2023 Best Value Colleges for Design & Applied Arts (Income $0-$30k) in the Middle Atlantic Region
83
Ranked Colleges
7,125
Degrees Awarded
$7,600
Avg Net Price*
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. 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 in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.
Design & Applied Arts is the 36th most popular major in the country with 36,301 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, design and applied arts graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $31,426 and had an average of $25,481 in loans still to pay off.
Across the Middle Atlantic region, there were 7,125 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $31,489 and $23,859 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Design Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 83 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.
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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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 in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
Best Value Design Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k
The colleges and universities below are the best for middle atlantic region design students whose families make $0-$30k.
Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Design & Applied Arts (Income $0-$30k) in the Middle Atlantic Region
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Pennsylvania. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Design Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. UPenn is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It awarded 6 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UPenn, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UPenn is $580 for middle atlantic region design students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at UPenn
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Fashion Institute of Technology. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Design Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k. FIT SUNY is a medium-sized school located in New York, New York that handed out 1,400 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
FIT SUNY also took the #2 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. It costs about $7,688 for Middle Atlantic Region Design students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend FIT SUNY.
With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Fashion Institute of Technology
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Carnegie Mellon University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Design Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Carnegie Mellon University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It awarded 69 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
Carnegie Mellon did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list. It costs about $16,456 for middle atlantic region design students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Carnegie Mellon.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Carnegie Mellon University Design & Applied Arts Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Queens College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Design Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. QC is located in Queens, New York and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 131 ’s design degrees to qualified students.
The yearly cost to attend Queens College is $1,344 for Middle Atlantic Region Design students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.1% 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 Queens College
Out of the 83 schools in the Best Value Design Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, New York City College of Technology landed the #5 spot on the list. New York City College of Technology is located in Brooklyn, New York and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 178 ’s design degrees to qualified students.
It costs about $2,908 for Middle Atlantic Region Design students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend New York City College of Technology.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at New York City College of Technology
Nassau Community College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Nassau Community College is a fairly large public school situated in Garden City, New York. It awarded 55 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend Nassau Community College is $2,197 for Middle Atlantic Region Design students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Nassau Community College
With a ranking of #7, Lehman College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Design Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Bronx, New York, this fairly large public school handed out 5 degrees to qualified ’s design students in 2020-2021.
It costs about $881 for middle atlantic region design students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Lehman College.
Full Lehman Design & Applied Arts Report
LaGuardia Community College landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Best Value Design Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. LaGuardia Community College is located in Long Island City, New York and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 43 ’s design degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for LaGuardia Community College is $6,878 for middle atlantic region design students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at LaGuardia Community College
With a ranking of #9, Farmingdale State College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Design Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Farmingdale State College is located in Farmingdale, New York and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 56 ’s design degrees to qualified students.
It costs about $3,335 for middle atlantic region design students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend SUNY College of Technology at Farmingdale.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full SUNY College of Technology at Farmingdale Design & Applied Arts Report
With a ranking of #10, University of Delaware did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Design Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Delaware is a large public school situated in Newark, Delaware. It awarded 24 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our middle atlantic region design students whose families make $0-$30k list, UD has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UD is $13,726 for middle atlantic region design students whose families make $0-$30k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, 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 90%.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at UD
Kingsborough Community College ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Kingsborough Community College is a public institution located in Brooklyn, New York. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 76 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend Kingsborough Community College is $5,221 for middle atlantic region design students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at KCC
Syracuse University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Syracuse University is a large school located in Syracuse, New York that handed out 102 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
Syracuse also took the #3 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. It costs about $17,250 for Middle Atlantic Region Design students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Syracuse.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The low undergrad 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%.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Syracuse University
Lehigh Carbon Community College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Design Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #13. Lehigh Carbon Community College is located in Schnecksville, Pennsylvania and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 25 ’s design degrees to qualified students.
It costs about $4,307 for middle atlantic region design students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend LCCC.
Full LCCC Design & Applied Arts Report
Suffolk County Community College landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Best Value Design Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Selden, New York, this large public school awarded 31 diplomas to qualified ’s design students in 2020-2021.
It costs about $2,585 for Middle Atlantic Region Design students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Suffolk County Community College.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Suffolk County Community College
With a ranking of #15, Monroe Community College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Design Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Monroe Community College is a public institution located in Rochester, New York. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 44 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend Monroe Community College is $4,543 for middle atlantic region design students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Monroe Community College
With a ranking of #16, Montclair State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Design Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Montclair, New Jersey is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s design degrees to 99 students in 2020-2021.
Montclair State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Montclair State University is $12,133 for middle atlantic region design students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.3% 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 Montclair State Design & Applied Arts Report
Buffalo State ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This medium-sized school is located in Buffalo, New York, and it awarded 15 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for Buffalo State is $10,484 for middle atlantic region design students whose families make $0-$30k.
Full Buffalo State Design & Applied Arts Report
Mohawk Valley Community College came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. MVCC is a medium-sized public school situated in Utica, New York. It awarded 40 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for MVCC is $5,869 for Middle Atlantic Region Design students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at MVCC
Brookdale Community College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Design Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #19. Brookdale Community College is located in Lincroft, New Jersey and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 26 ’s design degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for Brookdale Community College is $7,366 for Middle Atlantic Region Design students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Brookdale Community College
George Washington University landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Best Value Design Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. George Washington University is a large school located in Washington, District of Columbia that handed out 47 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
GWU also took the #8 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. It costs about $17,673 for Middle Atlantic Region Design students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend George Washington University.
With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad 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%.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at GWU
Northampton County Area Community College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Design Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #21. This medium-sized school is located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 28 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $7,658 for middle atlantic region design students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Northampton Community College.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Northampton Community College
County College of Morris did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Design Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #22. County College of Morris is a medium-sized public school situated in Randolph, New Jersey. It awarded 27 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $6,707 for middle atlantic region design students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend County College of Morris.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at County College of Morris
With a ranking of #23, SUNY Oneonta did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Design Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. SUNY Oneonta is a medium-sized school located in Oneonta, New York that handed out 54 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for SUNY Oneonta is $11,696 for Middle Atlantic Region Design students whose families make $0-$30k.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.6% 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 SUNY Oneonta
Finger Lakes Community College ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Finger Lakes Community College is located in Canandaigua, New York and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 16 ’s design degrees to qualified students.
It costs about $8,074 for middle atlantic region design students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Finger Lakes Community College.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Finger Lakes Community College
With a ranking of #25, New Jersey Institute of Technology did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Design Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Newark, New Jersey, this fairly large public school handed out 21 degrees to qualified ’s design students in 2020-2021.
NJIT also took the #19 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. It costs about $12,784 for middle atlantic region design students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend NJIT.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at New Jersey Institute of Technology
