The College of Fine and Applied Arts at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is dedicated to the practice, teaching, understanding, and advancement of the arts. The central focus is the synergy between research, creativity, and the preparation of students for careers in visual and performing arts and environmental design professions.

FAA’s academic units are highly ranked and accredited by national accrediting associations. The most recent national rankings (2008-2009) are by Academic Analytics (Art History 3), the Chronicle of Higher Education (Urban Planning 8), Dance Teacher (Dance 3), Design Intelligence (Architecture 18, Industrial Design 15, Landscape Architecture 8), Planetizen (Urban and Regional Planning 10), and US News and World Report (Architecture 19, Art and Design 21, Graphic Design 7, Music 6, Theater 16).

No rankings of units dedicated to community engagement and outreach are published, but three FAA units are unique in the United States (the East St. Louis Action Research Project, I space Gallery in Chicago, and Japan House) while the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts and the Krannert Art Museum are among the most highly regarded venues in the country.