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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Visual & Performing Arts in the Great Lakes Region (With Aid)

129 Ranked Colleges
13,882 Degrees Awarded
$14,900 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor's in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

With 155,377 degrees handed out in 2019-2020, visual and performing arts is the 10th most popular major in the United States. In 2017-2018, visual and performing arts graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $25,427 and had an average of $28,377 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 20,124 visual and performing arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $25,485 and $27,728 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 13,882 visual and performing arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,075 and $25,381 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking looked at 129 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the visual and performing arts program at the school. 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 & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that 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. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Visual & Performing Arts in the Great Lakes Region (With Aid)

#4 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. University of Wisconsin - Madison is a public institution located in Madison, Wisconsin. The school has a large population, and it awarded 172 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW - Madison, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $17,708 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Visual & Performing Arts students with aid per year to attend UW - Madison.

With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 0.8% 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 UW - Madison

#5 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid. UIUC is a large school located in Champaign, Illinois that handed out 257 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2019-2020.

UIUC also took the #5 spot in our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is $15,880 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree visual & performing arts students with aid.

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 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full UIUC Visual & Performing Arts Report

#3

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, Indiana
#13 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Purdue University - Main Campus. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Purdue University - Main Campus is a large school located in West Lafayette, Indiana that handed out 103 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Purdue, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $13,986 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Visual & Performing Arts students with aid per year to attend Purdue University - Main Campus.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.

Read more about Visual & Performing Arts at Purdue University - Main Campus

#15 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - La Crosse. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. University of Wisconsin - La Crosse is a fairly large school located in La Crosse, Wisconsin that handed out 48 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2019-2020.

UW - La Crosse also made our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #15. It costs about $14,580 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree visual & performing arts students with aid per year to attend UW - La Crosse.

The low student loan default rate of 1.6% 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 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of Wisconsin - La Crosse Visual & Performing Arts Report

#3 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid. U-M is a public institution located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 395 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

U-M also made our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #3. It costs about $15,336 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree visual & performing arts students with aid per year to attend U-M.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Visual & Performing Arts Report

#24 in overall quality

University of Wisconsin - Whitewater came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Wisconsin - Whitewater is a fairly large public school situated in Whitewater, Wisconsin. It awarded 114 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2019-2020.

UW - Whitewater also took the #24 spot in our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UW - Whitewater is $15,249 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree visual & performing arts students with aid.

Read more about Visual & Performing Arts at UW - Whitewater

#7

Indiana University - Bloomington

Bloomington, Indiana
#20 in overall quality

Indiana University - Bloomington ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Bloomington, Indiana is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees to 380 students in 2019-2020.

IU Bloomington also made our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #20. It costs about $13,253 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree visual & performing arts students with aid per year to attend Indiana University - Bloomington.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full IU Bloomington Visual & Performing Arts Report

#14 in overall quality

With a ranking of #8, University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. UW - Eau Claire is located in Eau Claire, Wisconsin and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 98 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees to qualified students.

UW - Eau Claire did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire is $16,020 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Visual & Performing Arts students with aid.

Full UW - Eau Claire Visual & Performing Arts Report

#9

University of Wisconsin - Stout

Menomonie, Wisconsin
#11 in overall quality

University of Wisconsin - Stout landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. UW - Stout is a medium-sized school located in Menomonie, Wisconsin that handed out 194 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree visual & performing arts students with aid list, UW - Stout has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $15,839 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Visual & Performing Arts students with aid per year to attend UW - Stout.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Visual & Performing Arts at UW - Stout

University of Wisconsin - Parkside came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Kenosha, Wisconsin, this small public school awarded 58 degrees to qualified bachelors’s visual and performing arts students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $11,327 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree visual & performing arts students with aid per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Parkside.

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

#11

Franklin University

Columbus, Ohio

Franklin University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. This medium-sized school is located in Columbus, Ohio, and it awarded 12 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Franklin University is $12,895 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Visual & Performing Arts students with aid.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Franklin University

With a ranking of #12, Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. IUPUI is located in Indianapolis, Indiana and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 112 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for IUPUI is $11,285 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Visual & Performing Arts students with aid.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis

#13

Ball State University

Muncie, Indiana

Ball State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #13. Ball State University is a public institution located in Muncie, Indiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 241 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Ball State University is $15,147 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree visual & performing arts students with aid.

Full Ball State University Visual & Performing Arts Report

#14

University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point

Stevens Point, Wisconsin
Top 25% in overall quality

University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #14. University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point is located in Stevens Point, Wisconsin and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 148 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point is $14,465 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree visual & performing arts students with aid.

Read more about Visual & Performing Arts at University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point

#15

University of Wisconsin - Green Bay

Green Bay, Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin - Green Bay landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. UW - Green Bay is a public institution located in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 59 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Green Bay is $14,395 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree visual & performing arts students with aid.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at University of Wisconsin - Green Bay

University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh is a fairly large school located in Oshkosh, Wisconsin that handed out 38 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh is $15,463 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Visual & Performing Arts students with aid.

Full University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh Visual & Performing Arts Report

#17

University of Wisconsin - Platteville

Platteville, Wisconsin
#25 in overall quality

University of Wisconsin - Platteville came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Wisconsin - Platteville is located in Platteville, Wisconsin and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 12 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees to qualified students.

UW - Platteville did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #25 on our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UW - Platteville is $15,718 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Visual & Performing Arts students with aid.

Read more about Visual & Performing Arts at UW - Platteville

#18

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, Illinois

Eastern Illinois University landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Charleston, Illinois, this medium-sized public school handed out 42 degrees to qualified bachelors’s visual and performing arts students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend EIU is $14,607 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Visual & Performing Arts students with aid.

Full Eastern Illinois University Visual & Performing Arts Report

University of Illinois at Chicago came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this large public school handed out 146 degrees to qualified bachelors’s visual and performing arts students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for UIC is $13,312 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Visual & Performing Arts students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 3.4% 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 Visual & Performing Arts at University of Illinois at Chicago

#20

University of Southern Indiana

Evansville, Indiana

University of Southern Indiana did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #20. Evansville, Indiana is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees to 77 students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $13,437 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree visual & performing arts students with aid per year to attend University of Southern Indiana.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 5.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at University of Southern Indiana

#21

Michigan State University

East Lansing, Michigan
#17 in overall quality

Michigan State University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Michigan State University is a large public school situated in East Lansing, Michigan. It awarded 235 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree visual & performing arts students with aid list, Michigan State has also earned the #17 rank in our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Michigan State University is $19,173 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree visual & performing arts students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 3.6% 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 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Visual & Performing Arts at Michigan State

#22

University of Wisconsin - River Falls

River Falls, Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin - River Falls ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. River Falls, Wisconsin is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees to 52 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for UW - River Falls is $13,748 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Visual & Performing Arts students with aid.

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 University of Wisconsin - River Falls Visual & Performing Arts Report

#23

Ferris State University

Big Rapids, Michigan

Ferris State University landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Ferris State University is a fairly large public school situated in Big Rapids, Michigan. It awarded 104 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Ferris State University is $12,889 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree visual & performing arts students with aid.

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

#24

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

With a ranking of #24, Northern Illinois University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Northern Illinois University is a public institution located in Dekalb, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 137 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend NIU is $18,259 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree visual & performing arts students with aid.

Full NIU Visual & Performing Arts Report

#25

University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee is a large school located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin that handed out 266 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $17,876 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree visual & performing arts students with aid per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee.

Full UWM Visual & Performing Arts Report

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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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