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2021 Best Visual & Performing Arts Colleges for Non-Traditional Students

413 Colleges
95,224 Bachelor's Degrees
$34,725 Avg Cost*

Finding the Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools for Non-Traditional Students

Best Visual & Performing Arts Colleges for Non-Traditional StudentsIn <nil>, 95,224 visual & performing arts students received their bachelor's degrees, making the major the 9th most popular in the country.

This year's Best Visual & Performing Arts Colleges for Non-Traditional Students ranking analyzed 413 colleges that offered a bachelor's degree in visual & performing arts. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great visual & performing arts programs and a strong support system for non-traditional students.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the visual & performing arts program at the school, affordability, and non-traditional population. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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As a non-traditional student, you have a lot to consider when it comes to choosing an education. That's why we've developed rankings specifically for you. Check out more major-related rankings here..

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. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

2021 Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools for Non-Traditional Students in the United States

Check out the visual & performing arts programs at these schools if you want to see which ones are the best for non-traditional students.

Top 25 Visual & Performing Arts Schools for Non-Traditional Students

1
New School University crest
The New School
New York, NY

The New School has taken the #1 spot in this year's visual & performing arts ranking for non-traditional students. Located in the large city of New York, New School University is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population. New School University excels when it comes to major quality. It's ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Colleges for Visual & Performing Arts list.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 2.1%. Approximately 5,293 students take at least one class online at New School University. 1,257 students are part time.

Full Visual & Performing Arts at The New School Report

2

Our rankings recognize Rutgers University - New Brunswick as the #2 school in this year's rankings. Rutgers New Brunswick is a fairly large public school located in the small city of New Brunswick. Rutgers New Brunswick also claimed a spot on our Best Colleges for Visual & Performing Arts list. It's in the top 5% of all schools in this category.

The student loan default rate at Rutgers New Brunswick is lower than is typical, just 1.1% of students default in three years. There are approximately 30,054 students at Rutgers New Brunswick that take at least one class online. 7,559 of Rutgers New Brunswick students are attending part time.

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3

Our rankings recognize University of Southern California as the #3 school in this year's rankings. USC is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Los Angeles. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, USC also is in the top 5% of our Best Colleges for Visual & Performing Arts ranking.

The student loan default rate at USC is lower than is typical, just 0.5% of students default in three years. Approximately 15,291 students take at least one class online at USC. 6,687 students are part time.

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4
Florida State crest
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL

Our rankings recognize Florida State University as the #4 school in this year's rankings. Florida State is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Tallahassee. Florida State excels when it comes to major quality. It's ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Colleges for Visual & Performing Arts list.

About 1.0% of Florida State students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. There are approximately 20,172 students at Florida State that take at least one class online. 8,311 of Florida State students are attending part time.

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

5
U of U crest
University of Utah
Salt Lake City, UT

University of Utah earned the #5 spot in our 2021 rankings. U of U is a very large public school located in the city of Salt Lake City. U of U excels when it comes to major quality. It's ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Colleges for Visual & Performing Arts list.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 0.8%. There are approximately 19,378 students at U of U that take at least one class online. About 7,185 of the students at U of U are attending part time.

Full Visual & Performing Arts at University of Utah Report

6
NYU crest
New York University
New York, NY

New York University comes in at #6 in this year's ranking. Located in the large city of New York, NYU is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population. In addition to being on our bet for non-traditional students list, NYU is in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Colleges for Visual & Performing Arts list.

The student loan default rate at NYU is lower than is typical, just 0.8% of students default in three years. There are approximately 21,614 students at NYU that take at least one class online. About 8,829 of the students at NYU are attending part time.

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7

Illinois State University comes in at #7 in this year's ranking. Illinois State is a very large public school located in the medium-sized suburb of Normal. Illinois State excels when it comes to major quality. It's ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Colleges for Visual & Performing Arts list.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 1.7%. There are approximately 7,464 students at Illinois State that take at least one class online. There are roughly 2,500 part time students in attendance at Illinois State.

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8

The #8 spot in this year's ranking belongs to George Mason University. GMU is a very large public school located in the suburb of Fairfax. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, GMU also is in the top 15% of our Best Colleges for Visual & Performing Arts ranking.

About 0.8% of GMU students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. There are approximately 21,490 students at GMU that take at least one class online. There are roughly 12,712 part time students in attendance at GMU.

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9

Indiana University - Bloomington comes in at #9 in this year's ranking. IU Bloomington is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Bloomington. On top of its placing in our non-traditional rankings, IU Bloomington also did well on our Best Colleges for Visual & Performing Arts list. It's in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 1.4%. Approximately 18,013 students take at least one class online at IU Bloomington. 5,256 of IU Bloomington students are attending part time.

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10
Emerson crest
Emerson College
Boston, MA

Emerson College landed the #10 spot in our 2021 best visual & performing arts schools for non-traditional students. Emerson is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Boston. On top of its placing in our non-traditional rankings, Emerson also did well on our Best Colleges for Visual & Performing Arts list. It's in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in that analysis.

About 1.5% of Emerson students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. 889 students at Emerson are exclusively online. There are roughly 562 part time students in attendance at Emerson.

Full Visual & Performing Arts at Emerson College Report

11

Our rankings recognize Virginia Commonwealth University as the #11 school in this year's rankings. VCU is a very large public school located in the medium-sized city of Richmond. On top of its placing in our non-traditional rankings, VCU also did well on our Best Colleges for Visual & Performing Arts list. It's in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 0.9%. Approximately 19,039 students take at least one class online at VCU. There are roughly 5,055 part time students in attendance at VCU.

Full Visual & Performing Arts at Virginia Commonwealth University Report

12
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL

Our rankings recognize University of Florida as the #12 school in this year's rankings. Located in the midsize city of Gainesville, UF is a public college with a very large student population. UF excels when it comes to major quality. It's ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Colleges for Visual & Performing Arts list.

About 0.9% of UF students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. There are approximately 22,865 students at UF that take at least one class online. 11,205 students are part time.

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

13

The #13 spot in this year's ranking belongs to University of Nevada - Las Vegas. Located in the city of Las Vegas, UNLV is a public school with a very large student population. UNLV also claimed a spot on our Best Colleges for Visual & Performing Arts list. It's in the top 20% of all schools in this category.

The student loan default rate at UNLV is lower than is typical, just 1.5% of students default in three years. Approximately 15,438 students take at least one class online at UNLV. 8,226 of UNLV students are attending part time.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at University of Nevada - Las Vegas

14

Our rankings recognize Columbia University in the City of New York as the #14 school in this year's rankings. Columbia is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of New York. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Columbia also is in the top 5% of our Best Colleges for Visual & Performing Arts ranking.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 0.9%. Approximately 6,172 students take at least one class online at Columbia. 4,854 of Columbia students are attending part time.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Columbia University in the City of New York

15
Belmont crest
Belmont University
Nashville, TN

Belmont University earned the #15 spot in our 2021 rankings. Located in the city of Nashville, Belmont is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Belmont also is in the top 10% of our Best Colleges for Visual & Performing Arts ranking.

About 0.6% of Belmont students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. There are approximately 3,251 students at Belmont that take at least one class online. About 677 of the students at Belmont are attending part time.

Full Visual & Performing Arts at Belmont University Report

16

The #16 spot in this year's ranking belongs to San Francisco State University. SFSU is a fairly large public school located in the large city of San Francisco.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 1.8%. 14,003 students at SFSU are exclusively online. There are roughly 6,034 part time students in attendance at SFSU.

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17

University of Houston landed the #17 spot in our 2021 best visual & performing arts schools for non-traditional students. UH is a fairly large public school located in the city of Houston. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UH also is in the top 10% of our Best Colleges for Visual & Performing Arts ranking.

About 0.5% of UH students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. There are approximately 26,121 students at UH that take at least one class online. 13,663 students are part time.

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18

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities comes in at #18 in this year's ranking. UMN Twin Cities is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Minneapolis. In addition to being on our bet for non-traditional students list, UMN Twin Cities is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Colleges for Visual & Performing Arts list.

The student loan default rate at UMN Twin Cities is lower than is typical, just 0.6% of students default in three years. Approximately 21,237 students take at least one class online at UMN Twin Cities. There are roughly 13,655 part time students in attendance at UMN Twin Cities.

Read More…

19

Columbia College Chicago earned the #19 spot in our 2021 rankings. Located in the city of Chicago, Columbia is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population. On top of its placing in our non-traditional rankings, Columbia also did well on our Best Colleges for Visual & Performing Arts list. It's in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 1.8%. There are approximately 1,283 students at Columbia that take at least one class online. 414 of Columbia students are attending part time.

Full Visual & Performing Arts at Columbia College Chicago Report

20
Academy of Art University crest
Academy of Art University
San Francisco, CA

Academy of Art University comes in at #20 in this year's ranking. Academy of Art University is a moderately-sized private for-profit school located in the large city of San Francisco.

The student loan default rate at Academy of Art University is lower than is typical, just 1.2% of students default in three years. 4,441 students at Academy of Art University are exclusively online. About 3,981 of the students at Academy of Art University are attending part time.

Full Visual & Performing Arts at Academy of Art University Report

21

Our rankings recognize Fashion Institute of Technology as the #21 school in this year's rankings. FIT SUNY is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of New York. On top of its placing in our non-traditional rankings, FIT SUNY also did well on our Best Colleges for Visual & Performing Arts list. It's in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis.

About 1.2% of FIT SUNY students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. There are approximately 2,847 students at FIT SUNY that take at least one class online. 1,095 students are part time.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Fashion Institute of Technology

22
Purchase College crest
Purchase College
Purchase, NY

Our rankings recognize Purchase College as the #22 school in this year's rankings. Purchase College is a small public school located in the large suburb of Purchase. As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Purchase College also is in the top 15% of our Best Colleges for Visual & Performing Arts ranking.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 2.9%. There are approximately 2,516 students at Purchase College that take at least one class online. 308 students are part time.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Purchase College

23

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #23 spot in our 2021 best visual & performing arts schools for non-traditional students. Located in the medium-sized city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public school with a very large student population. In addition to being on our bet for non-traditional students list, U-M is in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Colleges for Visual & Performing Arts list.

The student loan default rate at U-M is lower than is typical, just 0.2% of students default in three years. Approximately 15,737 students take at least one class online at U-M. 3,568 students are part time.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

24

California State University - Fullerton earned the #24 spot in our 2021 rankings. Located in the suburb of Fullerton, Cal State Fullerton is a public college with a very large student population.

The school has a low student loan default rate of 0.8%. Approximately 25,781 students take at least one class online at Cal State Fullerton. There are roughly 10,634 part time students in attendance at Cal State Fullerton.

Read More…

25

The #25 spot in this year's ranking belongs to California State University - Long Beach. Located in the city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public school with a fairly large student population. CSULB excels when it comes to major quality. It's ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Colleges for Visual & Performing Arts list.

About 0.8% of CSULB students default on their loans in three years, which is lower than average. There are approximately 24,806 students at CSULB that take at least one class online. There are roughly 8,046 part time students in attendance at CSULB.

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

Rest of the Top Schools for Best Visual & Performing Arts Colleges for Non-Traditional Students

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35
Iowa crest
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA
36
Towson crest
Towson University
Towson, MD
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39
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James Madison University
Harrisonburg, VA
40
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Syracuse University
Syracuse, NY
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49
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, IL
50

Remaining Award Winners

This list represents the rest of the schools awarded a Best Visual & Performing Arts Colleges for Non-Traditional Students badge. Showing in this list means the school was ranked in the top 15% of the 413 different United States visual & performing arts schools we analyzed.

Rank College Location
51 Stephen F Austin State University Nacogdoches, TX
52 University of Arizona Tucson, AZ
53 Webster University Saint Louis, MO
54 Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX
55 Temple University Philadelphia, PA
56 Oklahoma City University Oklahoma City, OK
57 California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, CA
58 Montclair State University Montclair, NJ
59 Rowan University Glassboro, NJ
60 Ohio State University - Main Campus Columbus, OH
61 University of Washington - Seattle Campus Seattle, WA

Additional Noteworthy Schools

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Visual & Performing Arts Colleges for Non-Traditional Students award.

Rank College Location
62 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL
63 University of Oregon Eugene, OR
64 University of North Carolina at Greensboro Greensboro, NC
65 University of California - Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA
66 University of Colorado Boulder Boulder, CO
67 Middle Tennessee State University Murfreesboro, TN
68 University of Central Florida Orlando, FL
69 Pace University - New York New York, NY
70 Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Baton Rouge, LA
71 Texas State University San Marcos, TX
72 University of Wisconsin - Whitewater Whitewater, WI
73 Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester, NY
74 University of Missouri - Columbia Columbia, MO
75 University of Kansas Lawrence, KS
76 Bowling Green State University - Main Campus Bowling Green, OH
77 University of Georgia Athens, GA
78 California State University - Northridge Northridge, CA
79 University of Maryland - College Park College Park, MD
80 Marymount Manhattan College New York, NY
81 Cornell University Ithaca, NY
82 Colorado State University - Fort Collins Fort Collins, CO

Visual & Performing Arts by Region

View the best for non-traditional students Visual & Performing Arts schools in a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

Visual & Performing Arts Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates

View All Visual & Performing Arts Related Majors >

Notes and References

Footnotes

*Avg Cost is for the top 25 schools only.

References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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