Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools (2026): 9 Ranked by Salary & ROI
These are the top schools offering Visual & Performing Arts, ranked by TradeSchoolOutlook Score. The score combines graduate earnings, job market demand, and return on tuition investment. The average Visual & Performing Arts graduate earns $24,282/yr across 9 schools.
BLS projects 1.6% employment growth for occupations in this field from 2024–2034, with approximately 63 annual job openings per related program area.
All Visual & Performing Arts Programs Ranked
Click any row for full earnings projections and career path breakdown.
| # | School | TSW Score | Earnings | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Milwaukee, WI · Visual & Performing Arts |
53
45–56 |
$34,346/yr | 57.4x |
| 2 |
Austin Community College District
Austin, TX · Visual & Performing Arts |
51
48–53 |
$29,669/yr | 57.2x |
| 3 |
Pima Community College
Tucson, AZ · Visual & Performing Arts |
46
43–48 |
$25,344/yr | 41.2x |
| 4 |
San Jacinto Community College
Pasadena, TX · Visual & Performing Arts |
49
41–51 |
$21,173/yr | 85.4x |
| 5 |
Full Sail University
Winter Park, FL · Visual & Performing Arts |
36
33–39 |
$28,514/yr | 9.8x |
| 6 |
Suffolk County Community College
Selden, NY · Visual & Performing Arts |
36
32–38 |
$23,694/yr | 21.7x |
| 7 |
Full Sail University
Winter Park, FL · Visual & Performing Arts |
34
30–37 |
$27,720/yr | 4.2x |
| 8 |
CUNY Bronx Community College
Bronx, NY · Visual & Performing Arts |
34
29–36 |
$18,700/yr | 23.4x |
| 9 |
CUNY Borough of Manhattan Community College
New York, NY · Visual & Performing Arts |
27
24–29 |
$9,376/yr | 8.1x |
Programs by State
Top states by program availability. Click a state for the full in-state ranking.
About This Ranking
What we ranked
Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools ranks 9 programs across the United States by the TradeSchoolOutlook Score, which combines graduate earnings, return on investment, and job-market demand into a single 0-100 metric.
Data sources
Earnings figures come from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard, which tracks graduate income one and five years after program completion. Job-market projections use Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024-2034 employment data.
How to read the table
Use the sort controls below the headline to re-rank by earnings, ROI, or other metrics. Click any school name for full earnings projections, three-scenario modeling, and detailed program data. Most students attend a school within driving distance — local rankings are usually more actionable than national.
Caveats & limitations
Rankings reflect what the data can measure: post-graduation earnings, debt levels, and broad labor-market trends. They cannot capture program quality nuances like instructor expertise, hands-on equipment access, or industry connections. Treat rankings as a starting point — visit schools and talk to current students before committing.
Methodology
Programs are ranked by TradeSchoolOutlook Score, which combines graduate earnings (Year 1 after graduation), job market size (BLS annual openings), and earnings-to-tuition multiple (projected earnings vs. program tuition).
Earnings data comes from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, which reports actual median earnings of graduates — not self-reported surveys.