CalArts was recently ranked second in the nation by Art & Object in its 2026 list of the Top 15 Undergraduate Art Schools in the United States.
Compiled to help student artists find their best educational match, Art & Object’s annual list evaluates institutions on a range of factors including tuition costs, breadth of majors, post-graduation employment rates, diversity and inclusion, student-faculty ratios, and overall quality of life. The ranking also considers each school’s artistic reputation, surrounding art community, and affiliated museums.
The publication noted CalArts’ deep connections to the film and animation industries, and influential alumni such as MacArthur “Genius” Fellow Guillermo Gómez-Peña, animator and director Glenn Keane (Moana), and Guggenheim Fellow Meg Cranston.
More from Art & Object:
Widely recognized as one of the top art schools in the country, California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) began as a dream shared by Walt Disney and his brother Roy to build a multidisciplinary art community in 1961, modeled on the real-life experience of working artists. Surrounded by the rolling hills, canyons, and picturesque trails of scenic Santa Clarita, California, CalArts first opened its doors in 1970 and offers over 70 degree programs in the visual, performing, media, and literary arts, including BFAs, MAs, MFAs and DMAs, with an excellent 8:1 student to faculty ratio.
Read the full list at Art & Object.
