Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Visual & Performing Arts

Find Schools Near

2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Visual & Performing Arts in the Far Western US Region

105 Ranked Colleges
16,683 Degrees Awarded
$12,600 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor's in the Far Western US Region

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region” ranking is part of that endeavor.

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 Far Western US region, there were 30,019 visual and performing arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $25,342 and $31,625 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 16,683 visual and performing arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,083 and $22,209 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region” ranking, we looked at 105 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.

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 & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for far western us region bachelor’s degree visual & performing arts students.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Visual & Performing Arts in the Far Western US Region

#24 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Northridge. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. This large school is located in Northridge, California, and it awarded 474 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree visual & performing arts students list, CSUN has also earned the #24 rank in our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Northridge is $8,414 for far western us region bachelor’s degree visual & performing arts students.

The low student loan default rate of 2.0% 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 California State University - Northridge Visual & Performing Arts Report

#19 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Long Beach. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. California State University - Long Beach is a large school located in Long Beach, California that handed out 909 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2019-2020.

CSULB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #19 on our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Long Beach is $9,622 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Visual & Performing Arts students.

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 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at California State University - Long Beach

#3

Bellevue College

Bellevue, Washington

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Bellevue College. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. Bellevue, Washington is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees to 36 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Bellevue College is $7,870 for far western us region bachelor’s degree visual & performing arts students.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Bellevue College

#2 in overall quality

Out of the 105 schools in the Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo landed the #4 spot on the list. San Luis Obispo, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees to 83 students in 2019-2020.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also took the #2 spot in our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $21,595 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Visual & Performing Arts students per year to attend California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo.

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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo

#5

San Jose State University

San Jose, California
#13 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend San Jose State University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. San Jose State is a large school located in San Jose, California that handed out 507 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2019-2020.

San Jose State also took the #13 spot in our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for San Jose State is $14,928 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Visual & Performing Arts 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Visual & Performing Arts at San Jose State

Lake Washington Institute of Technology landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. Lake Washington Institute of Technology is a small school located in Kirkland, Washington that handed out 17 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Lake Washington Institute of Technology is $7,713 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Visual & Performing Arts students.

Full Lake Washington Institute of Technology Visual & Performing Arts Report

California State University - Fresno ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. Fresno State is a public institution located in Fresno, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 191 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Fresno State is $5,464 for far western us region bachelor’s degree visual & performing arts students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Visual & Performing Arts at California State University - Fresno

California State University - San Marcos landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. Located in San Marcos, California, this fairly large public school awarded 104 degrees to qualified bachelors’s visual and performing arts students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for CSUSM is $13,399 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Visual & Performing Arts students.

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%.

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

#22 in overall quality

California State University - Fullerton came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. California State University - Fullerton is located in Fullerton, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 584 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree visual & performing arts students list, Cal State Fullerton has also earned the #22 rank in our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Cal State Fullerton is $7,991 for far western us region bachelor’s degree visual & performing arts students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Visual & Performing Arts at Cal State Fullerton

With a ranking of #10, California State University - East Bay did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. California State University - East Bay is a public institution located in Hayward, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 111 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - East Bay is $11,116 for far western us region bachelor’s degree visual & performing arts students.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Cal State East Bay

#11

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California

San Francisco State University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. San Francisco State University is a large school located in San Francisco, California that handed out 567 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend SFSU is $15,113 for far western us region bachelor’s degree visual & performing arts students.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at SFSU

California State University - Channel Islands did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #12. California State University - Channel Islands is located in Camarillo, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 103 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $13,558 for far western us region bachelor’s degree visual & performing arts students per year to attend California State University - Channel Islands.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Visual & Performing Arts at California State University - Channel Islands

#13

Western Washington University

Bellingham, Washington
#17 in overall quality

Western Washington University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. WWU is located in Bellingham, Washington and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 226 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees to qualified students.

WWU also took the #17 spot in our “Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Western Washington University is $16,529 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Visual & Performing Arts students.

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%.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Western Washington University

University of Nevada - Las Vegas ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. Located in Las Vegas, Nevada, this large public school handed out 226 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s visual and performing arts students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for University of Nevada - Las Vegas is $11,424 for far western us region bachelor’s degree visual & performing arts students.

Full UNLV Visual & Performing Arts Report

With a ranking of #15, California State University - Chico did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. Chico State is located in Chico, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 228 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $15,017 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Visual & Performing Arts students per year to attend California State University - Chico.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

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

California State Polytechnic University - Pomona landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. Cal Poly Pomona is located in Pomona, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 175 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is $12,734 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Visual & Performing Arts students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, 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%.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Cal Poly Pomona

#17

California State University - San Bernardino

San Bernardino, California

California State University - San Bernardino landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. California State University - San Bernardino is a public institution located in San Bernardino, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 169 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $7,342 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Visual & Performing Arts students per year to attend CSUSB.

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 CSUSB

California State University - Los Angeles came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. California State University - Los Angeles is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 191 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $2,768 for far western us region bachelor’s degree visual & performing arts students per year to attend Cal State LA.

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%.

Full Cal State LA Visual & Performing Arts Report

#19

Sonoma State University

Rohnert Park, California

Sonoma State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #19. SSU is a public institution located in Rohnert Park, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 79 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for SSU is $17,478 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Visual & Performing Arts students.

The low student loan default rate of 4.7% 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 Sonoma State University Visual & Performing Arts Report

#20

National University

La Jolla, California

With a ranking of #20, National University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. Located in La Jolla, California, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 10 degrees to qualified bachelors’s visual and performing arts students in 2019-2020.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full National University Visual & Performing Arts Report

University of Nevada - Reno landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. Reno, Nevada is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees to 78 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for University of Nevada - Reno is $15,081 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Visual & Performing Arts students.

Read more about Visual & Performing Arts at UNR

California State University - Sacramento ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. California State University - Sacramento is a public institution located in Sacramento, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 261 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Sacramento is $9,979 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Visual & Performing Arts students.

The low student loan default rate of 4.6% 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 more about Visual & Performing Arts at California State University - Sacramento

California State University - Monterey Bay landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region ranking. California State University - Monterey Bay is a public institution located in Seaside, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 94 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Monterey Bay is $12,212 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Visual & Performing Arts students.

The low student loan default rate of 5.0% 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 California State University - Monterey Bay Visual & Performing Arts Report

#24

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

San Diego State University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. San Diego State University is located in San Diego, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 321 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $14,788 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Visual & Performing Arts students per year to attend San Diego State University.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, 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 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Visual & Performing Arts at SDSU

Top 25% in overall quality

John Paul the Great Catholic University ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region list. John Paul the Great Catholic University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Escondido, California. It awarded 60 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for John Paul the Great Catholic University is $29,749 for far western us region bachelor’s degree visual & performing arts students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Visual & Performing Arts at John Paul the Great Catholic University

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.

Credits

Featured Schools

Find Schools Near You