Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Design & Applied Arts

Find Schools Near

2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts in the Far Western US Region (With Aid)

54 Ranked Colleges
3,029 Degrees Awarded
$14,600 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor's in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. 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 a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

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 the Far Western US region, there were 6,083 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $30,399 and $27,675 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 3,029 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,083 and $22,209 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 54 colleges that offer 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.

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. 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 Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid” 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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts in the Far Western US Region (With Aid)

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid. University of Washington - Seattle Campus is a large public school situated in Seattle, Washington. It awarded 44 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW Seattle, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UW Seattle is $13,297 for far western us region bachelor’s degree design students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Washington - Seattle Campus Design & Applied Arts Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Long Beach. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid. CSULB is located in Long Beach, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 130 bachelors’s design degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSULB, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $9,622 for far western us region bachelor’s degree design students with aid 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 student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at California State University - Long Beach

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Fresno. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid. Fresno State is located in Fresno, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 52 bachelors’s design degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for Fresno State is $5,464 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students with aid.

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%.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at California State University - Fresno

#4

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid list. University of California - Los Angeles is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 44 bachelors’s design degrees to qualified students.

UCLA also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #3. It costs about $14,279 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students with aid per year to attend UCLA.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, 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 students.

Full UCLA Design & Applied Arts Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Davis. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid. UC Davis is located in Davis, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 235 bachelors’s design degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree design students with aid list, UC Davis has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of California - Davis is $14,669 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full UC Davis Design & Applied Arts Report

#6

San Jose State University

San Jose, California

San Jose State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #6. San Jose State University is a large school located in San Jose, California that handed out 153 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

San Jose State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for San Jose State University is $14,928 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, 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.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at San Jose State University

California State University - Sacramento came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. California State University - Sacramento is located in Sacramento, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 62 bachelors’s design degrees to qualified students.

Sac State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #24 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $9,979 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students with aid per year to attend Sac State.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Sac State

University of Nevada - Las Vegas ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid list. University of Nevada - Las Vegas is a large school located in Las Vegas, Nevada that handed out 39 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree design students with aid list, UNLV has also earned the #22 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Nevada - Las Vegas is $11,424 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students with aid.

Full UNLV Design & Applied Arts Report

#9

Bellevue College

Bellevue, Washington

Bellevue College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Bellevue, Washington, this fairly large public school handed out 36 degrees to qualified bachelors’s design students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend BC is $7,870 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students with aid.

Full Bellevue College Design & Applied Arts Report

#10

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California

San Francisco State University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid list. Located in San Francisco, California, this large public school awarded 150 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s design students in 2019-2020.

SFSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. It costs about $15,113 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students with aid per year to attend SFSU.

Full San Francisco State University Design & Applied Arts Report

With a ranking of #11, Lake Washington Institute of Technology did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid list. This small school is located in Kirkland, Washington, and it awarded 17 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Lake Washington Institute of Technology is $7,713 for far western us region bachelor’s degree design students with aid.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at LWTech

California State Polytechnic University - Pomona ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid list. Pomona, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s design degrees to 89 students in 2019-2020.

Cal Poly Pomona also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #15. The estimated yearly cost for California State Polytechnic University - Pomona is $12,734 for far western us region bachelor’s degree design students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, 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 87%.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona

#13

Portland State University

Portland, Oregon

Portland State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #13. Portland State University is located in Portland, Oregon and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 83 bachelors’s design degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for Portland State University is $13,040 for far western us region bachelor’s degree design students with aid.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Portland State University

#16 in overall quality

With a ranking of #14, University of California - San Diego did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid list. University of California - San Diego is a large school located in La Jolla, California that handed out 24 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree design students with aid list, UCSD has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. It costs about $14,232 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students with aid per year to attend University of California - San Diego.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at University of California - San Diego

#15

Western Washington University

Bellingham, Washington

Western Washington University landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. This fairly large school is located in Bellingham, Washington, and it awarded 66 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

WWU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for WWU is $16,529 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 2.7% 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 Western Washington University Design & Applied Arts Report

#16

University of Oregon

Eugene, Oregon

University of Oregon ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid list. UO is a public institution located in Eugene, Oregon. The school has a large population, and it awarded 38 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UO also took the #20 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Oregon is $16,461 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UO Design & Applied Arts Report

California State University - Chico landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. California State University - Chico is a fairly large school located in Chico, California that handed out 124 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Chico State is $15,017 for far western us region bachelor’s degree design students with aid.

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%.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Chico State

#18

Washington State University

Pullman, Washington

Washington State University ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid list. Washington State University is a large public school situated in Pullman, Washington. It awarded 34 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

Wazzu not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #19 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Washington State University is $16,358 for far western us region bachelor’s degree design students with aid.

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%.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Wazzu

California State University - Monterey Bay did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #19. California State University - Monterey Bay is a medium-sized school located in Seaside, California that handed out 47 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Monterey Bay is $12,212 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students with aid.

The low 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%.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at California State University - Monterey Bay

#20

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California
#23 in overall quality

University of California - Santa Cruz landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of California - Santa Cruz is a fairly large public school situated in Santa Cruz, California. It awarded 78 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Santa Cruz, the school also landed the #23 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UC Santa Cruz is $18,186 for far western us region bachelor’s degree design students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UC Santa Cruz Design & Applied Arts Report

#21

Central Washington University

Ellensburg, Washington

Central Washington University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #21. CWU is located in Ellensburg, Washington and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 27 bachelors’s design degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $15,397 for far western us region bachelor’s degree design students with aid per year to attend CWU.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at CWU

#22

Western Oregon University

Monmouth, Oregon

With a ranking of #22, Western Oregon University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid list. Western Oregon University is a small school located in Monmouth, Oregon that handed out 18 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $19,315 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students with aid per year to attend Western Oregon University.

Full Western Oregon State College Design & Applied Arts Report

#23

Oregon State University

Corvallis, Oregon

Oregon State University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Oregon State University is a large public school situated in Corvallis, Oregon. It awarded 100 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region bachelor’s degree design students with aid list, Oregon State has also earned the #18 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Oregon State is $20,016 for far western us region bachelor’s degree design students with aid.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Oregon State Design & Applied Arts Report

#24

Seattle Pacific University

Seattle, Washington

With a ranking of #24, Seattle Pacific University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid list. Seattle Pacific University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Seattle, Washington. It awarded 33 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

SPU also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #14. The estimated yearly cost for SPU is $26,505 for far western us region bachelor’s degree design students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Seattle Pacific University

#25

Whitworth University

Spokane, Washington

Whitworth University ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Getting Aid list. Whitworth University is located in Spokane, Washington and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 8 bachelors’s design degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend Whitworth is $25,557 for Far Western US Region Bachelor’s Degree Design students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Whitworth Design & Applied Arts Report

Switch to a Different Ranking Method

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.

Featured Performing Arts Schools

Find Schools Near You