by our College Data Analytics TeamCollege Factual looked at 17 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,222 bachelor's degrees in fine & studio arts during the 2022-2023 academic year.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
The fine arts bachelor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality fine arts program can vary widely even among the top schools. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.
The overall quality of a bachelor's degree school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To account for this we consider a school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a collection of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of bachelor's graduates during the early years of their career. That is, everyone wants their bachelor's degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.
The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.
Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for fine & studio arts students working on their bachelor's degree.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Fine & Studio Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in fine & studio arts.
It is difficult to beat Northwestern University if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in fine & studio arts. Located in the city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in fine & studio arts from Northwestern University
School of the Art Institute of Chicago is a good option for individuals interested in a bachelor's degree in fine & studio arts. Located in the city of Chicago, School of the Art Institute of Chicago is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Soon after graduating, fine arts bachelor's recipients typically make around $23,984 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a bachelor’s in fine & studio arts from School of the Art Institute of Chicago
It's difficult to beat University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in fine & studio arts. UIUC is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Champaign.
Fine & Studio Arts bachelor's degree recipients from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign receive an earnings boost of around $2,441 above the typical earnings of fine & studio arts majors.
More information about a bachelor’s in fine & studio arts from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
It's difficult to beat Illinois State University if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in fine & studio arts. Illinois State is a very large public university located in the midsize suburb of Normal.
Fine & Studio Arts bachelor's degree recipients from Illinois State University earn a boost of around $9,739 over the typical income of fine & studio arts graduates.
More information about a bachelor’s in fine & studio arts from Illinois State University
Columbia is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit college located in the city of Chicago.
Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the fine arts program earn an average of $22,765 in their early career salary.
More information about a bachelor’s in fine & studio arts from Columbia College Chicago
Located in the small suburb of Dekalb, NIU is a public university with a large student population.
Soon after graduating, fine arts bachelor's recipients generally make about $26,795 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a bachelor’s in fine & studio arts from Northern Illinois University
Located in the large suburb of Wheaton, Wheaton College Illinois is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the fine arts program make about $23,202 in the first couple years of working.
More information about a bachelor’s in fine & studio arts from Wheaton College Illinois
Located in the city of Chicago, UIC is a public university with a very large student population.
Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the fine arts program state that they receive average early career earnings of $21,954.
More information about a bachelor’s in fine & studio arts from University of Illinois at Chicago
DePaul is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Chicago.
After graduating, fine arts bachelor's recipients usually earn an average of $27,291 in their early careers.
More information about a bachelor’s in fine & studio arts from DePaul University
Loyola Chicago is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Chicago.More information about a bachelor’s in fine & studio arts from Loyola University Chicago
Explore all the Best Fine & Studio Arts Colleges in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.
One of 10 majors within the Visual & Performing Arts area of study, Fine & Studio Arts has other similar majors worth exploring.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Fine Arts | 812 |
| Art Studies | 317 |
| Art History | 66 |
| Intermedia/Multimedia | 13 |
| Painting | 7 |
| Drawing | 3 |
| Other Fine Arts & Art Studies | 3 |
| Sculpture | 1 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Design & Applied Arts | 735 |
| Drama & Theater Arts | 734 |
| Music | 557 |
| Film, Video & Photographic Arts | 446 |
| Arts & Media Management | 144 |
| General Visual & Performing Arts | 75 |
| Dance | 47 |
| Other Visual Art | 37 |
