Top 25 Arts, Music, Design Schools Tuition Comparison

The art, music, and design schools focus on the arts, music, and design related fields at both undergraduate and graduate levels. The schools usually have a special focus with concentrations of at least 80 percent of the specialized programs.
Here, we introduce the 2023 Top 25 Arts, Music, Design Schools and compare them with admission and tuition information. Curtis Institute of Music ranks first in Top 25 Arts, Music, Design Schools ranking and The Juilliard School is placed in second. (Ranking data from College Evaluator)

Academic Comparison Between Top 25 Arts, Music, Design Schools

Top 25 Arts, Music, Design Schools Comparison
2 public and 23 private schools are included in the Top 25 Arts, Music, Design Schools ranking. Total 36,142 students are attending the Top 25 Arts, Music, Design Schools where Berklee College of Music is the largest with 7,943 students and San Francisco Art Institute is the smallest with 70 students.
The average graduation rate is 68.21% and the average students to faculty ratio is 7.72:1 at those colleges.
The following table compares the key academic facts between the Top 25 Arts, Music, Design Schools with acceptance rate, SAT scores, graduation rates, student population, and students to faculty ratio.
Table. Top 25 Arts, Music, Design Schools Admission & Tuition Comparison
RankNameIn-State TuitionOut-of-State TuitionGraduation RatePopulationStudent-Faculty Ratio
1Curtis Institute of Music
Philadelphia, PA
$2,525$5,93081%1512:1
2The Juilliard School
New York, NY
$43,170$52,50087%9794:1
3Rhode Island School of Design
Providence, RI
$48,470$57,50586%2,5769:1
4San Francisco Conservatory of Music
San Francisco, CA
$44,810$52,80071%4423:1
5California Institute of the Arts
Valencia, CA
$47,446$55,05672%1,4447:1
6Pratt Institute-Main
Brooklyn, NY
$50,038$57,59971%5,37010:1
7Otis College of Art and Design
Los Angeles, CA
$45,620$52,46069%1,2529:1
8Design Institute of San Diego
San Diego, CA
$22,173$27,87550%1279:1
9Art Center College of Design
Pasadena, CA
$42,008$49,94276%2,3198:1
10San Francisco Art Institute
San Francisco, CA
$44,778$46,06432%704:1
11Cleveland Institute of Music
Cleveland, OH
$49,146$42,37071%3438:1
12Berklee College of Music
Boston, MA
$42,750$48,33067%7,94310:1
13Worsham College of Mortuary Science
Wheeling, IL
$21,800$24,800-21115:1
14College for Creative Studies
Detroit, MI
$42,460$49,43562%1,62010:1
15John A Gupton College
Nashville, TN
$11,070$11,73543%19114:1
16University of North Carolina School of the Arts
Winston Salem, NC
$9,388$26,62270%1,1196:1
17Musicians Institute
Hollywood, CA
$24,030$24,79554%7775:1
18VanderCook College of Music
Chicago, IL
$28,344$29,80065%2524:1
19Newschool of Architecture and Design
San Diego, CA
$26,463$30,29154%3788:1
20California College of the Arts
San Francisco, CA
$47,266$54,70665%1,6308:1
21Massachusetts College of Art and Design
Boston, MA
$14,570$40,96074%1,9079:1
22American Musical and Dramatic Academy
New York, NY
$37,370$44,26071%1,6667:1
23American Academy of Dramatic Arts-New York
New York, NY
$34,170$38,325100%1818:1
24Manhattan School of Music
New York, NY
$44,600$52,55072%1,0476:1
25Maryland Institute College of Art
Baltimore, MD
$46,990$53,81574%2,14710:1
Average$11,979$41,22168.21%36,142 (Total)7.72:1

Top 25 Arts, Music, Design Schools 2023 Tuition Comparison and 2024 Estimated Costs

The following table lists 2022-2023 tuition & fees and compares them between Top 25 Arts, Music, Design Schools. The 2022-2023 costs are officially published by NCES, National Center for Education Statistics.
The estimated costs for the academic year 2023-2024 are estimated based on each school's rate of tuition change from 2022 to 2023.
For the undergraduate programs, the average tuition & fees of Top 25 Arts, Music, Design Schools is $41,221 where Pratt Institute-Main has the most expensive costs at $57,599 and Curtis Institute of Music has the lowest amount of tuition at $5,930.
The average graduate tuition & fees of Top 25 Arts, Music, Design Schools is $41,135 where California College of the Arts has the highest tuition with $57,610 and Curtis Institute of Music has the lowest amount of graduate school tuition with $2,525.
UndergraduateGraduate
Table. Top 25 Arts, Music, Design Schools 2023 Undergraduate Tuition Comparison and 2024 Estimation
RankSchool Name 2023 Tuition & Fees2024 Estimated Tuition & Fees
In-StateOut-of-StateIn-StateOut-of-State
1Curtis Institute of Music $5,930-
2The Juilliard School $52,500$53,801
3Rhode Island School of Design $57,505$58,746
4San Francisco Conservatory of Music $52,800$54,879
5California Institute of the Arts $55,056$56,693
6Pratt Institute-Main $57,599$59,681
7Otis College of Art and Design $52,460$54,015
8Design Institute of San Diego $27,875$30,337
9Art Center College of Design $49,942$51,915
10San Francisco Art Institute $46,064$46,064
11Cleveland Institute of Music $42,370$42,703
12Berklee College of Music $48,330$49,910
13Worsham College of Mortuary Science $24,800$25,842
14College for Creative Studies $49,435$51,357
15John A Gupton College $11,735$11,889
16University of North Carolina School of the Arts $9,388$26,622 $9,857 $27,077
17Musicians Institute $24,795$24,276
18VanderCook College of Music $29,800$29,800
19Newschool of Architecture and Design $30,291$31,180
20California College of the Arts $54,706$57,210
21Massachusetts College of Art and Design $14,570$40,960 $14,950 $42,154
22American Musical and Dramatic Academy $44,260$45,599
23American Academy of Dramatic Arts-New York $38,325$39,452
24Manhattan School of Music $52,550$54,318
25Maryland Institute College of Art $53,815$55,651
Average$11,979$41,221$12,403$43,939
Table. Top 25 Arts, Music, Design Schools 2023 Graduate School Tuition Comparison and 2024 Estimation
RankSchool Name 2023 Tuition & Fees2024 Estimated Tuition & Fees
In-StateOut-of-StateIn-StateOut-of-State
1Curtis Institute of Music $2,525-
2The Juilliard School $52,250$53,290
3Rhode Island School of Design $57,505$58,746
4San Francisco Conservatory of Music $50,800$50,800
5California Institute of the Arts $55,056$56,693
6Pratt Institute-Main $37,654$38,955
7Otis College of Art and Design $52,480$54,056
8Design Institute of San Diego $25,315$27,256
9Art Center College of Design $52,726$54,796
10San Francisco Art Institute $48,250$48,250
11Cleveland Institute of Music $42,370$42,703
12Berklee College of Music $48,355$49,699
13Worsham College of Mortuary Science --
14College for Creative Studies $51,565$53,548
15John A Gupton College --
16University of North Carolina School of the Arts $12,087$26,790 $12,087$12,551
17Musicians Institute $28,340$28,340
18VanderCook College of Music $7,730$7,730
19Newschool of Architecture and Design $32,295$33,246
20California College of the Arts $57,610$60,245
21Massachusetts College of Art and Design $24,000$24,720 $24,000$24,000
22American Musical and Dramatic Academy $44,260$45,599
23American Academy of Dramatic Arts-New York --
24Manhattan School of Music $52,550$54,318
25Maryland Institute College of Art $53,815$55,651
Average$18,044$41,135$18,276$44,125