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2022 Best Value Colleges for Design & Applied Arts (Income $0-$30k) in Iowa

11 Ranked Colleges
524 Degrees Awarded
$15,200 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Design Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. 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 in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking.

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 Iowa, there were 524 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $33,460 and $23,539 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Design Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 11 colleges that offered 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. 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 Iowa 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. 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 in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k

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

Top 11 Best Value Colleges for Design & Applied Arts (Income $0-$30k) in Iowa

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Iowa State University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Design Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k. Located in Ames, Iowa, this large public school awarded 252 degrees to qualified ’s design students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our iowa design students whose families make $0-$30k list, Iowa State has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Iowa” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Iowa State is $10,054 for Iowa Design students whose families make $0-$30k.

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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Iowa State

#2

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, Iowa

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Design Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Northern Iowa landed the #2 spot on the list. UNI is a public institution located in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 36 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UNI not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Iowa” list. The estimated yearly cost for UNI is $10,757 for Iowa Design students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 3.6% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at University of Northern Iowa

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Design Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Des Moines Area Community College landed the #3 spot on the list. Des Moines Area Community College is located in Ankeny, Iowa and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 98 ’s design degrees to qualified students.

DMACC also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Iowa” list, coming in at #7. It costs about $7,776 for iowa design students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend DMACC.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at DMACC

#4

Kirkwood Community College

Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Design Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Kirkwood Community College landed the #4 spot on the list. Kirkwood Community College is a fairly large public school situated in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. It awarded 13 ’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

Kirkwood Community College also took the #9 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Iowa” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Kirkwood Community College is $8,067 for iowa design students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Kirkwood Community College Design & Applied Arts Report

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Design Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Western Iowa Tech Community College landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in Sioux City, Iowa, this medium-sized public school handed out 25 diplomas to qualified ’s design students in 2019-2020.

Western Iowa Tech Community College also took the #10 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Iowa” ranking. It costs about $5,665 for iowa design students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Western Iowa Tech Community College.

Full Western Iowa Tech Community College Design & Applied Arts Report

Iowa Central Community College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Design Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #6. Iowa Central Community College is a public institution located in Fort Dodge, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 5 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Iowa Central Community College not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Iowa” list. It costs about $7,979 for iowa design students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Iowa Central Community College.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Iowa Central Community College

#7

Luther College

Decorah, Iowa

Luther College landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Decorah, Iowa, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 3 degrees to qualified ’s design students in 2019-2020.

Luther also took the #2 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Iowa” ranking. It costs about $16,636 for Iowa Design students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Luther College.

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 Luther College

#8

Grand View University

Des Moines, Iowa

Grand View University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k list. Grand View University is located in Des Moines, Iowa and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 12 ’s design degrees to qualified students.

Grand View University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Iowa” list. The estimated yearly cost for Grand View University is $18,481 for Iowa Design students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Grand View University Design & Applied Arts Report

#9

Clarke University

Dubuque, Iowa

Clarke University landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Dubuque, Iowa, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 2 degrees to qualified ’s design students in 2019-2020.

Clarke also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Iowa” list, coming in at #5. It costs about $32,534 for Iowa Design students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Clarke University.

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%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Clarke University

#10

Drake University

Des Moines, Iowa

Drake University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Design Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #10. Located in Des Moines, Iowa, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 7 degrees to qualified ’s design students in 2019-2020.

Drake not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Iowa” list. The yearly cost to attend Drake University is $25,212 for Iowa 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. 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.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Drake University

#11

Saint Ambrose University

Davenport, Iowa

Saint Ambrose University landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools in Iowa For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Davenport, Iowa is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s design degrees to 6 students in 2019-2020.

St. Ambrose University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Iowa” list. The estimated yearly cost for St. Ambrose University is $23,977 for iowa design students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Saint Ambrose University

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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