Best Colleges for Arts
The arts encompass visual arts, performing arts, music, and design — fields that nurture creativity and cultural expression. These top colleges for arts majors provide studio spaces, performance venues, and access to vibrant artistic communities. Rankings factor overall academic quality, graduation rates, program strength, and career outcomes for creative professionals.
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Top 100 schools ranked in this list.
| Rank | School | Tuition | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Purchase College--SUNY Purchase, NY, 10577 | - | 74% |
| #2 | ArtCenter College of Design Pasadena, CA, 91103 | - | 76% |
| #3 | Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art New York, NY, 10003 | $46,820 | 21% |
| #4 | University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA, 90089 | $75,162 | 10% |
| #5 | Marist University Poughkeepsie, NY, 12601 | $49,900 | 57% |
| #6 | San Jose State University San Jose, CA, 95192 | - | 85% |
| #7 | St. Olaf College Northfield, MN, 55057 | $62,700 | 48% |
| #8 | Butler University Indianapolis, IN, 46208 | $49,890 | 85% |
| #9 | New York University New York, NY, 10012 | $65,622 | 9% |
| #10 | Wesleyan University Middletown, CT, 06459 | $72,828 | 16% |
| #11 | Swarthmore College Swarthmore, PA, 19081 | $69,226 | 7% |
| #12 | Freed-Hardeman University Henderson, TN, 38340 | $26,260 | 60% |
| #13 | High Point University High Point, NC, 27268 | - | 75% |
| #14 | Taylor University Upland, IN, 46989 | $41,350 | 74% |
| #15 | Bennington College Bennington, VT, 05201 | $68,746 | 45% |
| #16 | Fairleigh Dickinson University--Florham Campus | $38,564 | 84% |
| #17 | Hamilton College Clinton, NY, 13323 | $72,690 | 14% |
| #18 | Hampshire College Amherst, MA, 01002 | $61,484 | 75% |
| #19 | Keene State College Keene, NH, 03435 | - | 90% |
| #20 | Illinois Wesleyan University Bloomington, IL, 61702 | $59,430 | 39% |
| #21 | Rollins College Winter Park, FL, 32789 | $62,950 | 48% |
| #22 | Berklee College of Music Boston, MA, 02215 | $54,000 | 44% |
| #23 | Otis College of Art and Design Los Angeles, CA, 90045 | $55,200 | 82% |
| #24 | Saint Edward's University Austin, TX, 78704 | $51,890 | 81% |
| #25 | Flagler College Augustine, FL, 32084 | $33,390 | 81% |
| #26 | St. Mary's College of Maryland Marys City, MD, 20686 | - | 69% |
| #27 | SUNY Oneonta Oneonta, NY, 13825 | - | 70% |
| #28 | Stetson University DeLand, FL, 32723 | $59,690 | 72% |
| #29 | Baptist University of Florida Graceville, FL, 32440 | $15,000 | 64% |
| #30 | Kenyon College Gambier, OH, 43022 | - | 31% |
| #31 | John Brown University Siloam Springs, AR, 72761 | $32,710 | 76% |
| #32 | Winthrop University Rock Hill, SC, 29733 | - | 79% |
| #33 | SUNY--New Paltz New Paltz, NY, 12561 | - | 62% |
| #34 | Champlain College BURLINGTON, VT, 05401 | $50,000 | 88% |
| #35 | Lycoming College Williamsport, PA, 17701 | $51,724 | 74% |
| #36 | Baldwin Wallace University Berea, OH, 44017 | $41,386 | 76% |
| #37 | Ithaca College Ithaca, NY, 14850 | $56,094 | 69% |
| #38 | Converse University Spartanburg, SC, 29302 | $34,144 | 68% |
| #39 | Lafayette College Easton, PA, 18042 | $66,856 | 31% |
| #40 | Morehouse College Atlanta, GA, 30314 | $34,030 | 44% |
| #41 | Earlham College Richmond, IN, 47374 | $55,814 | 73% |
| #42 | Salem College Salem, NC, 27101 | $35,200 | 79% |
| #43 | Oberlin College Oberlin, OH, 44074 | $69,432 | 34% |
| #44 | Otterbein University Westerville, OH, 43081 | $36,598 | 85% |
| #45 | Alfred University Alfred, NY, 14802 | $43,570 | 74% |
| #46 | Millikin University Decatur, IL, 62522 | $26,828 | 67% |
| #47 | Whittier College Whittier, CA, 90608 | $52,877 | 83% |
| #48 | University of Evansville Evansville, IN, 47722 | $46,014 | 78% |
| #49 | Colby-Sawyer College New London, NH, 03257 | $19,600 | 82% |
| #50 | Skidmore College Saratoga Springs, NY, 12866 | $70,430 | 21% |
| #51 | La Sierra University Riverside, CA, 92515 | $38,862 | 91% |
| #52 | Blackburn College Carlinville, IL, 62626 | $29,420 | 64% |
| #53 | Augsburg University Minneapolis, MN, 55454 | - | 82% |
| #54 | Berea College Berea, KY, 40404 | $55,480 | 19% |
| #55 | Queens University of Charlotte Charlotte, NC, 28274 | $45,846 | 59% |
| #56 | Spring Hill College Mobile, AL, 36608 | $25,300 | 75% |
| #57 | Mount Saint Mary's University Los Angeles, CA, 90049 | $51,052 | 73% |
| #58 | McMurry University Abilene, TX, 79697 | $33,384 | 57% |
| #59 | Rider University Lawrenceville, NJ, 08648 | $43,240 | 79% |
| #60 | Cottey College Nevada, MO, 64772 | $29,594 | 70% |
| #61 | Culver-Stockton College Canton, MO, 63435 | $32,130 | 65% |
| #62 | Westminster University Salt Lake City, UT, 84105 | $44,980 | 67% |
| #63 | Montserrat College of Art Beverly, MA, 01915 | $42,520 | 75% |
| #64 | Wentworth Institute of Technology Boston, MA, 02115 | $45,460 | 91% |
| #65 | Principia College Elsah, IL, 62028 | $35,930 | 43% |
| #66 | Drury University Springfield, MO, 65802 | $36,955 | 58% |
| #67 | Capital University Columbus, OH, 43209 | $44,304 | 70% |
| #68 | Lawrence University Appleton, WI, 54911 | $58,794 | 64% |
| #69 | Mercyhurst University Erie, PA, 16546 | $47,270 | 81% |
| #70 | Anderson University (SC) Anderson, SC, 29621 | $36,360 | 55% |
| #71 | Manhattanville University Purchase, NY, 10577 | $46,340 | 87% |
| #72 | Muhlenberg College Allentown, PA, 18104 | $65,310 | 72% |
| #73 | SUNY at Fredonia Fredonia, NY, 14063 | - | 78% |
| #74 | William Peace University Raleigh, NC, 27604 | $35,180 | 94% |
| #75 | Huntington University Huntington, IN, 46750 | $33,144 | 76% |
| #76 | Universidad del Sagrado Corazon San Juan, PR, 00914 | $7,330 | 60% |
| #77 | Nazareth University Rochester, NY, 14618 | $43,820 | 75% |
| #78 | Stephen F. Austin State University Nacogdoches, TX, 75965 | - | 74% |
| #79 | University of North Alabama Florence, AL, 35632 | - | 71% |
| #80 | Dean College Franklin, MA, 02038 | $48,678 | 74% |
| #81 | Kentucky Wesleyan College Owensboro, KY, 42301 | $36,030 | 66% |
| #82 | CUNY--Brooklyn College Brooklyn, NY, 11210 | - | 58% |
| #83 | Pratt Institute Brooklyn, NY, 11205 | $64,238 | 73% |
| #84 | Albertus Magnus College New Haven, CT, 06511 | $43,118 | 59% |
| #85 | University of Wisconsin--Stevens Point Stevens Point, WI, 54481 | - | 90% |
| #86 | The New School New York, NY, 10011 | $61,208 | 63% |
| #87 | Anderson University (IN) Anderson, IN, 46012 | $38,900 | 75% |
| #88 | University of Wisconsin--Stout Menomonie, WI, 54751 | - | 87% |
| #89 | Bethel College North Newton, KS, 67107 | $36,058 | 94% |
| #90 | Cal Poly Humboldt Arcata, CA, 95521 | - | 92% |
| #91 | Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester, NY, 14623 | $61,804 | 67% |
| #92 | California College of the Arts San Francisco, CA, 94107 | $61,764 | 91% |
| #93 | Viterbo University La Crosse, WI, 54601 | $35,930 | 72% |
| #94 | Jacksonville University Jacksonville, FL, 32211 | $49,800 | 57% |
| #95 | Carthage College Kenosha, WI, 53140 | $41,000 | 87% |
| #96 | SUNY Potsdam Potsdam, NY, 13676 | - | 78% |
| #97 | Utah Tech University George, UT, 84770 | - | 100% |
| #98 | University of California, Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, CA, 95064 | - | 66% |
| #99 | Centenary College Shreveport, LA, 71104 | $43,450 | 56% |
| #100 | Russell Sage College Troy, NY, 12180 | $39,812 | 53% |
This ranking only displays the Top 100 schools. The full ranking includes more institutions not shown here.