by our College Data Analytics Team
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Most Well Attended Visual & Performing Arts Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
Visual & Performing Arts is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 10th of all the majors we analyze. In 2020-2021, 149,215 degrees were awarded to students with this major. In 2019-2020, visual and performing arts graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $26,700 and had an average of $25,051 in loans still to pay off.
Across the Great Lakes region, there were 19,622 visual and performing arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $26,942 and $26,129 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 13,660 visual and performing arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $40,343 and $26,790 respectively.
This year’s “Most Well Attended Visual & Performing Arts Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s” ranking analyzed 230 colleges that offered a degree in visual and performing arts. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have one of the most popular visual and performing arts programs in the United States.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Most Well Attended Visual & Performing Arts Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s” 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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region bachelor’s degree visual & performing arts students.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Columbia College Chicago. The school came in at #1 for the Most Well Attended Visual & Performing Arts Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees to 837 students in 2020-2021.
Full Columbia College Chicago Visual & Performing Arts Report
Out of the 230 schools in the Most Well Attended Visual & Performing Arts Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, School of the Art Institute of Chicago landed the #2 spot on the list. School of the Art Institute of Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 576 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at School of the Art Institute of Chicago
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Cincinnati - Main Campus. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Visual & Performing Arts Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s list. University of Cincinnati - Main Campus is a large school located in Cincinnati, Ohio that handed out 458 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad 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 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Out of the 230 schools in the Most Well Attended Visual & Performing Arts Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, this large public school awarded 424 degrees to qualified bachelors’s visual and performing arts students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 230 schools in the Most Well Attended Visual & Performing Arts Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, DePaul University landed the #5 spot on the list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees to 401 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad 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%.
Kent State University at Kent came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Visual & Performing Arts Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s ranking. Kent, Ohio is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees to 360 students in 2020-2021.
Read more about Visual & Performing Arts at Kent State University at Kent
Indiana University - Bloomington ranked #7 on this year’s Most Well Attended Visual & Performing Arts Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s 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 342 students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Visual & Performing Arts at Indiana University - Bloomington
With a ranking of #8, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Visual & Performing Arts Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s list. University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee is a large school located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin that handed out 286 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2020-2021.
Ohio State University - Main Campus landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Visual & Performing Arts Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s ranking. Columbus, Ohio is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees to 276 students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Illinois State University ranked #10 on this year’s Most Well Attended Visual & Performing Arts Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s list. Illinois State University is a public institution located in Normal, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 255 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad 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%.
Full Illinois State University Visual & Performing Arts Report
Western Michigan University ranked #11 on this year’s Most Well Attended Visual & Performing Arts Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s list. Western Michigan University is a fairly large public school situated in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It awarded 246 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2020-2021.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ranked #12 on this year’s Most Well Attended Visual & Performing Arts Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s list. UIUC is located in Champaign, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 228 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, 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 undergraduate students.
Michigan State University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Visual & Performing Arts Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s ranking. Michigan State University is located in East Lansing, Michigan and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 207 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees to qualified students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Michigan State University
With a ranking of #14, Bowling Green State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Visual & Performing Arts Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s list. Bowling Green, Ohio is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees to 201 students in 2020-2021.
Full Bowling Green State University - Main Campus Visual & Performing Arts Report
With a ranking of #15, Northwestern University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Visual & Performing Arts Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s list. Northwestern University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Evanston, Illinois. It awarded 197 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Northwestern University
Ohio University - Athens Campus did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Visual & Performing Arts Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #15. OHIO Athens is a public institution located in Athens, Ohio. The school has a large population, and it awarded 197 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Ball State University ranked #17 on this year’s Most Well Attended Visual & Performing Arts Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s list. This large school is located in Muncie, Indiana, and it awarded 190 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad 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%.
College for Creative Studies landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Visual & Performing Arts Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s ranking. Located in Detroit, Michigan, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 182 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s visual and performing arts students in 2020-2021.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read more about Visual & Performing Arts at College for Creative Studies
Grand Valley State University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Visual & Performing Arts Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s ranking. This large school is located in Allendale, Michigan, and it awarded 174 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad 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 Grand Valley State University
Columbus College of Art and Design did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Visual & Performing Arts Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #20. CCAD is a small school located in Columbus, Ohio that handed out 172 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergraduate 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.
University of Wisconsin - Stout ranked #21 on this year’s Most Well Attended Visual & Performing Arts Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s list. This medium-sized school is located in Menomonie, Wisconsin, and it awarded 170 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Miami University - Oxford landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Visual & Performing Arts Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s ranking. Miami University - Oxford is a public institution located in Oxford, Ohio. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 169 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Visual & Performing Arts at Miami University - Oxford
With a ranking of #23, Oberlin College did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Visual & Performing Arts Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s list. Oberlin College is a small school located in Oberlin, Ohio that handed out 167 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate 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.
Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Oberlin College
Eastern Michigan University landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Visual & Performing Arts Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s ranking. Ypsilanti, Michigan is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees to 165 students in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #25, University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Visual & Performing Arts Major in the Great Lakes Region for a Bachelor’s list. This large school is located in Madison, Wisconsin, and it awarded 163 bachelors’s visual and performing arts degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Not only did these schools make the top 35 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
