Newswise — (Winston-Salem, N.C.)The University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) is No. 38 on Money magazine’s second annual list of 736 best colleges. Tied with Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh and Pomona College in Claremont, Calif., UNCSA is the highest ranked public university in North Carolina, and the highest ranked arts-specialty school.
The list ranks schools “that provide the best value for your tuition dollar.”
"We’re honored to be recognized by the editors of Money as North Carolina's highest-ranking public university," said Chancellor Lindsay Bierman of the list, published online Monday. “The data reaffirms the value of an arts degree as a pathway to a lucrative career in the global, multi-billion-dollar arts and entertainment industry.”
In creating its list, Money screened out schools with graduation rates below the median and those facing financial difficulties, and then considered 21 factors in three equally weighted categories: educational quality, affordability, and alumni earnings. The magazine noted UNCSA’s average SAT/ACT score of 1,115/23, acceptance rate of 45 percent, $90,971 net price of a degree, and $55,000 average annual salary of alumni five years after graduating.
“The art school gets high marks for affordability—more than three-quarters of students receive some form of financial aid, and low-income families pay less than $5,000 a year on average,” the magazine noted. “The School of the Arts also shines in career outcomes. Recent graduates reported earning an average of $55,000 a year, about 35% higher than other graduates with a similar focus in the arts.”
Bierman noted that UNCSA’s students put on 300 public performances a year, juggling real-life pressures, budget-constraints, and deadlines along with a full load of academic coursework. “A conservatory education prepares our graduates for success in any industry that benefits from creative problem solving in high-pressure, fast-paced environments,” he said. “Our alumni include not only some the most recognizable faces on the stage and screen, but also some of the country’s most accomplished lawyers, doctors, business executives, and entrepreneurs."
Money gave UNCSA a value-added grade of A-, evaluating how well students did vs. what would be expected given their economic and academic backgrounds and the institution's mix of majors.
Celebrating its 50th anniversary, the University of North Carolina School of the Arts is America’s first state-supported arts school, a unique stand-alone public university of arts conservatories. With a high school component, UNCSA is a degree-granting institution that trains young people of talent in music, dance, drama, filmmaking, and design and production. Established by the N.C. General Assembly in 1963, the School of the Arts opened in Winston-Salem (“The City of Arts and Innovation”) in 1965 and became part of the University of North Carolina system when it was formed in 1972. For more information, visit www.uncsa.edu.
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