2026 Best Painting Schools in the Southeast Region
Painting is a field worth a close look when choosing where to study. While the number of schools offering the program varies, there are still top-quality ones to be found.
For its 2026 ranking, College Factual looked at 7 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for painting students pursuing a degree.
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Best Schools for Painting in the Southeast Region
If you are not interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the painting degrees they offer, see the list below.
Top Schools in Painting
Virginia Commonwealth University tops our 2026 ranking of the best painting schools. Set in the city of Richmond, Virginia Commonwealth University is a very large public institution. Virginia Commonwealth University graduates 63% of students within six years. Virginia Commonwealth University awarded about 34 painting degrees in the most recent data year. Graduates of the painting program make about $20,934 in their early career. Students borrow a median of $23,374 to complete this degree.
Read more about the painting program at Virginia Commonwealth University
Students looking for a strong painting program will find one at Savannah College Of Art And Design, which ranked #2. Savannah College Of Art And Design is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Savannah. Savannah College Of Art And Design graduates 69% of students within six years. About 67 painting degrees were awarded at Savannah College Of Art And Design in the most recent year. Students who receive their painting degree from Savannah College Of Art And Design earn around $30,812 in the first couple years of their career. Students borrow a median of $27,000 to complete this degree.
Read more about the painting program at Savannah College Of Art And Design
Narrow Painting Schools by State
Notes and References
This list is compiled by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs graduation rate, post-graduation earnings, cost, and program quality, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Top Ranked · 7 schools evaluated.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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