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 2025 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
2 public and 23 private schools are included in the Top 25 Arts, Music, Design Schools ranking. Total 28,418 students are attending the Top 25 Arts, Music, Design Schools where Pratt Institute-Main is the largest with 5,232 students and Los Angeles Academy of Figurative Art is the smallest with 4 students.
The average graduation rate is 70.60% and the average students to faculty ratio is 7.92:1 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.
| Rank | Name | In-State Tuition | Out-of-State Tuition | Graduation Rate | Population | Student-Faculty Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Curtis Institute of Music Philadelphia, PA | $2,525 | $4,530 | 96% | 159 | 2:1 |
| 2 | The Juilliard School New York, NY | $43,170 | $57,950 | 93% | 1,028 | 4:1 |
| 3 | Los Angeles Academy of Figurative Art Van Nuys, CA | $31,568 | $31,618 | 100% | 4 | 1:1 |
| 4 | San Francisco Conservatory of Music San Francisco, CA | $44,810 | $56,150 | 74% | 403 | 3:1 |
| 5 | University of North Carolina School of the Arts Winston Salem, NC | $9,477 | $27,211 | 78% | 1,074 | 6:1 |
| 6 | Laguna College of Art and Design Laguna Beach, CA | $29,800 | $37,500 | 52% | 807 | 9:1 |
| 7 | Pratt Institute-Main Brooklyn, NY | $50,038 | $61,845 | 74% | 5,232 | 9:1 |
| 8 | Otis College of Art and Design Los Angeles, CA | $45,620 | $56,488 | 66% | 1,284 | 8:1 |
| 9 | The New England Conservatory of Music Boston, MA | $46,930 | $60,750 | 73% | 784 | 5:1 |
| 10 | Maryland Institute College of Art Baltimore, MD | $46,990 | $56,800 | 72% | 1,861 | 8:1 |
| 11 | Cleveland Institute of Music Cleveland, OH | $49,146 | $52,880 | 72% | 350 | 6:1 |
| 12 | College for Creative Studies Detroit, MI | $42,460 | $53,350 | 71% | 1,459 | 10:1 |
| 13 | California College of the Arts San Francisco, CA | $47,266 | $60,226 | 61% | 1,333 | 7:1 |
| 14 | Manhattan School of Music New York, NY | $44,600 | $57,050 | 78% | 1,097 | 6:1 |
| 15 | Ringling College of Art and Design Sarasota, FL | $44,560 | $57,900 | 72% | 1,722 | 11:1 |
| 16 | Massachusetts College of Art and Design Boston, MA | $15,400 | $43,400 | 69% | 1,986 | 9:1 |
| 17 | Design Institute of San Diego San Diego, CA | $22,173 | $29,300 | 80% | 111 | 7:1 |
| 18 | Five Towns College Dix Hills, NY | $19,380 | $30,250 | 55% | 723 | 11:1 |
| 19 | Minneapolis College of Art and Design Minneapolis, MN | $37,812 | $45,484 | 51% | 824 | 10:1 |
| 20 | Worsham College of Mortuary Science Wheeling, IL | $21,800 | $26,000 | 74% | 187 | 14:1 |
| 21 | Musicians Institute Hollywood, CA | $24,030 | $32,414 | 53% | 812 | 6:1 |
| 22 | Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design Milwaukee, WI | $36,230 | $43,743 | 67% | 885 | 11:1 |
| 23 | Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science Inc Pittsburgh, PA | - | $26,285 | 89% | 402 | 13:1 |
| 24 | Culinary Institute of America Hyde Park, NY | $31,616 | $38,670 | 63% | 3,104 | 19:1 |
| 25 | Boston Architectural College Boston, MA | $23,748 | $27,470 | 32% | 787 | 3:1 |
| Average | $12,439 | $43,011 | 70.60% | 28,418 (Total) | 7.92:1 |
Top 25 Arts, Music, Design Schools 2025 Tuition Comparison and 2026 Estimated Costs
The following table lists and compares 2024-2025 tuition & fees between Top 25 Arts, Music, Design Schools. The 2024-2025 costs are officially published by NCES, National Center for Education Statistics.
The estimated costs for the academic year 2025-2026 are estimated based on each school's rate of tuition change from 2024 to 2025.
For the undergraduate programs, the average tuition & fees of Top 25 Arts, Music, Design Schools is $43,011 where Pratt Institute-Main has the most expensive costs at $61,845 and Curtis Institute of Music has the lowest amount of tuition at $4,530.
The average graduate tuition & fees of Top 25 Arts, Music, Design Schools is $42,330 where California College of the Arts has the highest tuition with $63,430 and Curtis Institute of Music has the lowest amount of graduate school tuition with $2,525.
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