when choosing where to study. A focused field like this rewards careful comparison of the schools that offer it.
For its 2027 ranking, College Factual looked at 17 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for general visual & performing arts students pursuing a degree.
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Below are the schools that deliver the strongest overall general visual & performing arts education in New York.
Manhattan College is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in general visual & performing arts. Manhattan College is a mid-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Riverdale. The six-year graduation rate is 64%. There were roughly 18 general visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Manhattan College in the most recent data year. General Visual & Performing Arts graduates of Manhattan College earn a median of $61,065 early in their careers. Students borrow a median of $25,968 to complete this degree.
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American Musical And Dramatic Academy came in at #2 on our 2027 list of the best general visual & performing arts schools. Located in the city of New York, American Musical And Dramatic Academy is a small private not-for-profit university. About 52% of students finish within six years. American Musical And Dramatic Academy awarded about 43 general visual & performing arts degrees in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, general visual & performing arts degree recipients from American Musical And Dramatic Academy generally make around $16,646. American Musical And Dramatic Academy graduates carry a median of $19,500 in student loans.
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Suny College At Oneonta is a great choice for students pursuing a degree in general visual & performing arts, landing the #3 spot this year. Set in the town of Oneonta, Suny College At Oneonta is a moderately-sized public institution. Suny College At Oneonta graduates 69% of students within six years. There were roughly 18 general visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Suny College At Oneonta in the most recent data year. General Visual & Performing Arts graduates of Suny College At Oneonta earn a median of $19,135 early in their careers. Suny College At Oneonta graduates carry a median of $24,250 in student loans.
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Suny College At Cortland came in at #4 on our 2027 list of the best general visual & performing arts schools. Suny College At Cortland is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of Cortland. About 68% of students finish within six years. About 12 general visual & performing arts degrees were awarded at Suny College At Cortland in the most recent year. Students who receive their general visual & performing arts degree from Suny College At Cortland earn around $38,709 in the first couple years of their career. Typical student debt for the program is $25,369.
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Daemen College came in at #5 on our 2027 list of the best general visual & performing arts schools. This mid-sized private not-for-profit university is located in the suburb of Amherst. The six-year graduation rate is 59%. About 14 general visual & performing arts degrees were awarded at Daemen College in the most recent year. General Visual & Performing Arts graduates of Daemen College earn a median of $63,542 early in their careers. Typical student debt for the program is $28,358.
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Suny College At Old Westbury came in at #6 for general visual & performing arts this year. Suny College At Old Westbury is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of Old Westbury. About 45% of students finish within six years. Suny College At Old Westbury awarded about 29 general visual & performing arts degrees in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, general visual & performing arts degree recipients from Suny College At Old Westbury generally make around $44,443. Suny College At Old Westbury graduates carry a median of $20,274 in student loans.
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State University Of New York At New Paltz came in at #7 for general visual & performing arts this year. Located in the town of New Paltz, State University Of New York At New Paltz is a moderately-sized public university. The six-year graduation rate is 72%. There were roughly 36 general visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at State University Of New York At New Paltz in the most recent data year. Students who receive their general visual & performing arts degree from State University Of New York At New Paltz earn around $19,893 in the first couple years of their career. Typical student debt for the program is $21,324.
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Long Island University C W Post Campus ranked #8 on our 2027 list of the best general visual & performing arts schools. Long Island University C W Post Campus is a large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Brookville. The six-year graduation rate is 55%. Long Island University C W Post Campus awarded about 10 general visual & performing arts degrees in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, general visual & performing arts degree recipients from Long Island University C W Post Campus generally make around $61,547. Typical student debt for the program is $25,211.
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Suffolk County Community College came in at #9 for general visual & performing arts this year. This very large public university is located in the suburb of Selden. About 78 general visual & performing arts degrees were awarded at Suffolk County Community College in the most recent year. Soon after graduation, general visual & performing arts degree recipients from Suffolk County Community College generally make around $23,694. Students borrow a median of $11,246 to complete this degree.
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Dutchess Community College earned the #10 position for general visual & performing arts this year. Set in the suburb of Poughkeepsie, Dutchess Community College is a moderately-sized public institution. About 28 general visual & performing arts degrees were awarded at Dutchess Community College in the most recent year. General Visual & Performing Arts graduates of Dutchess Community College earn a median of $32,978 early in their careers. Dutchess Community College graduates carry a median of $5,500 in student loans.
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Suny Westchester Community College placed #11 among the best general visual & performing arts schools. Set in the suburb of Valhalla, Suny Westchester Community College is a large public institution. There were roughly 33 general visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Suny Westchester Community College in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, general visual & performing arts degree recipients from Suny Westchester Community College generally make around $57,520. Suny Westchester Community College graduates carry a median of $8,764 in student loans.
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Cuny Borough Of Manhattan Community College came in at #12 for general visual & performing arts this year. Set in the city of New York, Cuny Borough Of Manhattan Community College is a very large public institution. There were roughly 23 general visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Cuny Borough Of Manhattan Community College in the most recent data year. Graduates of the general visual & performing arts program make about $9,376 in their early career. Typical student debt for the program is $11,000.
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Suny At Purchase College landed the #13 spot for general visual & performing arts this year. Suny At Purchase College is a mid-sized public school located in the suburb of Purchase. Roughly 63% of students complete a degree within six years here. About 33 general visual & performing arts degrees were awarded at Suny At Purchase College in the most recent year. Soon after graduation, general visual & performing arts degree recipients from Suny At Purchase College generally make around $22,024. Typical student debt for the program is $27,000.
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Cuny Queensborough Community College landed the #14 spot for general visual & performing arts this year. Cuny Queensborough Community College is a large public school located in the city of Bayside. About 57 general visual & performing arts degrees were awarded at Cuny Queensborough Community College in the most recent year. Soon after graduation, general visual & performing arts degree recipients from Cuny Queensborough Community College generally make around $23,674. Students borrow a median of $10,052 to complete this degree.
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Suny College At Potsdam ranked #15 on our 2027 list of the best general visual & performing arts schools. Suny College At Potsdam is a mid-sized public school located in the town of Potsdam. The six-year graduation rate is 45%. Suny College At Potsdam awarded about 11 general visual & performing arts degrees in the most recent data year. Students who receive their general visual & performing arts degree from Suny College At Potsdam earn around $32,485 in the first couple years of their career. Typical student debt for the program is $27,000.
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Ulster County Community College earned the #16 position for general visual & performing arts this year. Located in the rural area of Stone Ridge, Ulster County Community College is a mid-sized public university. About 11 general visual & performing arts degrees were awarded at Ulster County Community College in the most recent year. Students who receive their general visual & performing arts degree from Ulster County Community College earn around $47,424 in the first couple years of their career. Ulster County Community College graduates carry a median of $13,354 in student loans.
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Cuny Bronx Community College came in at #17 for general visual & performing arts this year. Cuny Bronx Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Bronx. There were roughly 20 general visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Cuny Bronx Community College in the most recent data year. Graduates of the general visual & performing arts program make about $18,700 in their early career. Students borrow a median of $8,224 to complete this degree.
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Notes and References
This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2027 edition. The methodology weighs graduation rate, post-graduation earnings, cost, and program quality, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Top Ranked · 17 schools evaluated.
- 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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.