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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts in Iowa (With Aid)

7 Ranked Colleges
350 Degrees Awarded
$23,500 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor's in Iowa For Those Getting Aid

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 for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Getting Aid” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

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 Iowa, there were 524 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $33,460 and $23,539 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 350 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,922 and $25,876 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Getting Aid” ranking looked at 7 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in design and applied arts. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent design and applied arts programs, but they also cost less that 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

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Getting Aid” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools 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 Iowa For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for iowa bachelor’s degree design students with aid.

Top 7 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Design & Applied Arts in Iowa (With Aid)

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Iowa State University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Getting Aid list. Ames, Iowa is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s design degrees to 227 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our iowa bachelor’s degree design students with aid list, Iowa State has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Iowa State is $15,496 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Design students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 3.3% 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%.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Iowa State University

#2

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, Iowa

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Northern Iowa. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Getting Aid list. University of Northern Iowa is located in Cedar Falls, Iowa and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 36 bachelors’s design degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UNI, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. The yearly cost to attend University of Northern Iowa is $15,620 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Design students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Full UNI Design & Applied Arts Report

#3

Luther College

Decorah, Iowa
#2 in overall quality

Out of the 7 schools in the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Luther College landed the #3 spot on the list. Luther is a small school located in Decorah, Iowa that handed out 3 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

Luther did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list. The yearly cost to attend Luther College is $23,620 for iowa bachelor’s degree design students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 2.2% 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 Luther College

#4

Grand View University

Des Moines, Iowa

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Grand View University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Getting Aid. Grand View University is located in Des Moines, Iowa and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 12 bachelors’s design degrees to qualified students.

Grand View University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list. The yearly cost to attend Grand View University is $19,826 for iowa bachelor’s degree design students with aid.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Grand View University

#5

Clarke University

Dubuque, Iowa
#5 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Clarke University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Getting Aid. Clarke University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Dubuque, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 2 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Clarke also took the #5 spot in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Clarke is $34,204 for iowa bachelor’s degree design students with aid.

The student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. 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 Clarke

#6

Drake University

Des Moines, Iowa

With a ranking of #6, Drake University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Getting Aid list. Drake University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Des Moines, Iowa. It awarded 7 bachelors’s design degrees in 2019-2020.

Drake not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list. The yearly cost to attend Drake is $29,432 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Design students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 2.2% 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 student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Drake

#7

Saint Ambrose University

Davenport, Iowa

Saint Ambrose University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Iowa For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Davenport, Iowa, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 6 degrees to qualified bachelors’s design students in 2019-2020.

St. Ambrose University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Iowa” list. The yearly cost to attend St. Ambrose University is $26,204 for Iowa Bachelor’s Degree Design students with aid.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at St. Ambrose University

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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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