Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Design & Applied Arts

Find Schools Near

2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts (Income $0-$30k)

422 Ranked Colleges
19,683 Degrees Awarded
$6,100 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor's For Those Making $0-$30k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking.

Design & Applied Arts is the 34th most popular major in the country with 36,854 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, design and applied arts graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $29,542 and had an average of $27,114 in loans still to pay off.

At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 19,683 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 422 colleges that offer a degree in design and applied arts. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great design and applied arts programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the design and applied arts program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts (Income $0-$30k)

#1

Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, Missouri

Out of the 422 schools in the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Washington University in St Louis landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Saint Louis, Missouri, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 53 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s design students in 2019-2020.

WUSTL not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend WUSTL is $5,273 for Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at WUSTL

#2

University of Florida

Gainesville, Florida

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Florida. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Gainesville, Florida, this large public school awarded 54 degrees to qualified bachelors’s design students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $0-$30k list, UF has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UF is $1,994 for Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full UF Design & Applied Arts Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k. UW - Madison is a large public school situated in Madison, Wisconsin. It awarded 35 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW - Madison, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UW - Madison is $4,367 for Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at University of Wisconsin - Madison

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a large public school situated in Champaign, Illinois. It awarded 108 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

UIUC also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #12. The estimated yearly cost for UIUC is $5,477 for bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at UIUC

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k. University of Washington - Seattle Campus is a large public school situated in Seattle, Washington. It awarded 44 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW Seattle, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $7,850 for bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UW Seattle.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at UW Seattle

#6

University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame, Indiana

University of Notre Dame came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit institution located in Notre Dame, Indiana. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 40 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Notre Dame, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Notre Dame is $12,498 for bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 0.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at University of Notre Dame

#7

Florida State University

Tallahassee, Florida

Florida State University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Florida State University is a large public school situated in Tallahassee, Florida. It awarded 37 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on this list, Florida State is in the top on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category. The estimated yearly cost for Florida State University is $5,360 for bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Florida State University

Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus is a large public school situated in Atlanta, Georgia. It awarded 41 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

Georgia Tech not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $9,162 for bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Georgia Tech.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The low student loan default rate of 1.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus Design & Applied Arts Report

#9

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, Indiana

With a ranking of #9, Purdue University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Purdue University - Main Campus is a large public school situated in West Lafayette, Indiana. It awarded 42 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

Purdue excels when it comes to design quality. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The estimated yearly cost for Purdue is $5,483 for Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Purdue

#10

Fashion Institute of Technology

New York, New York

With a ranking of #10, Fashion Institute of Technology did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Fashion Institute of Technology is a public institution located in New York, New York. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 560 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at FIT SUNY, the school also landed the #15 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend FIT SUNY is $7,123 for bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 3.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Fashion Institute of Technology

#11

Queens College

Queens, New York

Queens College ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Queens College is a public institution located in Queens, New York. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 102 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Queens College is $1,255 for Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full QC Design & Applied Arts Report

#12

North Carolina State University

Raleigh, North Carolina

North Carolina State University landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. NC State is a public institution located in Raleigh, North Carolina. The school has a large population, and it awarded 70 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

NC State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #24 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for North Carolina State University is $7,285 for Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at NC State

#13

Indiana University - Bloomington

Bloomington, Indiana

Indiana University - Bloomington did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #13. This large school is located in Bloomington, Indiana, and it awarded 79 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on this list, IU Bloomington is in the top on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The yearly cost to attend IU Bloomington is $4,969 for bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Indiana University - Bloomington Design & Applied Arts Report

#13

Lehman College

Bronx, New York

Lehman College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #13. Lehman is a public institution located in Bronx, New York. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 14 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Lehman is $234 for bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Lehman College

#15

Farmingdale State College

Farmingdale, New York

Farmingdale State College came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Farmingdale, New York is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s design degrees to 45 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Farmingdale State College is $3,469 for bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at SUNY College of Technology at Farmingdale

#16

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, Minnesota

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, this large public school awarded 132 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s design students in 2019-2020.

On top of its placing in this ranking, UMN Twin Cities also did well on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category. The yearly cost to attend UMN Twin Cities is $7,266 for bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at UMN Twin Cities

With a ranking of #17, New York City College of Technology did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Brooklyn, New York, this fairly large public school awarded 129 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s design students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend New York City College of Technology is $2,456 for bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at City Tech

#18

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

University of California - Los Angeles landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s design degrees to 44 students in 2019-2020.

UCLA also took the #16 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Los Angeles is $8,553 for Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at UCLA

California State University - Long Beach came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Long Beach, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s design degrees to 130 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, CSULB is also in the top of our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Long Beach is $6,364 for Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full CSULB Design & Applied Arts Report

#20

Michigan State University

East Lansing, Michigan

Michigan State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #20. Michigan State is located in East Lansing, Michigan and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 86 bachelors’s design degrees to qualified students.

Michigan State excels when it comes to design quality. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category. The estimated yearly cost for Michigan State is $6,686 for bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Michigan State University

California State University - Fresno came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Fresno, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s design degrees to 52 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Fresno State is $3,264 for bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 4.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Fresno State

#22

Northeastern University

Boston, Massachusetts

With a ranking of #22, Northeastern University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Boston, Massachusetts, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 49 degrees to qualified bachelors’s design students in 2019-2020.

Northeastern did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Northeastern University is $10,239 for Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Northeastern University

Iowa State University landed the #23 spot on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Ames, Iowa, this large public school awarded 227 degrees to qualified bachelors’s design students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $0-$30k list, Iowa State has also earned the #18 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $10,054 for bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Iowa State.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Iowa State University

#24

Appalachian State University

Boone, North Carolina

Appalachian State University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. Boone, North Carolina is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s design degrees to 144 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on this list, Appalachian State is in the top on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category. It costs about $7,169 for bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Appalachian State University.

The low student loan default rate of 3.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Appalachian State

With a ranking of #25, Ohio State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Columbus, Ohio, and it awarded 43 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

Ohio State excels when it comes to design quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $8,194 for Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Ohio State.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Ohio State Design & Applied Arts Report

Rest of the Best 50 in Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k

Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

#26

University of North Texas

Denton, Texas
#29

Virginia Tech

Blacksburg, Virginia
#30

University of Wisconsin - Stout

Menomonie, Wisconsin
#32

University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point

Stevens Point, Wisconsin
#34

Northern Kentucky University

Highland Heights, Kentucky
#35

Washington State University

Pullman, Washington
#37

Ferris State University

Big Rapids, Michigan
#38

Boston University

Boston, Massachusetts
#39

Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
#40

Western Washington University

Bellingham, Washington
#42

Elizabeth City State University

Elizabeth City, North Carolina
#43

Texas Tech University

Lubbock, Texas
#47

Ball State University

Muncie, Indiana
#48

San Jose State University

San Jose, California
#49

Texas Woman's University

Denton, Texas

Rest of the Top 15% Colleges in Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Making $0-$30k

While not in the ‘top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

Rank College Location
51 Bellevue College Bellevue, WA
52 University of California - San Diego La Jolla, CA
53 University of Northern Iowa Cedar Falls, IA
54 University of Maryland - Baltimore County Baltimore, MD
55 University of North Carolina at Greensboro Greensboro, NC
56 San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA
57 University of Wisconsin - Green Bay Green Bay, WI
58 The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga Chattanooga, TN
59 California State Polytechnic University - Pomona Pomona, CA
60 SUNY Oneonta Oneonta, NY
61 North Dakota State University - Main Campus Fargo, ND
62 Clemson University Clemson, SC
63 University of Nebraska - Lincoln Lincoln, NE
64 Saint Cloud State University Saint Cloud, MN

Notes and References

References

  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

Featured Performing Arts Schools

Find Schools Near You