Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools by Graduate Salary & ROI (2026)

59 schools ranked by DegreeOutlook Score · Updated 2026

These are the top schools offering Visual & Performing Arts, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score. The score combines graduate earnings, AI automation resilience, job market demand, and return on tuition investment. The average Visual & Performing Arts graduate earns $25,525/yr across 59 schools.

What do Visual & Performing Arts graduates do? See career paths and salaries →

Programs Ranked

Avg Earnings

$25,525/yr

Avg DW Score

25/100

AI Risk

High

40% task exposure

Top Institutions

Leading the field for Visual & Performing Arts

The top four programs by DegreeOutlook Score. Full ranking of 59 programs below.

Rank #1 · DegreeOutlook Score 47

University of Central Florida

University of Florida-Online

FL · #2

$30,629/yr · 18.8x ROI

Kennesaw State University

GA · #3

$27,636/yr · 19.9x ROI

Drexel University

PA · #4

$51,248/yr · 1.1x ROI

The Ranking Matrix

All Visual & Performing Arts Programs Ranked

Click any row for full AI scenario analysis, earnings projections, and career path breakdown.

Sort by

#	School	DW Score	Earnings	ROI
1	University of Central Florida Orlando, FL · Public	47 42–47	$28,878/yr	25.9x
2	University of Florida-Online Gainesville, FL · Public	39 34–40	$30,629/yr	18.8x
3	Kennesaw State University Kennesaw, GA · Public	38 34–39	$27,636/yr	19.9x
4	Drexel University Philadelphia, PA · Private nonprofit	37 31–37	$51,248/yr	1.1x
5	George Mason University Fairfax, VA · Public	35 29–35	$31,941/yr	8.5x
6	University of Florida Gainesville, FL · Public	34 29–35	$30,629/yr	11.0x
7	Albany State University Albany, GA · Public	34 29–34	$29,798/yr	11.6x
8	Fordham University Bronx, NY · Private nonprofit	32 26–32	$41,165/yr	0.7x
9	Longwood University Farmville, VA · Public	32 26–32	$34,812/yr	6.5x
10	University of North Carolina Asheville Asheville, NC · Public	31 28–31	$23,023/yr	14.1x
11	California State University-San Marcos San Marcos, CA · Public	31 26–31	$27,741/yr	12.3x
12	University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Whitewater, WI · Public	30 26–31	$28,226/yr	11.5x
13	Mississippi State University Mississippi State, MS · Public	29 26–30	$24,752/yr	10.8x
14	SUNY Oneonta Oneonta, NY · Public	29 27–29	$19,135/yr	12.6x
15	The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX · Public	29 24–29	$29,707/yr	8.2x
16	University of Missouri-Columbia Columbia, MO · Public	28 23–29	$29,775/yr	4.3x
17	The University of Texas at Dallas Richardson, TX · Public	28 23–28	$28,494/yr	7.1x
18	University of Colorado Colorado Springs Colorado Springs, CO · Public	27 21–27	$30,966/yr	7.3x
19	University of New Mexico-Main Campus Albuquerque, NM · Public	27 24–28	$25,286/yr	11.0x
20	Siena College Loudonville, NY · Private nonprofit	27 21–27	$34,017/yr	0.9x
21	Arizona State University Campus Immersion Tempe, AZ · Public	26 23–27	$22,817/yr	8.9x
22	Delta State University Cleveland, MS · Public	26 22–26	$24,839/yr	6.2x
23	University of Toledo Toledo, OH · Public	26 22–26	$26,625/yr	4.4x
24	University of Kentucky Lexington, KY · Public	25 21–26	$26,343/yr	4.0x
25	Jackson State University Jackson, MS · Public	25 22–25	$23,555/yr	9.9x
26	University of Advancing Technology Tempe, AZ · Private for-profit	25 20–25	$27,824/yr	2.6x
27	University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth North Dartmouth, MA · Public	24 20–24	$25,753/yr	3.2x
28	The University of Tennessee-Martin Martin, TN · Public	24 20–25	$25,660/yr	8.2x
29	University of Mary Washington Fredericksburg, VA · Public	24 19–24	$29,130/yr	4.8x
30	Otis College of Art and Design Los Angeles, CA · Private nonprofit	23 21–23	$21,558/yr	2.3x
31	State University of New York at New Paltz New Paltz, NY · Public	23 21–23	$19,893/yr	9.8x
32	SUNY at Purchase College Purchase, NY · Public	23 21–24	$22,024/yr	5.1x
33	East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania East Stroudsburg, PA · Public	23 20–23	$22,349/yr	4.1x
34	Arizona State University Digital Immersion Scottsdale, AZ · Public	23 21–24	$22,817/yr	—
35	Grand Canyon University Phoenix, AZ · Private for-profit	22 19–23	$24,691/yr	5.2x
36	University of Saint Francis-Fort Wayne Fort Wayne, IN · Private nonprofit	22 18–22	$27,684/yr	1.0x
37	Salem State University Salem, MA · Public	22 18–22	$24,699/yr	6.5x
38	Southeast Missouri State University Cape Girardeau, MO · Public	22 18–23	$26,668/yr	6.2x
39	Academy of Art University San Francisco, CA · Private for-profit	21 16–21	$28,494/yr	2.5x
40	Northeastern University Boston, MA · Private nonprofit	21 17–22	$27,246/yr	0.1x
41	New Mexico State University-Main Campus Las Cruces, NM · Public	21 19–22	$18,470/yr	9.5x
42	Pacific Northwest College of Art Portland, OR · Private nonprofit	21 19–21	$13,895/yr	-0.3x
43	Moore College of Art and Design Philadelphia, PA · Private nonprofit	21 17–22	$27,107/yr	0.3x
44	University of Louisiana at Lafayette Lafayette, LA · Public	20 18–20	$16,871/yr	3.0x
45	Stockton University Galloway, NJ · Public	20 18–21	$20,705/yr	5.7x
46	University of Houston-Downtown Houston, TX · Public	20 18–20	$19,527/yr	8.2x
47	Champlain College Burlington, VT · Private nonprofit	20 15–20	$30,138/yr	1.4x
48	Christopher Newport University Newport News, VA · Public	20 17–20	$23,656/yr	4.5x
49	Full Sail University Winter Park, FL · Private for-profit	19 16–19	$22,439/yr	1.1x
50	Wichita State University Wichita, KS · Public	19 17–20	$20,013/yr	7.2x
51	Bowling Green State University-Main Campus Bowling Green, OH · Public	19 17–19	$18,819/yr	5.9x
52	LaGrange College Lagrange, GA · Private nonprofit	18 16–18	$21,824/yr	0.6x
53	The College of Westchester White Plains, NY · Private for-profit	18 16–18	$20,163/yr	1.0x
54	Southern Oregon University Ashland, OR · Public	18 17–19	$17,228/yr	6.3x
55	Stetson University DeLand, FL · Private nonprofit	17 12–17	$26,913/yr	1.0x
56	Lesley University Cambridge, MA · Private nonprofit	17 15–18	$20,600/yr	0.6x
57	Temple University Philadelphia, PA · Public	17 15–18	$20,667/yr	3.5x
58	Bennington College Bennington, VT · Private nonprofit	17 15–18	$20,809/yr	-0.2x
59	Bloomfield College Bloomfield, NJ · Private nonprofit	15 13–15	$17,625/yr	2.4x

FAQ

Frequently asked

What is the best school for Visual & Performing Arts?

Based on our DegreeOutlook Score, University of Central Florida ranks #1 for Visual & Performing Arts with a score of 47/100 and graduate earnings of $28,878/yr.

How much do Visual & Performing Arts graduates earn?

Across 59 schools, Visual & Performing Arts graduates earn an average of $25,525/yr in their first year. The highest-earning program reports $51,248/yr.

Is Visual & Performing Arts a good major for AI resistance?

Visual & Performing Arts has an average AI task exposure of 40%, rated "High". This field has moderate AI exposure — some career paths are more resilient than others.

Programs are ranked by DegreeOutlook Score, which combines four equally weighted factors: graduate earnings (Year 1 after graduation), AI automation resilience (based on OpenAI and academic research), job market size (BLS annual openings), and earnings-to-tuition multiple (10-year projected earnings vs. 4-year tuition).

Earnings data comes from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, which reports actual median earnings of graduates — not self-reported surveys.