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2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k

36 Ranked Colleges
1,505 Degrees Awarded
$14,200 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor's in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. 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 for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking.

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 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.

This year’s “Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking analyzed 36 colleges that offered a degree in design and applied arts. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality design and applied arts programs that also have a lower cost than 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

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 the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k” list to help you make the college decision.

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 for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region

Out of the 36 schools in the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of North Texas landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Denton, Texas, this large public school handed out 110 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s design students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $30-$48k list, UNT has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of North Texas is $9,082 for southwest region bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at University of North Texas

#9 in overall quality

Out of the 36 schools in the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Oklahoma State University - Main Campus landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Stillwater, Oklahoma, this large public school awarded 58 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s design students in 2019-2020.

OSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Oklahoma State University - Main Campus is $9,962 for southwest region bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Full OSU Design & Applied Arts Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Arizona State University - Tempe. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Arizona State University - Tempe is a large school located in Tempe, Arizona that handed out 180 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $30-$48k list, ASU - Tempe has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $8,921 for southwest region bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend ASU - Tempe.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at ASU - Tempe

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 #4 for the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k. UT Austin is a public institution located in Austin, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 61 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UT Austin, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UT Austin is $13,575 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make $30-$48k.

With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at UT Austin

#5

Texas Tech University

Lubbock, Texas

Out of the 36 schools in the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Texas Tech University landed the #5 spot on the list. Texas Tech University is located in Lubbock, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 13 bachelors’s design degrees to qualified students.

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. The estimated yearly cost for Texas Tech is $13,326 for southwest region bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $30-$48k.

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

With a ranking of #6, Texas Woman’s University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k 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 also took the #25 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Texas Woman’s University is $7,050 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Texas Woman’s University

#7

University of Houston

Houston, Texas

With a ranking of #7, University of Houston did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. UH is a large school located in Houston, Texas that handed out 31 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

UH did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Houston is $9,925 for southwest region bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $30-$48k.

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

#8

Texas State University

San Marcos, Texas

Texas State University landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Texas State University is located in San Marcos, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 126 bachelors’s design degrees to qualified students.

Texas State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Texas State University is $12,292 for southwest region bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full Texas State University Design & Applied Arts Report

The University of Texas at Dallas did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #9. Richardson, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s design degrees to 187 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UT Dallas, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UT Dallas is $11,745 for southwest region bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $30-$48k.

The low student loan default rate of 4.9% 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 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full UT Dallas Design & Applied Arts Report

#14 in overall quality

Stephen F Austin State University 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 $30-$48k ranking. SFASU is a public institution located in Nacogdoches, Texas. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 14 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

SFASU also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #14. It costs about $10,816 for southwest region bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Stephen F Austin State University.

Full SFASU Design & Applied Arts Report

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 $30-$48k list. Texas A&M Commerce is a fairly large school located in Commerce, Texas that handed out 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. The estimated yearly cost for Texas A&M University - Commerce is $10,580 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Texas A&M Commerce

#12

Northern Arizona University

Flagstaff, Arizona

Northern Arizona University landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Flagstaff, Arizona is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s design degrees to 88 students in 2019-2020.

NAU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #23 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for NAU is $9,799 for southwest region bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Northern Arizona University

#13

Sam Houston State University

Huntsville, Texas

Sam Houston State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #13. Sam Houston State University is a large school located in Huntsville, Texas that handed out 26 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

SHSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #19 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Sam Houston State University is $11,634 for southwest region bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full SHSU Design & Applied Arts Report

University of Oklahoma Norman Campus ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of Oklahoma is a large public school situated in Norman, Oklahoma. It awarded 45 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $30-$48k list, University of Oklahoma has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $17,285 for southwest region bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend University of Oklahoma Norman Campus.

The low student loan default rate of 4.7% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.

Full University of Oklahoma Design & Applied Arts Report

With a ranking of #15, University of Central Oklahoma did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Edmond, Oklahoma, this fairly large public school awarded 31 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s design students in 2019-2020.

UCO also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #13. The yearly cost to attend UCO is $13,381 for southwest region bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at University of Central Oklahoma

#16

Prairie View A & M University

Prairie View, Texas

Prairie View A & M University ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. 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 $13,098 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at PVAMU

#17

West Texas A&M University

Canyon, Texas

West Texas A&M University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Canyon, Texas, this fairly large public school handed out 5 degrees to qualified bachelors’s design students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $10,146 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend West Texas A&M University.

Full West Texas A&M University Design & Applied Arts Report

#18

Oral Roberts University

Tulsa, Oklahoma
#16 in overall quality

Oral Roberts University landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. ORU is a small school located in Tulsa, Oklahoma that handed out 10 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $30-$48k list, ORU has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for ORU is $20,104 for southwest region bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Oral Roberts University

#19

Oklahoma Christian University

Edmond, Oklahoma

Oklahoma Christian University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Edmond, Oklahoma is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s design degrees to 39 students in 2019-2020.

OC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #24 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $18,379 for southwest region bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Oklahoma Christian University.

Full OC Design & Applied Arts Report

#20

Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi

Corpus Christi, Texas
#15 in overall quality

Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #20. Located in Corpus Christi, Texas, this fairly large public school awarded 17 degrees to qualified bachelors’s design students in 2019-2020.

Texas A&M Corpus Christi did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Texas A&M Corpus Christi is $16,393 for southwest region bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Texas A&M Corpus Christi

#21

Oklahoma Baptist University

Shawnee, Oklahoma
#17 in overall quality

Oklahoma Baptist University ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. OBU is located in Shawnee, Oklahoma and, has a small 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 OBU, the school also landed the #17 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend OBU is $19,373 for southwest region bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at OBU

Southern Methodist University landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Dallas, Texas, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

SMU also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #2. It costs about $27,331 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Southern Methodist University.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%.

Full SMU Design & Applied Arts Report

#23

Grand Canyon University

Phoenix, Arizona
#21 in overall quality

Grand Canyon 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 $30-$48k ranking. Phoenix, Arizona is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out bachelors’s design degrees to 34 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $30-$48k list, Grand Canyon University has also earned the #21 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Grand Canyon University is $18,704 for southwest region bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full Grand Canyon University Design & Applied Arts Report

#24

Texas Christian University

Fort Worth, Texas

Texas Christian University landed the #24 spot on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Texas Christian University is a fairly large school located in Fort Worth, Texas that handed out 37 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $30-$48k list, TCU has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Texas Christian University is $23,246 for southwest region bachelor’s degree design students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. 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%.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at TCU

#25

Saint Edward's University

Austin, Texas

Saint Edward’s University landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Saint Edward’s University is located in Austin, Texas and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 18 bachelors’s design degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for Saint Edward’s University is $20,024 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full St. Edward’s University Design & Applied Arts Report

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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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