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2022 Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k

73 Ranked Colleges
1,721 Degrees Awarded
$8,800 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor's For Those Making $0-$30k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. 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 For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

Visual & Performing Arts is the 217th most popular major in the country with 3,337 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,721 visual and performing arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 73 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in visual and performing arts. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality 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 visual and performing arts program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Visual & Performing Arts Schools

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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. 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 for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for bachelor’s degree visual arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Visual & Performing Arts (Income $0-$30k)

#1

Duke University

Durham, North Carolina
#1 in overall quality

Out of the 73 schools in the Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Duke University landed the #1 spot on the list. Duke University is a fairly large school located in Durham, North Carolina that handed out 7 bachelors’s visual arts degrees in 2019-2020.

Duke did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Duke is $-7,808 for Bachelor’s Degree Visual Arts students whose families make $0-$30k. A negative average net price may seem strange, but it generally means that financial aid will more than cover the cost to attend the school.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.

Full Duke University Visual & Performing Arts Report

#2

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
#4 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Pennsylvania. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k. Located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 12 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s visual arts students in 2019-2020.

UPenn not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Pennsylvania is $3,181 for Bachelor’s Degree Visual Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full UPenn Visual & Performing Arts Report

#3

Harvard University

Cambridge, Massachusetts
#11 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Harvard University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and it awarded 36 bachelors’s visual arts degrees in 2019-2020.

Harvard also made our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #11. The estimated yearly cost for Harvard is $2,973 for Bachelor’s Degree Visual Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Visual & Performing Arts at Harvard

#4

Rice University

Houston, Texas
#8 in overall quality

Out of the 73 schools in the Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Rice University landed the #4 spot on the list. This medium-sized school is located in Houston, Texas, and it awarded 20 bachelors’s visual arts degrees in 2019-2020.

Rice also made our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #8. The yearly cost to attend Rice University is $3,437 for Bachelor’s Degree Visual Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read more about Visual & Performing Arts at Rice University

#5

Lehman College

Bronx, New York

Out of the 73 schools in the Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Lehman College landed the #5 spot on the list. Lehman is a public institution located in Bronx, New York. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 14 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Lehman College is $234 for bachelor’s degree visual arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Visual & Performing Arts at Lehman College

#7 in overall quality

Texas A&M University - College Station ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Texas A&M College Station is located in College Station, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 15 bachelors’s visual arts degrees to qualified students.

Texas A&M College Station not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Texas A&M College Station is $11,454 for bachelor’s degree visual arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.9% 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 94%.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Texas A&M College Station

#9 in overall quality

University of California - San Diego did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #7. La Jolla, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s visual arts degrees to 116 students in 2019-2020.

UCSD did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend University of California - San Diego is $9,280 for bachelor’s degree visual arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Visual & Performing Arts at UCSD

#20 in overall quality

Arizona State University - Tempe came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Tempe, Arizona, and it awarded 26 bachelors’s visual arts degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at ASU - Tempe, the school also landed the #20 spot in our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $7,044 for Bachelor’s Degree Visual Arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Arizona State University - Tempe.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Arizona State University - Tempe

#3 in overall quality

The University of Texas at Austin ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. UT Austin is a public institution located in Austin, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 42 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UT Austin did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend UT Austin is $12,203 for Bachelor’s Degree Visual Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at UT Austin

#12 in overall quality

The University of Texas at Dallas did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #10. This large school is located in Richardson, Texas, and it awarded 39 bachelors’s visual arts degrees in 2019-2020.

UT Dallas not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend UT Dallas is $10,857 for bachelor’s degree visual arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%. The low student loan default rate of 4.9% 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 The University of Texas at Dallas Visual & Performing Arts Report

#24 in overall quality

California State University - San Marcos landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. San Marcos, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s visual arts degrees to 93 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree visual arts students whose families make $0-$30k list, CSUSM has also earned the #24 rank in our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $9,517 for bachelor’s degree visual arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend CSUSM.

The low 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 CSUSM Visual & Performing Arts Report

#21 in overall quality

Iowa State University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Iowa State University is a large school located in Ames, Iowa that handed out 5 bachelors’s visual arts degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Iowa State, the school also landed the #21 spot in our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Iowa State University is $10,054 for Bachelor’s Degree Visual Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 3.3% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Iowa State University

#13

Texas Tech University

Lubbock, Texas

Texas Tech University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #13. Lubbock, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s visual arts degrees to 2 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Texas Tech University is $12,317 for Bachelor’s Degree Visual Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Texas Tech University

#14

SUNY New Paltz

New Paltz, New York
#18 in overall quality

SUNY New Paltz did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #14. Located in New Paltz, New York, this medium-sized public school handed out 52 degrees to qualified bachelors’s visual arts students in 2019-2020.

SUNY New Paltz not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #18 on our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend SUNY New Paltz is $11,543 for Bachelor’s Degree Visual Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.

Read more about Visual & Performing Arts at SUNY New Paltz

#15

Marshall University

Huntington, West Virginia

With a ranking of #15, Marshall University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. This fairly large school is located in Huntington, West Virginia, and it awarded 17 bachelors’s visual arts degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $5,770 for Bachelor’s Degree Visual Arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Marshall University.

Read more about Visual & Performing Arts at Marshall University

#16

Boston University

Boston, Massachusetts
#10 in overall quality

Boston University landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Boston University is a large school located in Boston, Massachusetts that handed out 1 bachelors’s visual arts degrees in 2019-2020.

Boston U also made our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #10. It costs about $12,903 for bachelor’s degree visual arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Boston U.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.

Full Boston University Visual & Performing Arts Report

#17

SUNY Fredonia

Fredonia, New York

SUNY Fredonia did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #17. SUNY Fredonia is a small school located in Fredonia, New York that handed out 13 bachelors’s visual arts degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $10,770 for bachelor’s degree visual arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend SUNY Fredonia.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Visual & Performing Arts at SUNY Fredonia

The University of Tennessee - Martin did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #18. Located in Martin, Tennessee, this medium-sized public school awarded 22 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s visual arts students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for The University of Tennessee - Martin is $7,524 for Bachelor’s Degree Visual Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at The University of Tennessee - Martin

#19

Mississippi State University

Mississippi State, Mississippi
#19 in overall quality

Mississippi State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #19. This large school is located in Mississippi State, Mississippi, and it awarded 36 bachelors’s visual arts degrees in 2019-2020.

Mississippi State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #19 on our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Mississippi State is $13,986 for bachelor’s degree visual arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Visual & Performing Arts at Mississippi State University

#20

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California
#5 in overall quality

University of Southern California landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 3 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s visual arts students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree visual arts students whose families make $0-$30k list, USC has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend USC is $14,668 for bachelor’s degree visual arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 1.2% 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%. The student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Full USC Visual & Performing Arts Report

#21

Ramapo College of New Jersey

Mahwah, New Jersey

Ramapo College of New Jersey landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Ramapo College is a medium-sized school located in Mahwah, New Jersey that handed out 23 bachelors’s visual arts degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Ramapo College of New Jersey is $11,355 for Bachelor’s Degree Visual Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 4.1% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Ramapo College

#22

San Jose State University

San Jose, California

San Jose State University landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in San Jose, California, this large public school handed out 4 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s visual arts students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $10,940 for bachelor’s degree visual arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend San Jose State.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 3.7% 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%.

Full San Jose State University Visual & Performing Arts Report

#23

Longwood University

Farmville, Virginia
#14 in overall quality

With a ranking of #23, Longwood University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Longwood is a small school located in Farmville, Virginia that handed out 23 bachelors’s visual arts degrees in 2019-2020.

Longwood did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Longwood is $14,704 for bachelor’s degree visual arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Visual & Performing Arts at Longwood

University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #24 spot on the 2022 Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UIC is a large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 8 bachelors’s visual arts degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $10,648 for Bachelor’s Degree Visual Arts students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Illinois at Chicago.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at UIC

University of Louisiana at Lafayette landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UL Lafayette is a fairly large public school situated in Lafayette, Louisiana. It awarded 13 bachelors’s visual arts degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for University of Louisiana at Lafayette is $9,621 for Bachelor’s Degree Visual Arts students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Visual & Performing Arts at University of Louisiana at Lafayette

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.

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