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

191 Ranked Colleges
21,876 Degrees Awarded
$11,000 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor's in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2019-2020, 155,377 visual and performing arts students received their degree, making the major the 10th most popular in the country. 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 Southeast region, there were 31,939 visual and performing arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $24,659 and $27,556 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 21,876 visual and performing arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $36,277 and $25,415 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 191 colleges that offer a degree 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.

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

The visual & performing arts school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid”.

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 & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for southeast region bachelor’s degree visual & performing arts students with aid.

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

#1

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, North Carolina
#8 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and it awarded 112 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2019-2020.

UNC Chapel Hill not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list. It costs about $12,352 for southeast region bachelor’s degree visual & performing arts students with aid per year to attend UNC Chapel Hill.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full UNC Chapel Hill Visual & Performing Arts Report

#2

University of Florida

Gainesville, Florida
#11 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Florida. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid. This large school is located in Gainesville, Florida, and it awarded 298 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UF, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. It costs about $6,302 for southeast region bachelor’s degree visual & performing arts students with aid per year to attend University of Florida.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Visual & Performing Arts at UF

#3

Berea College

Berea, Kentucky

Out of the 191 schools in the Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Berea College landed the #3 spot on the list. Berea College is a small school located in Berea, Kentucky that handed out 33 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Berea is $5,184 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Visual & Performing Arts students with aid.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 9 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 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.

Full Berea College Visual & Performing Arts Report

#4

University of North Carolina School of the Arts

Winston-Salem, North Carolina
#17 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of North Carolina School of the Arts. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid. University of North Carolina School of the Arts is a small school located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina that handed out 223 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2019-2020.

UNCSA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UNCSA is $13,885 for southeast region bachelor’s degree visual & performing arts students with aid.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, 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 student loan default rate at the school is 4.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of North Carolina School of the Arts Visual & Performing Arts Report

#5

Florida State University

Tallahassee, Florida
#13 in overall quality

Out of the 191 schools in the Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Florida State University landed the #5 spot on the list. This large school is located in Tallahassee, Florida, and it awarded 365 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2019-2020.

Florida State also made our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list, coming in at #13. The yearly cost to attend Florida State is $9,789 for southeast region bachelor’s degree visual & performing arts students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 3.5% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Florida State Visual & Performing Arts Report

#20 in overall quality

University of Central Florida did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #6. Orlando, Florida is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees to 915 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southeast region bachelor’s degree visual & performing arts students with aid list, UCF has also earned the #20 rank in our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. It costs about $10,274 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Visual & Performing Arts students with aid per year to attend University of Central Florida.

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

Full University of Central Florida Visual & Performing Arts Report

Top 25% in overall quality

With a ranking of #7, Florida International University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid list. Florida International University is a large school located in Miami, Florida that handed out 209 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Florida International University is $7,296 for southeast 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 91%.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Florida International University

#5 in overall quality

With a ranking of #8, Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid list. Atlanta, Georgia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees to 41 students in 2019-2020.

Georgia Tech did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus is $14,739 for Southeast 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 97%. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus

#9

Elizabeth City State University

Elizabeth City, North Carolina

Elizabeth City State University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid list. ECSU is a small public school situated in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. It awarded 8 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $2,350 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Visual & Performing Arts students with aid per year to attend ECSU.

Read more about Visual & Performing Arts at Elizabeth City State University

#10

Appalachian State University

Boone, North Carolina
Top 20% in overall quality

Appalachian State University landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Appalachian State is a large school located in Boone, North Carolina that handed out 279 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Appalachian State is also in the top of our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. It costs about $13,920 for southeast region bachelor’s degree visual & performing arts students with aid per year to attend Appalachian State University.

The low student loan default rate of 3.9% 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 86%.

Read more about Visual & Performing Arts at Appalachian State University

#11

North Carolina State University

Raleigh, North Carolina
#14 in overall quality

North Carolina State University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid list. North Carolina State University is a large public school situated in Raleigh, North Carolina. It awarded 121 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southeast region bachelor’s degree visual & performing arts students with aid list, NC State has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend NC State is $16,458 for southeast region bachelor’s degree visual & performing arts students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 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 North Carolina State University

University of South Florida - Main Campus landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. USF Tampa is a public institution located in Tampa, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 192 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $8,355 for southeast region bachelor’s degree visual & performing arts students with aid per year to attend USF Tampa.

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

Full University of South Florida - Main Campus Visual & Performing Arts Report

#13

The University of West Florida

Pensacola, Florida

The University of West Florida did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #13. Pensacola, Florida is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees to 87 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for UWF is $7,406 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Visual & Performing Arts students with aid.

Read more about Visual & Performing Arts at The University of West Florida

#14

University of Virginia - Main Campus

Charlottesville, Virginia
#4 in overall quality

University of Virginia - Main Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #14. University of Virginia is located in Charlottesville, Virginia and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 95 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at University of Virginia, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Virginia - Main Campus is $20,397 for Southeast 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 97%. 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%.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at University of Virginia

#15

University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Greensboro, North Carolina

University of North Carolina at Greensboro ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid list. UNC Greensboro is a public institution located in Greensboro, North Carolina. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 278 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for UNC Greensboro is $12,748 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Visual & Performing Arts students with aid.

Read more about Visual & Performing Arts at UNC Greensboro

#16

University of North Florida

Jacksonville, Florida

University of North Florida did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #16. University of North Florida is located in Jacksonville, Florida and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 114 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend University of North Florida is $9,606 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Visual & Performing Arts students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 4.3% 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%.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at University of North Florida

#17

Florida Atlantic University

Boca Raton, Florida
Top 25% in overall quality

Florida Atlantic University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Florida Atlantic University is a public institution located in Boca Raton, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 170 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Florida Atlantic University is $10,186 for southeast region bachelor’s degree visual & performing arts students with aid.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Florida Atlantic University

#18

Florida Gulf Coast University

Fort Myers, Florida

Florida Gulf Coast University landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. FGCU is a public institution located in Fort Myers, Florida. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 50 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $11,606 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Visual & Performing Arts students with aid per year to attend FGCU.

Full FGCU Visual & Performing Arts Report

With a ranking of #19, Seminole State College of Florida did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid list. Seminole State College of Florida is a fairly large school located in Sanford, Florida that handed out 34 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Seminole State is $8,326 for southeast region bachelor’s degree visual & performing arts students with aid.

Read more about Visual & Performing Arts at Seminole State

#20

University of Georgia

Athens, Georgia
#10 in overall quality

University of Georgia came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. UGA is located in Athens, Georgia and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 208 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees to qualified students.

UGA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list. It costs about $13,649 for southeast region bachelor’s degree visual & performing arts students with aid per year to attend UGA.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, 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 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Visual & Performing Arts at University of Georgia

#21

Miami Dade College

Miami, Florida

Miami Dade College came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Miami Dade College is a large public school situated in Miami, Florida. It awarded 49 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Miami Dade College is $4,842 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Visual & Performing Arts students with aid.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at MDC

#22

McNeese State University

Lake Charles, Louisiana

McNeese State University landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Lake Charles, Louisiana is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees to 37 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend McNeese is $12,267 for southeast region bachelor’s degree visual & performing arts students with aid.

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

#23

James Madison University

Harrisonburg, Virginia
#9 in overall quality

James Madison University landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. JMU is a public institution located in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 252 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

JMU also made our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region” list, coming in at #9. The yearly cost to attend JMU is $22,169 for southeast region bachelor’s degree visual & performing arts students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at James Madison University

#24

Northern Kentucky University

Highland Heights, Kentucky

Northern Kentucky University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #24. Northern Kentucky University is a fairly large public school situated in Highland Heights, Kentucky. It awarded 131 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $9,049 for southeast region bachelor’s degree visual & performing arts students with aid per year to attend Northern Kentucky University.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at NKU

#25

Augusta University

Augusta, Georgia

Augusta University ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid list. Augusta, Georgia is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees to 26 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Augusta University is $11,136 for Southeast Region Bachelor’s Degree Visual & Performing Arts students with aid.

Full Augusta University Visual & Performing Arts Report

Rest of the Best 29 in Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southeast Region For Those Getting Aid

Not only did these schools make the top 29 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

#27

Virginia Tech

Blacksburg, Virginia
#28

Middle Tennessee State University

Murfreesboro, Tennessee

Switch to a Different Ranking Method

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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