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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Visual & Performing Arts (Income $30-$48k)

73 Ranked Colleges
1,721 Degrees Awarded
$9,900 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor's For Those Making $30-$48k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking.

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.

For this year’s “Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 73 colleges that offer a degree in visual and performing arts. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great visual and performing arts programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

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

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k” 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. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k

The colleges and universities below are the best for bachelor’s degree visual arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Visual & Performing Arts (Income $30-$48k)

#1

Duke University

Durham, North Carolina
#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Duke University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Duke 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 University is $-1,314 for Bachelor’s Degree Visual Arts students whose families make $30-$48k. The negative number means the student will receive more financial aid on average than it costs 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full Duke 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 $30-$48k. UPenn is a private not-for-profit institution located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The school has a large population, and it awarded 12 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UPenn, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Pennsylvania is $4,833 for Bachelor’s Degree Visual Arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at UPenn

#3

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 $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Rice University landed the #3 spot on the list. Rice is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Houston, Texas. It awarded 20 bachelors’s visual arts degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Rice, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Rice is $7,534 for bachelor’s degree visual arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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. The low student loan default rate of 1.0% 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%.

Full Rice Visual & Performing Arts Report

#4

Harvard University

Cambridge, Massachusetts
#11 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Harvard University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Harvard is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 36 bachelors’s visual arts degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Harvard, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Harvard is $1,010 for bachelor’s degree visual arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. 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%.

Full Harvard Visual & Performing Arts Report

#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 $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Lehman College landed the #5 spot on the list. Lehman College is a fairly large public school situated in Bronx, New York. It awarded 14 bachelors’s visual arts degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $3,289 for bachelor’s degree visual arts students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Lehman.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Lehman

#7 in overall quality

Texas A&M University - College Station came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in College Station, Texas, this large public school awarded 15 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s visual arts students in 2019-2020.

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 estimated yearly cost for Texas A&M College Station is $13,270 for bachelor’s degree visual arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, 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 94%.

Read more about Visual & Performing Arts at Texas A&M College Station

#9 in overall quality

With a ranking of #7, University of California - San Diego did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. UCSD is located in La Jolla, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 116 bachelors’s visual arts degrees to qualified students.

UCSD also took the #9 spot in our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UCSD is $9,974 for bachelor’s degree visual arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 1.5% 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 more about Visual & Performing Arts at University of California - San Diego

#8

Boston University

Boston, Massachusetts
#10 in overall quality

With a ranking of #8, Boston University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Boston, Massachusetts is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s visual arts degrees to 1 students in 2019-2020.

Boston U did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Boston U is $13,256 for bachelor’s degree visual arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Boston U

#3 in overall quality

The University of Texas at Austin did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #9. Austin, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s visual arts degrees to 42 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UT Austin, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UT Austin is $13,575 for Bachelor’s Degree Visual Arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full UT Austin Visual & Performing Arts Report

#20 in overall quality

Arizona State University - Tempe did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #10. Tempe, Arizona is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s visual arts degrees to 26 students in 2019-2020.

ASU - Tempe did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #20 on our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Arizona State University - Tempe is $8,921 for Bachelor’s Degree Visual Arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

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

#12 in overall quality

The University of Texas at Dallas ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. UT Dallas is a public institution located in Richardson, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 39 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UT Dallas did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $11,745 for bachelor’s degree visual arts students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend The University of Texas at Dallas.

With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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%.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at The University of Texas at Dallas

#24 in overall quality

California State University - San Marcos did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #12. This fairly large school is located in San Marcos, California, and it awarded 93 bachelors’s visual arts degrees in 2019-2020.

CSUSM not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #24 on our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $10,347 for Bachelor’s Degree Visual Arts students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend California State University - San Marcos.

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%.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at California State University - San Marcos

#13

Texas Tech University

Lubbock, Texas

Texas Tech University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. 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 estimated yearly cost for Texas Tech University is $13,326 for Bachelor’s Degree Visual Arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.

Full Texas Tech University Visual & Performing Arts Report

#21 in overall quality

Iowa State University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Ames, Iowa is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s visual arts degrees to 5 students in 2019-2020.

Iowa State also took the #21 spot in our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Iowa State University is $10,843 for bachelor’s degree visual arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.

Read more about Visual & Performing Arts at Iowa State

#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 $30-$48k list. Huntington, West Virginia is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s visual arts degrees to 17 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Marshall University is $6,741 for Bachelor’s Degree Visual Arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full Marshall University Visual & Performing Arts Report

#16

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California
#5 in overall quality

With a ranking of #16, University of Southern California did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. USC is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 3 bachelors’s visual arts degrees in 2019-2020.

USC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $16,252 for bachelor’s degree visual arts students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend USC.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.

Read more about Visual & Performing Arts at USC

#17

Mississippi State University

Mississippi State, Mississippi
#19 in overall quality

Mississippi State University landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Mississippi State is a large public school situated in Mississippi State, Mississippi. It awarded 36 bachelors’s visual arts degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree visual arts students whose families make $30-$48k list, Mississippi State has also earned the #19 rank in our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Mississippi State University is $13,799 for Bachelor’s Degree Visual Arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 Mississippi State

The University of Tennessee - Martin landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Martin, Tennessee is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s visual arts degrees to 22 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for The University of Tennessee - Martin is $9,855 for bachelor’s degree visual arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Visual & Performing Arts at UT Martin

#19

Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts

North Adams, Massachusetts

Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #19. North Adams, Massachusetts is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s visual arts degrees to 14 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for MCLA is $13,325 for Bachelor’s Degree Visual Arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

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.

Read more about Visual & Performing Arts at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts

#20

SUNY New Paltz

New Paltz, New York
#18 in overall quality

SUNY New Paltz came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. SUNY New Paltz is a public institution located in New Paltz, New York. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 52 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

SUNY New Paltz also took the #18 spot in our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for SUNY New Paltz is $14,870 for bachelor’s degree visual arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.

Full SUNY New Paltz Visual & Performing Arts Report

#21

SUNY Fredonia

Fredonia, New York

With a ranking of #21, SUNY Fredonia did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. SUNY Fredonia is a public institution located in Fredonia, New York. The school has a small population, and it awarded 13 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $11,935 for bachelor’s degree visual arts students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend SUNY Fredonia.

The low student loan default rate of 4.5% 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%.

Full SUNY Fredonia Visual & Performing Arts Report

#22

Oakland University

Rochester Hills, Michigan

Oakland University landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Oakland is a public institution located in Rochester Hills, Michigan. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Oakland University is $7,751 for bachelor’s degree visual arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Visual & Performing Arts at Oakland University

#23

Longwood University

Farmville, Virginia
#14 in overall quality

Longwood University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Longwood University is located in Farmville, Virginia and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 23 bachelors’s visual arts degrees to qualified students.

Longwood not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Longwood University is $14,433 for bachelor’s degree visual arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Longwood

University of Illinois at Chicago came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s visual arts degrees to 8 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Chicago is $11,185 for Bachelor’s Degree Visual Arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

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 more about Visual & Performing Arts at UIC

New Mexico State University - Main Campus landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Las Cruces, New Mexico is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s visual arts degrees to 17 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend New Mexico State University - Main Campus is $7,006 for Bachelor’s Degree Visual Arts students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full New Mexico State University - Main Campus Visual & Performing Arts Report

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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