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Most Popular Schools for Visual & Performing Arts

Most Popular Visual & Performing Arts Schools

There are 2,217 colleges that offer a degree in Visual & Performing Arts. The most popular schools, by student demand, are below:

Finding the Best Visual & Performing Arts School for You

Today’s Visual & Performing Arts students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. You can choose a traditional brick-and-mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school halfway across the country without even leaving your house.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Grad Degree Search has developed this Most Popular Visual & Performing Arts Schools ranking. Our analysis looked at 2,217 schools in the United States offering Visual & Performing Arts programs. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from each school’s program.

The following schools top our list of the Most Popular Visual & Performing Arts Schools.

#1

Full Sail University

Winter Park, FL

The most popular school in the United States for Visual & Performing Arts students is Full Sail University. Full Sail University is a private for-profit school located in Winter Park, FL. This school awarded 2,710 degrees in Visual & Performing Arts in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $26,076. Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Full Sail University

#2

New York University

New York, NY

New York University comes in at #2 on our list of the most popular colleges for Visual & Performing Arts majors. New York University is a private nonprofit school located in New York, NY. During the most recent year for which we have data, 1,990 people earned their degree in Visual & Performing Arts from this school. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $59,956. Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at New York University

Fashion Institute of Technology comes in at #3 on our list of the most popular colleges for Visual & Performing Arts majors. Fashion Institute of Technology is a public school located in New York, NY. During the most recent year for which we have data, 1,578 people earned their degree in Visual & Performing Arts from this school. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $32,277. Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Fashion Institute of Technology

Savannah College of Art and Design comes in at #4 on our list of the most popular colleges for Visual & Performing Arts majors. Located in Savannah, GA, this is a private nonprofit institution. This school awarded 1,523 degrees in Visual & Performing Arts in the most recent reporting year. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $25,862. Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Savannah College of Art and Design

#5

The New School

New York, NY

The New School comes in at #5 on our list of the most popular colleges for Visual & Performing Arts majors. Located in New York, NY, this is a private nonprofit institution. This school awarded 1,434 degrees in Visual & Performing Arts in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $26,730. Read More…

Berklee College of Music comes in at #6 on our list of the most popular colleges for Visual & Performing Arts majors. Located in Boston, MA, this is a private nonprofit institution. During the most recent year for which we have data, 1,269 people earned their degree in Visual & Performing Arts from this school. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $20,342. Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Berklee College of Music

University of Central Florida landed the #7 spot in our Most Popular Visual & Performing Arts Schools ranking. Located in Orlando, FL, this is a public institution. During the most recent year for which we have data, 1,175 people earned their degree in Visual & Performing Arts from this school. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $41,960. Full Visual & Performing Arts at University of Central Florida Report

#8

Los Angeles Film School

Hollywood, CA

Los Angeles Film School landed the #8 spot in our Most Popular Visual & Performing Arts Schools ranking. Located in Hollywood, CA, this is a private for-profit institution. This school awarded 1,164 degrees in Visual & Performing Arts in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $20,763. Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Los Angeles Film School

University of Southern California landed the #9 spot in our Most Popular Visual & Performing Arts Schools ranking. University of Southern California is a private nonprofit school located in Los Angeles, CA. During the most recent year for which we have data, 1,163 people earned their degree in Visual & Performing Arts from this school. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $63,275. Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at University of Southern California

Southern New Hampshire University comes in at #10 on our list of the most popular colleges for Visual & Performing Arts majors. Located in Manchester, NH, this is a private nonprofit institution. During the most recent year for which we have data, 1,090 people earned their degree in Visual & Performing Arts from this school. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $54,644. Full Visual & Performing Arts at Southern New Hampshire University Report

Mesa Community College comes in at #11 on our list of the most popular colleges for Visual & Performing Arts majors. Located in Mesa, AZ, this is a public institution. During the most recent year for which we have data, 1,073 people earned their degree in Visual & Performing Arts from this school. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $60,009. Full Visual & Performing Arts at Mesa Community College Report

California State University-Long Beach comes in at #12 on our list of the most popular colleges for Visual & Performing Arts majors. California State University-Long Beach is a public school located in Long Beach, CA. During the most recent year for which we have data, 1,005 people earned their degree in Visual & Performing Arts from this school. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $38,082. Full Visual & Performing Arts at California State University-Long Beach Report

#13

Columbia College Chicago

Chicago, IL

Columbia College Chicago comes in at #13 on our list of the most popular colleges for Visual & Performing Arts majors. Located in Chicago, IL, this is a private nonprofit institution. This school awarded 989 degrees in Visual & Performing Arts in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $24,908. Full Visual & Performing Arts at Columbia College Chicago Report

School of the Art Institute of Chicago comes in at #14 on our list of the most popular colleges for Visual & Performing Arts majors. School of the Art Institute of Chicago is a private nonprofit school located in Chicago, IL. During the most recent year for which we have data, 958 people earned their degree in Visual & Performing Arts from this school. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $24,516. Read More…

Arizona State University Campus Immersion comes in at #15 on our list of the most popular colleges for Visual & Performing Arts majors. Arizona State University Campus Immersion is a public school located in Tempe, AZ. During the most recent year for which we have data, 896 people earned their degree in Visual & Performing Arts from this school. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $48,210. Full Visual & Performing Arts at Arizona State University Campus Immersion Report

University of North Texas landed the #16 spot in our Most Popular Visual & Performing Arts Schools ranking. University of North Texas is a public school located in Denton, TX. This school awarded 852 degrees in Visual & Performing Arts in the most recent reporting year. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $42,036. Full Visual & Performing Arts at University of North Texas Report

#17

Pratt Institute-Main

Brooklyn, NY

Pratt Institute-Main comes in at #17 on our list of the most popular colleges for Visual & Performing Arts majors. Pratt Institute-Main is a private nonprofit school located in Brooklyn, NY. During the most recent year for which we have data, 756 people earned their degree in Visual & Performing Arts from this school. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $29,447. Full Visual & Performing Arts at Pratt Institute-Main Report

Utah Valley University landed the #18 spot in our Most Popular Visual & Performing Arts Schools ranking. Located in Orem, UT, this is a public institution. During the most recent year for which we have data, 750 people earned their degree in Visual & Performing Arts from this school. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $48,225. Read More…

#19

Belmont University

Nashville, TN

Belmont University comes in at #19 on our list of the most popular colleges for Visual & Performing Arts majors. Belmont University is a private nonprofit school located in Nashville, TN. This school awarded 727 degrees in Visual & Performing Arts in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $37,296. Read More…

#20

Indiana University-Bloomington

Bloomington, IN

Indiana University-Bloomington comes in at #20 on our list of the most popular colleges for Visual & Performing Arts majors. Indiana University-Bloomington is a public school located in Bloomington, IN. This school awarded 720 degrees in Visual & Performing Arts in the most recent reporting year. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $48,621. Read More…

#21

Glendale Community College

Glendale, AZ

Glendale Community College landed the #21 spot in our Most Popular Visual & Performing Arts Schools ranking. Glendale Community College is a public school located in Glendale, AZ. This school awarded 719 degrees in Visual & Performing Arts in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $67,419. Read More…

Virginia Commonwealth University landed the #22 spot in our Most Popular Visual & Performing Arts Schools ranking. Located in Richmond, VA, this is a public institution. During the most recent year for which we have data, 715 people earned their degree in Visual & Performing Arts from this school. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $41,934. Full Visual & Performing Arts at Virginia Commonwealth University Report

California State University-Fullerton comes in at #23 on our list of the most popular colleges for Visual & Performing Arts majors. Located in Fullerton, CA, this is a public institution. This school awarded 700 degrees in Visual & Performing Arts in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $39,215. Read More…

Chandler-Gilbert Community College landed the #24 spot in our Most Popular Visual & Performing Arts Schools ranking. Located in Chandler, AZ, this is a public institution. This school awarded 692 degrees in Visual & Performing Arts in the most recent reporting year. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $45,169. Read More…

#25

New York Film Academy

Burbank, CA

New York Film Academy comes in at #25 on our list of the most popular colleges for Visual & Performing Arts majors. New York Film Academy is a private for-profit school located in Burbank, CA. During the most recent year for which we have data, 644 people earned their degree in Visual & Performing Arts from this school. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $15,956. Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at New York Film Academy

#27

Santa Monica College

Santa Monica, CA
#29

Emerson College

Boston, MA
#31

School of Visual Arts

New York, NY
#32

Liberty University

Lynchburg, VA
#33

DePaul University

Chicago, IL
#36

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA
#42

Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL
#43

Chapman University

Orange, CA
#45

Montclair State University

Montclair, NJ
#46

San Jose State University

San Jose, CA
#47

Texas State University

San Marcos, TX
#48

Temple University

Philadelphia, PA

Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional great schools for this major that just missed the list above.

Rank College Location
51 University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT
52 Austin Community College District Austin, TX
53 Kent State University at Kent Kent, OH
54 Maryland Institute College of Art Baltimore, MD
55 San Diego State University San Diego, CA
56 University of Florida Gainesville, FL
57 University of California-Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA
58 Michigan State University East Lansing, MI
59 Brigham Young University-Idaho Rexburg, ID
60 Georgia State University Atlanta, GA
61 University of Georgia Athens, GA
62 Columbia University in the City of New York New York, NY
63 Loyola Marymount University Los Angeles, CA
64 University of California-Irvine Irvine, CA
65 University of Oregon Eugene, OR
66 NUC University Bayamon, PR
67 The University of Texas at Dallas Richardson, TX
68 Boston University Boston, MA
69 Columbus State Community College Columbus, OH
70 Academy of Art University San Francisco, CA
71 Northwestern University Evanston, IL
72 Scottsdale Community College Scottsdale, AZ
73 SUNY at Purchase College Purchase, NY
74 Syracuse University Syracuse, NY
75 University of Nevada-Las Vegas Las Vegas, NV
76 University of Washington-Seattle Campus Seattle, WA
77 University of Miami Coral Gables, FL
78 University of Iowa Iowa City, IA
79 University of Arizona Tucson, AZ
80 Manhattan School of Music New York, NY
81 Massachusetts College of Art and Design Boston, MA
82 University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN
83 Yale University New Haven, CT
84 Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester, NY
85 University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Milwaukee, WI
86 Ohio University-Main Campus Athens, OH
87 Brigham Young University Provo, UT
88 Phoenix College Phoenix, AZ
89 University of California-Berkeley Berkeley, CA
90 Kennesaw State University Kennesaw, GA
91 University of North Carolina at Greensboro Greensboro, NC
92 Rhode Island School of Design Providence, RI
93 California State University-Sacramento Sacramento, CA
94 Bowling Green State University-Main Campus Bowling Green, OH
95 University of Houston Houston, TX
96 Ohio State University-Main Campus Columbus, OH
97 University of Colorado Boulder Boulder, CO
98 George Mason University Fairfax, VA
99 The Juilliard School New York, NY
100 Art Center College of Design Pasadena, CA
101 Pace University New York, NY
102 Arizona State University Digital Immersion Scottsdale, AZ
103 Grand Canyon University Phoenix, AZ
104 Rio Salado College Tempe, AZ
105 Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Baton Rouge, LA
106 Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, PA
107 University of Rochester Rochester, NY
108 University of California-Riverside Riverside, CA
109 University of California-San Diego La Jolla, CA
110 FIDM-Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising Los Angeles, CA
111 Miami Dade College Miami, FL
112 CUNY Brooklyn College Brooklyn, NY
113 Collin County Community College District McKinney, TX
114 University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL
115 Iowa State University Ames, IA
116 James Madison University Harrisonburg, VA
117 West Virginia University Morgantown, WV
118 California Institute of the Arts Valencia, CA
119 University of Kentucky Lexington, KY
120 Ana G. Mendez University Orlando, FL
121 CUNY Hunter College New York, NY
122 Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD
123 University of Kansas Lawrence, KS
124 Drexel University Philadelphia, PA
125 University of North Carolina School of the Arts Winston Salem, NC
126 University of South Carolina-Columbia Columbia, SC
127 Missouri State University-Springfield Springfield, MO
128 Otis College of Art and Design Los Angeles, CA
129 Chattahoochee Technical College Marietta, GA
130 Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus University Park, PA
131 University of Maryland-College Park College Park, MD
132 California State University-Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA
133 Colorado State University-Fort Collins Fort Collins, CO
134 Rutgers University-New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ
135 Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX
136 CUNY Queens College Queens, NY
137 The New England Conservatory of Music Boston, MA
138 Florida International University Miami, FL
139 Oberlin College Oberlin, OH
140 The University of Texas at Arlington Arlington, TX
141 Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, MI
142 Appalachian State University Boone, NC
143 University of South Florida Tampa, FL
144 Illinois State University Normal, IL
145 Ivy Tech Community College Indianapolis, IN
146 Paradise Valley Community College Phoenix, AZ
147 Ringling College of Art and Design Sarasota, FL
148 Ithaca College Ithaca, NY
149 Bard College Annandale-On-Hudson, NY
150 The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL
151 University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus Norman, OK
152 Pasadena City College Pasadena, CA
153 The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Edinburg, TX
154 University of New Mexico-Main Campus Albuquerque, NM
155 Mt San Antonio College Walnut, CA
156 Towson University Towson, MD
157 Ball State University Muncie, IN
158 Northern Virginia Community College Annandale, VA
159 Portland State University Portland, OR
160 University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus Denver, CO
161 Tufts University Medford, MA
162 Fayetteville Technical Community College Fayetteville, NC
163 Marymount Manhattan College New York, NY
164 Los Angeles City College Los Angeles, CA
165 Orange Coast College Costa Mesa, CA
166 Portland Community College Portland, OR
167 California College of the Arts San Francisco, CA
168 Connecticut State Community College New Britain, CT
169 Sam Houston State University Huntsville, TX
170 Musicians Institute Hollywood, CA
171 East Carolina University Greenville, NC
172 University of Missouri-Columbia Columbia, MO
173 California State University-Fresno Fresno, CA
174 Stephen F Austin State University Nacogdoches, TX
175 Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design Milwaukee, WI
176 University of Massachusetts-Amherst Amherst, MA
177 University of Wisconsin-Stout Menomonie, WI
178 Auburn University Auburn, AL
179 South Mountain Community College Phoenix, AZ
180 Saddleback College Mission Viejo, CA
181 University of Missouri-Kansas City Kansas City, MO
182 California State University-Chico Chico, CA
183 University of Hartford West Hartford, CT
184 Fordham University Bronx, NY
185 Wichita State University Wichita, KS
186 California State Polytechnic University-Pomona Pomona, CA
187 University at Buffalo Buffalo, NY
188 Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX
189 University of Memphis Memphis, TN
190 Baylor University Waco, TX
191 University of Nebraska-Lincoln Lincoln, NE
192 CUNY City College New York, NY
193 Northern Arizona University Flagstaff, AZ
194 Southern Utah University Cedar City, UT
195 Oregon State University Corvallis, OR
196 Point Park University Pittsburgh, PA
197 Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design Lakewood, CO
198 State University of New York at New Paltz New Paltz, NY
199 Alamance Community College Graham, NC
200 College of the Canyons Santa Clarita, CA

Visual & Performing Arts by Region

View the Most Popular Visual & Performing Arts Schools ranking for a specific region near you.

Region
New England
Middle Atlantic
Great Lakes
Plains States
Southeast
Southwest
Rocky Mountains
Far Western US

More Visual & Performing Arts Rankings

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this Most Popular Visual & Performing Arts Schools list, to help you choose the best school for you.

Visual & Performing Arts Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Design & Applied Arts 38,798
Fine & Studio Arts 37,770
Music 25,853
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 18,927
Drama & Theater Arts 16,640
General Visual & Performing Arts 7,225
Arts & Media Management 4,430
Dance 3,274
Other Visual Art 941
Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry 67
Community/Environmental/Socially-Engaged Art 12

References

*The average salary above is for the top 25 schools only.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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