2022 Best Value Colleges for Design & Applied Arts (Income $75-$110k) in Illinois
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Design Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
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 Illinois, there were 1,178 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $31,274 and $37,640 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Design Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking analyzed 22 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.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the design and applied arts program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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One Size Does Not Fit All
The design school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Design Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k”.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
Best Value Design Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Design Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k.
Top 22 Best Value Colleges for Design & Applied Arts (Income $75-$110k) in Illinois
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Elgin Community College. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Design Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k. Elgin, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s design degrees to 21 students in 2019-2020.
ECC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #20 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $7,348 for illinois design students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Elgin Community College.
Out of the 22 schools in the Best Value Design Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern University landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Evanston, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 3 diplomas to qualified ’s design students in 2019-2020.
Northwestern also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #3. The yearly cost to attend Northwestern University is $16,784 for Illinois Design students whose families make $75-$110k.
Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Northwestern University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Design Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k list. Located in Champaign, Illinois, this large public school awarded 108 degrees to qualified ’s design students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our illinois design students whose families make $75-$110k list, UIUC has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UIUC is $21,998 for Illinois Design students whose families make $75-$110k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, 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 94%.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Illinois Institute of Technology. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Design Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k list. This medium-sized school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 10 ’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
Illinois Tech also took the #1 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Illinois Tech is $24,888 for illinois design students whose families make $75-$110k.
Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 22 schools in the Best Value Design Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #5 spot on the list. UIC is a large public school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 83 ’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our illinois design students whose families make $75-$110k list, UIC has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UIC is $20,270 for illinois design students whose families make $75-$110k.
The low 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 University of Illinois at Chicago
With a ranking of #6, Southern Illinois University Carbondale did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k list. Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a fairly large school located in Carbondale, Illinois that handed out 7 ’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at SIUC, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $20,698 for Illinois Design students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Northeastern Illinois University landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 6 ’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
Northeastern Illinois University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Northeastern Illinois University is $22,526 for illinois design students whose families make $75-$110k.
Full Northeastern Illinois University Design & Applied Arts Report
With a ranking of #8, Illinois State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k list. Illinois State University is a large school located in Normal, Illinois that handed out 30 ’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Illinois State, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $25,379 for Illinois Design students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Illinois State.
The low student loan default rate of 4.4% 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%.
With a ranking of #9, Dominican University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k list. Dominican U is a private not-for-profit institution located in River Forest, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 27 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Dominican U, the school also landed the #14 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Dominican University is $21,979 for Illinois Design students whose families make $75-$110k.
With a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Dominican University
With a ranking of #10, Millikin University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k list. Millikin University is located in Decatur, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 6 ’s design degrees to qualified students.
Millikin also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #17. The estimated yearly cost for Millikin University is $23,486 for illinois design students whose families make $75-$110k.
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.
Olivet Nazarene University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k list. Bourbonnais, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s design degrees to 7 students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Olivet Nazarene, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $21,306 for illinois design students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Olivet Nazarene University.
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 Olivet Nazarene University
Augustana College came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. This small school is located in Rock Island, Illinois, and it awarded 14 ’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our illinois design students whose families make $75-$110k list, Augustana has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Augustana is $23,730 for illinois design students whose families make $75-$110k.
The low 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
Elmhurst University landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Elmhurst University is a small school located in Elmhurst, Illinois that handed out 7 ’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
Elmhurst did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Elmhurst is $23,604 for illinois design students whose families make $75-$110k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Bradley University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Peoria, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s design degrees to 37 students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Bradley, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $28,169 for illinois design students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Bradley University.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Bradley University
North Central College came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. North Central College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Naperville, Illinois. It awarded 23 ’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
North Central not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend North Central College is $25,778 for Illinois Design students whose families make $75-$110k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Trinity International University - Illinois did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Design Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #16. Deerfield, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s design degrees to 8 students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our illinois design students whose families make $75-$110k list, TIU Illinois has also earned the #21 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $23,684 for Illinois Design students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Trinity International University - Illinois.
The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Roosevelt University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Design Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #17. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s design degrees to 24 students in 2019-2020.
Roosevelt did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #22 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $23,695 for illinois design students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Roosevelt.
Columbia College Chicago came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Columbia is a medium-sized school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 272 ’s design degrees in 2019-2020.
Columbia also took the #10 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Columbia College Chicago is $33,864 for Illinois Design students whose families make $75-$110k.
DePaul University landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s design degrees to 93 students in 2019-2020.
DePaul did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $30,877 for Illinois Design students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend DePaul.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Loyola University Chicago ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k list. Loyola University Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 12 ’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Loyola Chicago not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Loyola Chicago is $36,700 for Illinois Design students whose families make $75-$110k.
The low 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
American Academy of Art ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 27 diplomas to qualified ’s design students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our illinois design students whose families make $75-$110k list, The Academy has also earned the #19 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $32,536 for illinois design students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend American Academy of Art.
With a student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
With a ranking of #22, School of the Art Institute of Chicago did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k list. School of the Art Institute of Chicago is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 20 ’s design degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at School of the Art Institute of Chicago, the school also landed the #18 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $47,467 for Illinois Design students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
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.
Full School of the Art Institute of Chicago 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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