Lists and Rankings

Colleges for the Artist that Doesn't Want to Go to Art School

Institutes of art tend to be very specialized, not to mention endlessly edgy, and that's just not the scene for everyone. We asked college counselors to pick out schools for students who want a great fine or studio arts program in a more traditional university setting.

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The Top Choices

• Boston University (Boston, MA)
• Brown University (Providence, RI)
• Carnegie Mellon University (Pittsburgh, PA)
• Cornell University (Ithaca, NY)
• Kenyon College (Gambier, OH)
• New York University (New York, NY)
• Sarah Lawrence College (Bronxville, NY)
• Skidmore College (Saratoga Springs, NY)
• Syracuse University (Syracuse, NY)
• Tufts University (Medford, MA)
• University of California — Los Angeles (Los Angeles, CA)
• University of Michigan — Ann Arbor (Ann Arbor, MI)
• University of Washington, Seattle (Seattle, WA)
• Vassar College (Poughkeepsie, NY)
• Washington University in St. Louis (St. Louis, MO)
• Wesleyan University (Middletown, CT)
• Yale University (New Haven, CT)

Next Choices

• American University (Washington, DC)
• Bard College (Annandale on Hudson, NY)
• Boston College (Chestnut Hill, MA)
• Bryn Mawr College (Bryn Mawr, PA)
• Colby–Sawyer College (New London, NH)
• Columbia University (New York, NY)
• Goucher College (Baltimore, MD)
• Humboldt State University (Arcata, CA)
• Macalester College (St. Paul, MN)
• Middlebury College (Middlebury, VT)
• Savannah College of Art and Design (Savannah, GA)
• Scripps College (Claremont, CA)
• Southern Methodist University (Dallas, TX)
• The Cooper Union (New York, NY)
• University of California, Santa Barbara (Santa Barbara, CA)
• University of Chicago (Chicago, IL)
• University of Oregon (Eugene, OR)
• University of Rochester (Rochester, NY)