2023 Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools
Finding the Best Visual & Performing Arts School for You
In 2020-2021, 18,379 people earned a degree or certificate in visual and performing arts, making the major the #11 most popular in the United States.
With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.
The Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools ranking is one of many tools that Grad Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 394 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best programs for students.
View our full ranking methodology.
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2023 Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the United States
The colleges and universities below are the best for visual and performing arts majors pursuing a .
Top 25 Top Schools in Visual & Performing Arts
Our analysis found Duke University to be the best school for visual and performing arts students who want to pursue a degree in the United States. Located in the city of Durham, Duke is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Notre Dame. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools list. Located in the large suburb of Notre Dame, Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.
Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at University of Notre Dame
Out of the 394 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, The Graduate Center, CUNY landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the city of New York, The Graduate Center is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
Full Visual & Performing Arts at The Graduate Center, CUNY Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Emory University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools list. Located in the large city of Atlanta, Emory is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Illinois Institute of Technology. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools list. Located in the city of Chicago, Illinois Tech is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.
Full Visual & Performing Arts at Illinois Institute of Technology Report
Dartmouth College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools ranking. Located in the town of Hanover, Dartmouth is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.
With a ranking of #7, Messiah University did quite well on this year’s best schools for visual and performing arts students. Located in the large suburb of Mechanicsburg, Messiah is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Messiah University
Sotheby’s Institute of Art - NY ranked #8 on this year’s Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools list. Located in the city of New York, Sotheby's Institute of Art - NY is a private for-profit school with a small student population.
Full Visual & Performing Arts at Sotheby’s Institute of Art - NY Report
Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools ranking. Georgia Tech is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Atlanta.
Full Visual & Performing Arts at Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus Report
Teachers College at Columbia University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools ranking. Teachers College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of New York.
Full Visual & Performing Arts at Teachers College at Columbia University Report
Brandeis University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools ranking. Located in the city of Waltham, Brandeis is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.
With a ranking of #12, University of Nebraska at Kearney did quite well on this year’s best schools for visual and performing arts students. UNK is a medium-sized public school located in the distant town of Kearney.
Virginia Tech ranked #13 on this year’s Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools list. Virginia Tech is a fairly large public school located in the city of Blacksburg.
Michigan State University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools ranking. Michigan State is a very large public school located in the city of East Lansing.
Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Michigan State University
With a ranking of #15, Kansas State University did quite well on this year’s best schools for visual and performing arts students. Located in the small city of Manhattan, K -State is a public school with a very large student population.
Sacred Heart University ranked #16 on this year’s Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools list. Located in the suburb of Fairfield, Sacred Heart is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.
Full Visual & Performing Arts at Sacred Heart University Report
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for visual and performing arts students. It came in at #17 on the list. RPI is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Troy.
Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
American Film Institute Conservatory ranked #18 on this year’s Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools list. American Film Institute is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Los Angeles.
Full Visual & Performing Arts at American Film Institute Conservatory Report
North Dakota State University - Main Campus came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools ranking. North Dakota State University is a large public school located in the midsize city of Fargo.
With a ranking of #20, University of California - Berkeley did quite well on this year’s best schools for visual and performing arts students. Located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public school with a very large student population.
Eastern Illinois University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for visual and performing arts students. It came in at #21 on the list. Located in the town of Charleston, EIU is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
Williams College landed the #22 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best visual and performing arts programs. Williams is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Williamstown.
Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Williams College
Northwestern University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for visual and performing arts students. It came in at #23 on the list. Located in the city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.
Full Visual & Performing Arts at Northwestern University Report
With a ranking of #24, Sam Houston State University did quite well on this year’s best schools for visual and performing arts students. Located in the distant town of Huntsville, SHSU is a public college with a very large student population.
Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Sam Houston State University
American University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools ranking. Located in the city of Washington, The American University is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.
Rest of the Top Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools
Remaining Award Winners
This list shows the remainder of the schools awarded a Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools badge. Showing in this list means the school was ranked in the top 15% of the 394 different United States visual and performing arts schools we analyzed.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | Goucher College | Baltimore, MD |
| 52 | University of Wisconsin - Madison | Madison, WI |
| 53 | University of Northern Iowa | Cedar Falls, IA |
| 54 | University of Wisconsin - Stout | Menomonie, WI |
| 55 | University of Iowa | Iowa City, IA |
| 56 | Texas Woman’s University | Denton, TX |
| 57 | Azusa Pacific University | Azusa, CA |
| 58 | Towson University | Towson, MD |
| 59 | San Jose State University | San Jose, CA |
Additional Noteworthy Schools
Here are some additional great schools for Visual & Performing Arts students that almost earned our Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 60 | University of South Dakota | Vermillion, SD |
| 61 | Ohio State University - Main Campus | Columbus, OH |
| 62 | Auburn University | Auburn, AL |
| 63 | University of California - Irvine | Irvine, CA |
| 64 | University of Connecticut | Storrs, CT |
| 65 | University of California - Davis | Davis, CA |
| 66 | Loyola Marymount University | Los Angeles, CA |
| 67 | Syracuse University | Syracuse, NY |
| 68 | The University of Texas at Arlington | Arlington, TX |
| 69 | Iowa State University | Ames, IA |
| 70 | Tufts University | Medford, MA |
| 71 | The University of Montana | Missoula, MT |
| 72 | The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley | Edinburg, TX |
| 73 | University of California - Los Angeles | Los Angeles, CA |
| 74 | College for Creative Studies | Detroit, MI |
| 75 | Texas Tech University | Lubbock, TX |
| 76 | University of Delaware | Newark, DE |
| 77 | University of Southern California | Los Angeles, CA |
| 78 | University of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia, PA |
Visual & Performing Arts by Region
View the Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
More Visual & Performing Arts Rankings
Rankings in Majors Related to Visual & Performing Arts
Visual & Performing Arts Majors to Study
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Music | 7,675 |
| Fine & Studio Arts | 3,224 |
| Design & Applied Arts | 1,979 |
| Film, Video & Photographic Arts | 1,704 |
| Drama & Theater Arts | 1,699 |
| Arts & Media Management | 1,184 |
| General Visual & Performing Arts | 390 |
| Dance | 257 |
| Other Visual Art | 254 |
| Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry | 13 |
Most Popular Related Majors
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Theology & Religious Vocations | 17,287 |
| English Language & Literature | 9,566 |
| Foreign Languages & Linguistics | 4,163 |
| Philosophy & Religious Studies | 3,136 |
| Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities | 2,680 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- Read more about our ranking methodology.
- 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 the rest 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).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Bonnielou2013.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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