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2025 Best Illustration Bachelor's Degree Schools

45 Colleges in the United States
2,524 Bachelor's Degrees
a bachelor's degree in illustration is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #153 out of 1232 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 45 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Illustration Bachelor's Degree Schools ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 2,524 bachelor's degrees in illustration during the <nil> academic year.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Illustration School for Your Bachelor's Degree

Best Illustration Bachelor's Degree Schools Your choice of illustration for getting your bachelor's degree school matters. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:

Overall Quality Is a Must

The overall quality of a bachelor's degree school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To account for this we include a school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a host of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for illustration students working on their bachelor's degree.

More Ways to Rank Illustration Schools

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Illustration Rankings Other Ranking Categories

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Illustration Bachelor's Degree Schools list, to help you choose the best school for you.

To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Illustration in the United States

Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in illustration.

10 Top Schools for a Bachelor's in Illustration

1
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
89 Annual Graduates

Every student who is interested in a bachelor's degree in illustration needs to take a look at Fashion Institute of Technology. FIT SUNY is a moderately-sized public school located in the large city of New York.More information about a bachelor’s in illustration from Fashion Institute of Technology

2
Syracuse crest
Syracuse University
Syracuse, NY
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
11 Annual Graduates

Syracuse University is a wonderful decision for individuals interested in a bachelor's degree in illustration. Located in the midsize city of Syracuse, Syracuse is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in illustration from Syracuse University

3
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
65 Annual Graduates

Pratt Institute - Main is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in illustration. Pratt Institute is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Brooklyn.More information about a bachelor’s in illustration from Pratt Institute - Main

4
91 Annual Graduates

Massachusetts College of Art and Design is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in illustration. Massachusetts College of Art and Design is a small public college located in the large city of Boston.More information about a bachelor’s in illustration from Massachusetts College of Art and Design

5
New School University crest
The New School
New York, NY
89 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of New York, New School University is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.More information about a bachelor’s in illustration from The New School

6
32 Annual Graduates

Located in the large suburb of Rochester, RIT is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in illustration from Rochester Institute of Technology

7
187 Annual Graduates

Art Center College of Design is a small private not-for-profit college located in the midsize city of Pasadena.More information about a bachelor’s in illustration from Art Center College of Design

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
364 Annual Graduates

Located in the medium-sized city of Savannah, SCAD is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in illustration from Savannah College of Art and Design

9
47 Annual Graduates

Columbia is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit college located in the large city of Chicago.More information about a bachelor’s in illustration from Columbia College Chicago

10
91 Annual Graduates

Located in the midsize city of Providence, RISD is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.More information about a bachelor’s in illustration from Rhode Island School of Design

Honorable Mentions

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Illustration Bachelor's Degree Schools award.

Rank College Location
11 Maryland Institute College of Art Baltimore, MD
12 Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, VA
13 Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design Milwaukee, WI
14 College for Creative Studies Detroit, MI
15 California College of the Arts San Francisco, CA

Illustration by Region

View the Best Illustration Bachelor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

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Illustration is one of 9 different types of Design & Applied Arts programs to choose from.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Graphic Design 5,545
Visual Communications 2,827
Interior Design 2,824
Fashion Design 1,754
Other Design & Applied Arts 1,208
Industrial Design 1,178
Game & Interactive Media Design 1,110
Commercial & Advertising Art 715
Commercial Photography 92

Notes and References

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