California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) has been named America’s Number 1 College for Students in the Arts in the college rankings recently released by Newsweek/Daily Beast. Taking a new expansive approach to rating colleges, focused on “what American kids really care about these days,” Newsweek evaluated colleges and universities according to 25 categories of student “types” and their respective career directions. Other Newsweek list-toppers included Yale, in the “Brainiacs” category; Harvard, first in both the “Future CEOs” and “Future Politicians” categories; and University of Cambridge, the “Best International” school on the list. The rankings, called “The Best Colleges for You,” also published on The Daily Beast website, were based on data from The College Board.
CalArts President Steven Lavine commented, “I’ve never been a fan of pitting institutions of higher learning against each other, but it is undeniably gratifying to receive this recognition. CalArts selects students for evidence of their creative potential and then we strive to provide an environment that supports that creative development rather than trying to mold students to a preconceived idea of artistic excellence. The accomplishments of our alumni, across so many fields both within and outside the arts, are the best proof that confident creativity is their greatest asset.”
Read more about the methodology behind the rankings and see the Newsweek/Daily Beast’s top 25 “Artistic” schools on CalArts 24700 blog.
CalArts is recognized internationally as a leading laboratory for the visual, performing, media and literary arts. Housing six schools—Art, Critical Studies, Dance, Film/Video, Music, and Theater—CalArts educates professional artists in an intensive learning environment founded on art making excellence, creative experimentation, cross-pollination among diverse artistic disciplines, and a broad context of social and cultural understanding. CalArts also operates the Roy and Edna Disney/CalArts Theater (REDCAT) in the Walt Disney Concert Hall complex in downtown Los Angeles.