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) in Washington

11 Ranked Colleges
361 Degrees Awarded
$14,100 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor's in Washington For Those Making $0-$30k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2019-2020, 36,854 people earned their degree in design and applied arts, making the major the 34th most popular in the United States. 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.

Across Washington, there were 684 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $35,042 and $26,172 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 361 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,202 and $21,977 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 11 colleges that offer a degree in design and applied arts. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent design and applied arts programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the design and applied arts program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington For Those Making $0-$30k” 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. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

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

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 11 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts (Income $0-$30k) in Washington

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Seattle, Washington, this large public school handed out 44 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s design students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW Seattle, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” ranking. It costs about $7,850 for Washington Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at UW Seattle

#2

Washington State University

Pullman, Washington

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Washington State University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington For Those Making $0-$30k. This large school is located in Pullman, Washington, and it awarded 34 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

Wazzu did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” list. The estimated yearly cost for Washington State University is $9,334 for Washington Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 4.6% 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 more about Design & Applied Arts at Wazzu

#3

Western Washington University

Bellingham, Washington

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Western Washington University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington For Those Making $0-$30k list. Western Washington University is located in Bellingham, Washington and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 66 bachelors’s design degrees to qualified students.

WWU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” list. The yearly cost to attend Western Washington University is $9,743 for washington bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.7% 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%.

Full WWU Design & Applied Arts Report

#4

Bellevue College

Bellevue, Washington

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Bellevue College landed the #4 spot on the list. Bellevue, Washington is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s design degrees to 36 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our washington bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $0-$30k list, BC has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” ranking. The yearly cost to attend BC is $6,386 for Washington Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Bellevue College

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Lake Washington Institute of Technology. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington For Those Making $0-$30k. Lake Washington Institute of Technology is located in Kirkland, Washington and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 17 bachelors’s design degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our washington bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $0-$30k list, LWTech has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for LWTech is $6,852 for washington bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at LWTech

#6

Central Washington University

Ellensburg, Washington
#8 in overall quality

With a ranking of #6, Central Washington University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington For Those Making $0-$30k list. Central Washington University is a public institution located in Ellensburg, Washington. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 27 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our washington bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $0-$30k list, CWU has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Central Washington University is $9,875 for Washington Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Central Washington University

#7

Whitworth University

Spokane, Washington
#7 in overall quality

With a ranking of #7, Whitworth University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington For Those Making $0-$30k list. Spokane, Washington is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s design degrees to 8 students in 2019-2020.

Whitworth not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” list. The estimated yearly cost for Whitworth is $17,565 for Washington Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Whitworth

#8

Seattle Pacific University

Seattle, Washington

With a ranking of #8, Seattle Pacific University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington For Those Making $0-$30k list. SPU is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Seattle, Washington. It awarded 33 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

SPU also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” list, coming in at #4. It costs about $19,900 for washington bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Seattle Pacific University.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at SPU

#9

Seattle University

Seattle, Washington

Seattle University landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Seattle U is a private not-for-profit institution located in Seattle, Washington. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 32 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Seattle U also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” list, coming in at #3. The yearly cost to attend Seattle University is $23,730 for washington bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $0-$30k.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Seattle U

#10

Northwest College of Art & Design

Poulsbo, Washington

Northwest College of Art & Design did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #10. NCAD is a private for-profit institution located in Poulsbo, Washington. The school has a small population, and it awarded 20 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

NCAD did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” list. It costs about $12,836 for Washington Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend NCAD.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Northwest College of Art & Design

#11

Cornish College of the Arts

Seattle, Washington

With a ranking of #11, Cornish College of the Arts did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Washington For Those Making $0-$30k list. Cornish College of the Arts is a small school located in Seattle, Washington that handed out 33 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

Cornish College of the Arts also took the #6 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Washington” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Cornish College of the Arts is $31,070 for washington bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $0-$30k.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Cornish College of the Arts Design & Applied Arts Report

Switch to a Different Ranking Method

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