2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking - to help you make that decision.
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 the Southwest region, there were 3,229 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $27,160 and $27,678 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,505 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,896 and $23,899 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 36 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.
To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the design and applied arts program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
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More Ways to Rank Design & Applied Arts Schools
The design school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k”.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.
Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k
The colleges and universities below are the best for southwest region 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) in the Southwest Region
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of North Texas. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k. UNT is located in Denton, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 110 bachelors’s design degrees to qualified students.
UNT also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #8. The estimated yearly cost for University of North Texas is $8,521 for southwest region 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.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Arizona State University - Tempe. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Tempe, Arizona is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s design degrees to 180 students in 2019-2020.
ASU - Tempe also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #4. The estimated yearly cost for ASU - Tempe is $7,044 for southwest region bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Oklahoma State University - Main Campus. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Stillwater, Oklahoma, and it awarded 58 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
OSU also took the #9 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Oklahoma State University - Main Campus is $8,669 for southwest region 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 85%.
Full Oklahoma State University - Main Campus Design & Applied Arts Report
Out of the 36 schools in the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Texas Tech University landed the #4 spot on the list. Texas Tech is a large school located in Lubbock, Texas that handed out 13 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
Texas Tech not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $12,317 for southwest region bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Texas Tech.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Texas Tech University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend The University of Texas at Austin. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Located in Austin, Texas, this large public school handed out 61 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s design students in 2019-2020.
UT Austin also took the #1 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend The University of Texas at Austin is $12,203 for southwest region 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 student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at The University of Texas at Austin
Texas Woman’s University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Denton, Texas is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s design degrees to 7 students in 2019-2020.
TWU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #25 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Texas Woman’s University is $6,706 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make $0-$30k.
Texas State University landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Texas State is a large school located in San Marcos, Texas that handed out 126 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
Texas State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Texas State University is $11,125 for southwest region bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $0-$30k.
Stephen F Austin State University landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. SFASU is a fairly large school located in Nacogdoches, Texas that handed out 14 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
SFASU also took the #14 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Stephen F Austin State University is $8,650 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make $0-$30k.
University of Houston ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Houston, Texas, and it awarded 31 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
UH not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UH is $10,203 for southwest region bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at University of Houston
The University of Texas at Dallas came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. The University of Texas at Dallas is a large public school situated in Richardson, Texas. It awarded 187 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
UT Dallas did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend The University of Texas at Dallas is $10,857 for southwest region bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Texas A&M University - Commerce ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This fairly large school is located in Commerce, Texas, and it awarded 15 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
Texas A&M Commerce did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $10,013 for southwest region bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Texas A&M University - Commerce.
Full Texas A&M University - Commerce Design & Applied Arts Report
Sam Houston State University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Sam Houston State University is located in Huntsville, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 26 bachelors’s design degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $0-$30k list, SHSU has also earned the #19 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Sam Houston State University is $10,561 for southwest region bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $0-$30k.
Northern Arizona University landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. NAU is a large school located in Flagstaff, Arizona that handed out 88 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at NAU, the school also landed the #23 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $9,251 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend NAU.
Oklahoma Christian University landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Oklahoma Christian University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Edmond, Oklahoma. The school has a small population, and it awarded 39 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
OC also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #24. The estimated yearly cost for Oklahoma Christian University is $18,686 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make $0-$30k.
University of Central Oklahoma came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UCO is located in Edmond, Oklahoma and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 31 bachelors’s design degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCO, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UCO is $12,297 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make $0-$30k.
Full University of Central Oklahoma Design & Applied Arts Report
University of Oklahoma Norman Campus landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Oklahoma is a public institution located in Norman, Oklahoma. The school has a large population, and it awarded 45 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
University of Oklahoma did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Oklahoma is $16,675 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, 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 4.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Oklahoma Norman Campus Design & Applied Arts Report
West Texas A&M University landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. West Texas A&M University is a fairly large school located in Canyon, Texas that handed out 5 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend West Texas A&M University is $8,730 for southwest region bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at West Texas A&M University
Prairie View A & M University landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Prairie View A & M University is located in Prairie View, Texas and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 7 bachelors’s design degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend PVAMU is $12,291 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make $0-$30k.
Oral Roberts University ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Oral Roberts University is located in Tulsa, Oklahoma and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 10 bachelors’s design degrees to qualified students.
ORU also took the #16 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $17,078 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend ORU.
Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi is a fairly large public school situated in Corpus Christi, Texas. It awarded 17 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
Texas A&M Corpus Christi also took the #15 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Texas A&M Corpus Christi is $15,501 for southwest region bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $0-$30k.
Full Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi Design & Applied Arts Report
With a ranking of #21, Grand Canyon University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Phoenix, Arizona, and it awarded 34 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
Grand Canyon University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #21 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Grand Canyon University is $18,405 for southwest region bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Grand Canyon University
With a ranking of #22, Oklahoma Baptist University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Shawnee, Oklahoma is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s design degrees to 7 students in 2019-2020.
OBU also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #17. The yearly cost to attend OBU is $18,537 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Oklahoma Baptist University
Texas Christian University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. TCU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Fort Worth, Texas. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 37 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at TCU, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for TCU is $21,286 for southwest region bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $0-$30k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, 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 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #24, Houston Baptist University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This small school is located in Houston, Texas, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend HBU is $19,550 for southwest region bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $0-$30k.
Full Houston Baptist University Design & Applied Arts Report
With a ranking of #25, Southern Methodist University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Southern Methodist University is located in Dallas, Texas and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 7 bachelors’s design degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at SMU, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend SMU is $26,718 for southwest region 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 90%. 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 Southern Methodist University Design & Applied Arts Report
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Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southwest Region
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Design & Applied Arts students with family income $48-$75k in the Southwest Region
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Design & Applied Arts students with family income $75-$110k in the Southwest Region
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.
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