2023 Best Value Design Schools For Those Making $30-$48k
394
Ranked Colleges
36,301
Degrees Awarded
$7,100
Avg Net Price*
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 Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is part of that endeavor.
In 2020-2021, 36,301 people earned their degree in design and applied arts, making the major the 36th most popular in the United States. 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.
For this year’s “Best Value Design Schools For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 394 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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
More Ways to Rank Design & Applied Arts Schools
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Design Schools For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
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 Those Making $30-$48k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Design Schools For Those Making $30-$48k.
Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Design & Applied Arts (Income $30-$48k)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Florida. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Design Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of Florida is located in Gainesville, Florida and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 87 ’s design degrees to qualified students.
UF also took the #9 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UF is $2,857 for design students whose families make $30-$48k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% 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 University of Florida Design & Applied Arts Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Washington University in St Louis. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Design Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Washington University in St Louis is a private not-for-profit institution located in Saint Louis, Missouri. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 74 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
WUSTL also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools” list, coming in at #3. It costs about $2,446 for design students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend WUSTL.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Washington University in St Louis
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Yale University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Design Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Yale University is a private not-for-profit institution located in New Haven, Connecticut. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 13 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Yale excels when it comes to design quality. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. The estimated yearly cost for Yale is $3,083 for design students whose families make $30-$48k.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Yale University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Purdue University - Main Campus. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Design Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Purdue University - Main Campus is a large school located in West Lafayette, Indiana that handed out 63 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
Purdue also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools” list, coming in at #25. It costs about $5,853 for design students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Purdue.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Purdue
Out of the 394 schools in the Best Value Design Schools For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #5 spot on the list. This large school is located in Seattle, Washington, and it awarded 38 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
UW Seattle not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools” list. It costs about $6,399 for design students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at UW Seattle
University of Wisconsin - Madison ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of Wisconsin - Madison is located in Madison, Wisconsin and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 68 ’s design degrees to qualified students.
UW - Madison also claimed a top spot on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools” list. It costs about $4,788 for design students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UW - Madison.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at UW - Madison
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Design Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #7. This large school is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and it awarded 130 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
UMN Twin Cities not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for UMN Twin Cities is $8,609 for design students whose families make $30-$48k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Design & Applied Arts Report
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in Champaign, Illinois, and it awarded 105 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
UIUC also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools” list, coming in at #12. It costs about $8,036 for Design students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend UIUC.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Fashion Institute of Technology came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. New York, New York is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s design degrees to 1,400 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our design students whose families make $30-$48k list, FIT SUNY has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Fashion Institute of Technology is $9,838 for design students whose families make $30-$48k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, 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 88%.
Full FIT SUNY Design & Applied Arts Report
Metropolitan Community College landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Best Value Design Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Omaha, Nebraska, and it awarded 82 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for MCC is $3,257 for design students whose families make $30-$48k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 5.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at MCC
Indiana University - Bloomington landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Best Value Design Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Bloomington, Indiana, this large public school awarded 38 diplomas to qualified ’s design students in 2020-2021.
IU Bloomington excels when it comes to design quality. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. It costs about $7,061 for Design students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend IU Bloomington.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.4% 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 IU Bloomington
Arizona State University - Tempe ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. ASU - Tempe is a large school located in Tempe, Arizona that handed out 192 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
ASU - Tempe also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools” list, coming in at #24. The yearly cost to attend ASU - Tempe is $10,628 for design students whose families make $30-$48k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.5% 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%.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at ASU - Tempe
With a ranking of #13, Austin Community College District did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Design Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Austin Community College District is located in Austin, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 81 ’s design degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for Austin Community College District is $4,907 for design students whose families make $30-$48k.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Austin Community College District
University of California - Los Angeles did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Design Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #14. University of California - Los Angeles is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 61 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
UCLA also took the #22 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools” ranking. It costs about $9,891 for Design students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of California - Los Angeles.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at UCLA
El Centro College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Design Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #15. El Centro College is a public institution located in Dallas, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 137 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for El Centro College is $4,619 for Design students whose families make $30-$48k.
Full El Centro College Design & Applied Arts Report
Iowa State University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Design Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #16. Iowa State is a large school located in Ames, Iowa that handed out 252 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
Iowa State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Iowa State is $11,427 for design students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Iowa State University
Collin County Community College District did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Design Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #17. Collin County Community College District is a large public school situated in McKinney, Texas. It awarded 149 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
Collin County Community College District excels when it comes to design quality. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. The estimated yearly cost for Collin County Community College District is $6,607 for design students whose families make $30-$48k.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Collin County Community College District
Florida State University ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Tallahassee, Florida is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s design degrees to 48 students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on this list, Florida State is in the top on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools” list. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Florida State University is $7,349 for Design students whose families make $30-$48k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Florida State
Sinclair Community College landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Best Value Design Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Sinclair Community College is a public institution located in Dayton, Ohio. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 153 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend Sinclair Community College is $4,227 for Design students whose families make $30-$48k.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Sinclair Community College
Carnegie Mellon University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s design degrees to 69 students in 2020-2021.
Carnegie Mellon not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Carnegie Mellon University is $13,608 for Design students whose families make $30-$48k.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Carnegie Mellon
Brigham Young University - Provo did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Design Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #21. Located in Provo, Utah, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 95 diplomas to qualified ’s design students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at BYU, the school also landed the #21 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools” ranking. It costs about $10,333 for design students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Brigham Young University - Provo.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at BYU
California State University - Long Beach did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Design Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #22. CSULB is a large public school situated in Long Beach, California. It awarded 141 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, CSULB is also in the top of our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools” ranking. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. It costs about $7,573 for Design students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend CSULB.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, 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 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at California State University - Long Beach
University of California - Davis came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. UC Davis is a public institution located in Davis, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 228 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our design students whose families make $30-$48k list, UC Davis has also earned the #20 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Davis is $11,598 for Design students whose families make $30-$48k.
With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at University of California - Davis
Madison Area Technical College came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Madison College is a fairly large public school situated in Madison, Wisconsin. It awarded 94 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
Madison College also claimed a top spot on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools” list. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. It costs about $8,473 for design students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Madison College.
Full Madison College Design & Applied Arts Report
Queens College ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Queens, New York, this fairly large public school handed out 131 degrees to qualified ’s design students in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for Queens College is $3,524 for Design students whose families make $30-$48k.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Queens College Design & Applied Arts Report
