2023 Best Value Colleges for Design & Applied Arts (Income $48-$75k)
392
Ranked Colleges
36,301
Degrees Awarded
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Design Schools For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
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 $48-$75k” ranking, we looked at 392 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
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 Those Making $48-$75k” list to help you make the college decision.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique 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 $48-$75k
The colleges and universities below are the best for design students whose families make $48-$75k.
Top 25 Best Value Colleges for Design & Applied Arts (Income $48-$75k)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Yale University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Design Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. New Haven, Connecticut is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s design degrees to 13 students in 2020-2021.
On top of its placing in this ranking, Yale also did well on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools” list. It’s in the top [COLLEGE_QUALITY_PECTENTILE_ALL_LEVES]% of all schools in this category. The estimated yearly cost for Yale is $2,815 for design students whose families make $48-$75k.
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 full report on Design & Applied Arts at Yale University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Florida. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Design Schools For Those Making $48-$75k. UF is a large school located in Gainesville, Florida that handed out 87 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our design students whose families make $48-$75k list, UF has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Florida is $8,394 for Design students whose families make $48-$75k.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full University of Florida Design & Applied Arts Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Design Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Seattle, Washington is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s design degrees to 38 students in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW Seattle, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools” ranking. It costs about $8,393 for design students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.1% 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 full report on Design & Applied Arts at University of Washington - Seattle Campus
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Washington University in St Louis. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Design Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. WUSTL is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Saint Louis, Missouri. It awarded 74 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our design students whose families make $48-$75k list, WUSTL has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Washington University in St Louis is $8,149 for Design students whose families make $48-$75k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.1% 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 Washington University in St Louis
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Purdue University - Main Campus. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Design Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Purdue is a large public school situated in West Lafayette, Indiana. It awarded 63 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our design students whose families make $48-$75k list, Purdue has also earned the #25 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Purdue University - Main Campus is $8,450 for Design students whose families make $48-$75k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. 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
Fashion Institute of Technology ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in New York, New York, this medium-sized public school handed out 1,400 diplomas to qualified ’s design students in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our design students whose families make $48-$75k list, FIT SUNY has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools” ranking. It costs about $12,228 for Design students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend FIT SUNY.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%.
Full Fashion Institute of Technology Design & Applied Arts Report
Metropolitan Community College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Design Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #7. Metropolitan Community College is located in Omaha, Nebraska and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 82 ’s design degrees to qualified students.
It costs about $5,013 for Design students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Metropolitan Community College.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 5.0% 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 MCC Design & Applied Arts Report
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Best Value Design Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Minneapolis, Minnesota is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s design degrees to 130 students in 2020-2021.
UMN Twin Cities also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools” list, coming in at #13. The yearly cost to attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is $12,911 for Design students whose families make $48-$75k.
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%.
Full University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Design & Applied Arts Report
Collin County Community College District did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Design Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #9. 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 also claimed a top spot 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 yearly cost to attend Collin County Community College District is $8,438 for design students whose families make $48-$75k.
Full Collin County Community College District Design & Applied Arts Report
Brigham Young University - Provo ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Brigham Young University - Provo is a large school located in Provo, Utah that handed out 95 ’s design degrees 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. The estimated yearly cost for BYU is $12,676 for Design students whose families make $48-$75k.
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 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%.
Full BYU Design & Applied Arts Report
Iowa State University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Iowa State is a large school located in Ames, Iowa that handed out 252 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our design students whose families make $48-$75k list, Iowa State has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools” ranking. It costs about $14,641 for Design students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Iowa State University.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. 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 Iowa State University
El Centro College came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Dallas, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s design degrees to 137 students in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend El Centro College is $6,881 for design students whose families make $48-$75k.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at El Centro College
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Champaign, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s design degrees to 105 students in 2020-2021.
UIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for UIUC is $11,505 for design students whose families make $48-$75k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Design & Applied Arts Report
Sinclair Community College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Design Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #14. 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.
It costs about $6,283 for Design students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend Sinclair Community College.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Sinclair Community College
University of Notre Dame did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Design Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #15. This fairly large school is located in Notre Dame, Indiana, and it awarded 43 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Notre Dame, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Notre Dame is $14,020 for Design students whose families make $48-$75k.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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 University of Notre Dame Design & Applied Arts Report
University of California - Los Angeles landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Best Value Design Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. UCLA is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 61 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
UCLA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #22 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of California - Los Angeles is $12,644 for design students whose families make $48-$75k.
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 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at University of California - Los Angeles
Madison Area Technical College came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Madison College is located in Madison, Wisconsin and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 94 ’s design degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Madison College is also in the top of our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools” ranking. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Madison College is $10,227 for design students whose families make $48-$75k.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Madison College
With a ranking of #18, University of California - Davis did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Design Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Davis, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s design degrees to 228 students in 2020-2021.
UC Davis did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #20 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools” list. It costs about $14,193 for Design students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend University of California - Davis.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default 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.
Full University of California - Davis Design & Applied Arts Report
With a ranking of #19, Florida State University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Design Schools For Those Making $48-$75k 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.
Florida State excels when it comes to design quality. 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 is $11,506 for Design students whose families make $48-$75k.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%.
Full Florida State University Design & Applied Arts Report
University of Wisconsin - Madison ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. UW - Madison is a large public school situated in Madison, Wisconsin. It awarded 68 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
UW - Madison 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 $10,364 for design students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend UW - Madison.
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%. 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
With a ranking of #21, Carnegie Mellon University did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Design Schools For Those Making $48-$75k list. Carnegie Mellon University is a fairly large school located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that handed out 69 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Carnegie Mellon, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Carnegie Mellon University is $21,526 for Design students whose families make $48-$75k.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. 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 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Carnegie Mellon
California State University - Long Beach did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Design Schools For Those Making $48-$75k 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.
On top of its placing in this ranking, CSULB also did well on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools” list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. It costs about $11,189 for Design students whose families make $48-$75k per year to attend CSULB.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.4% 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 CSULB
Central Piedmont Community College landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Best Value Design Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Central Piedmont Community College is a fairly large public school situated in Charlotte, North Carolina. It awarded 180 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend Central Piedmont Community College is $6,600 for design students whose families make $48-$75k.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Central Piedmont Community College
Austin Community College District landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Best Value Design Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Austin, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s design degrees to 81 students in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend Austin Community College District is $9,178 for Design students whose families make $48-$75k.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Austin Community College District
Arizona State University - Tempe landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Best Value Design Schools For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Arizona State University - Tempe is a public institution located in Tempe, Arizona. The school has a large population, and it awarded 192 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
ASU - Tempe did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #24 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for Arizona State University - Tempe is $15,561 for Design students whose families make $48-$75k.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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 Arizona State University - Tempe
