2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in District of Columbia For Those Making $0-$30k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in District of Columbia For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

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.

Across District of Columbia, there were 72 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $47,100 and $55,250 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 34 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $44,446 and $25,767 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in District of Columbia For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 2 colleges that offered 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.

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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in District of Columbia For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college decision.

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 Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in District of Columbia For Those Making $0-$30k

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

Top 2 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts (Income $0-$30k) in District of Columbia

#1

George Washington University

Washington, District of Columbia

#1 in overall quality

$17,614 Average Net Price

$46,456 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 2 schools in the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in District of Columbia For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, George Washington University landed the #1 spot on the list. GWU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Washington, District of Columbia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 23 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

GWU also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in District of Columbia” list, coming in at #1. The yearly cost to attend GWU is $17,614 for District of Columbia Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.2% 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 George Washington University

#2

American University

Washington, District of Columbia

#2 in overall quality

$28,432 Average Net Price

$42,682 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 2 schools in the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in District of Columbia For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, American University landed the #2 spot on the list. Washington, District of Columbia is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s design degrees to 11 students in 2019-2020.

The American University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in District of Columbia” list. The estimated yearly cost for American University is $28,432 for District of Columbia Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 2.5% 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 American University Design & Applied Arts Report

• Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts (Income $0-$30k) in the Middle Atlantic Region
• Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts (Income $0-$30k)

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

Request Info

Southern New Hampshire University You have goals. Southern New Hampshire University can help you get there. Whether you need a bachelor's degree to get into a career or want a master's degree to move up in your current career, SNHU has an online program for you. Find your degree from over 200 online programs ... Learn More >