by our College Data Analytics Team
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in the Far Western US Region” ranking.
In 2021-2022, 36,323 people earned their degree in design & applied arts, making the major the 36th most popular in the United States. In , design & applied arts graduates who were awarded their degree in , earned an average of $32,210 and had an average of $24,297 in loans still to pay off.
Across the Far Western US region, there were 6,197 design & applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $33,600 and $24,802 respectively.
For this year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in the Far Western US Region” ranking, we looked at 170 colleges that offer a degree in design & applied arts. That schools that top this list have a program in design & applied arts in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
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 “Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in the Far Western US Region” list to help you make the college decision.
In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in the Far Western US Region”.
Out of the 170 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwest College of Art & Design landed the #1 spot on the list. Northwest College of Art & Design is located in Tacoma, Washington and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 19 ’s design degrees to qualified students.
Full Northwest College of Art & Design Design & Applied Arts Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Design Institute of San Diego. The school came in at #1 for the Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in the Far Western US Region. Design Institute of San Diego is a small private for-profit school situated in San Diego, California. It awarded 30 ’s design degrees in 2021-2022.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Design Institute of San Diego
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Interior Designers Institute. The school came in at #3 for the Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in the Far Western US Region. Interior Designers Institute is a private for-profit institution located in Newport Beach, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 47 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Interior Designers Institute
Out of the 170 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Laguna College of Art and Design landed the #4 spot on the list. Laguna College of Art and Design is a private not-for-profit institution located in Laguna Beach, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 90 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 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 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Laguna College of Art and Design Design & Applied Arts Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Otis College of Art and Design. The school came in at #5 for the Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in the Far Western US Region. Otis College of Art and Design is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 132 ’s design degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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%. 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.
Full Otis College of Art and Design Design & Applied Arts Report
Art Center College of Design came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in the Far Western US Region ranking. Pasadena, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s design degrees to 264 students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate 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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Art Center College of Design
Platt College - San Diego came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in the Far Western US Region ranking. Platt College - San Diego is located in San Diego, California and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 24 ’s design degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Platt College - San Diego
FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising - Los Angeles did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #9. Located in Los Angeles, California, this small private for-profit school awarded 274 degrees to qualified ’s design students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
With a ranking of #10, Pacific Northwest College of Art did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in the Far Western US Region list. Located in Portland, Oregon, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 35 degrees to qualified ’s design students in 2021-2022.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Pacific Northwest College of Art Design & Applied Arts Report
Cornish College of the Arts came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in the Far Western US Region ranking. Cornish College of the Arts is located in Seattle, Washington and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 38 ’s design degrees to qualified students.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Cornish College of the Arts
Cogswell College ranked #12 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in the Far Western US Region list. San Jose, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out ’s design degrees to 24 students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
California College of the Arts came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in the Far Western US Region ranking. California College of the Arts is a small private not-for-profit school situated in San Francisco, California. It awarded 125 ’s design degrees in 2021-2022.
The impressive undergraduate 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. 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%.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at California College of the Arts
With a ranking of #14, Newschool of Architecture and Design did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in the Far Western US Region list. This small school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 29 ’s design degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergraduate 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 undergrad 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%.
Full Newschool of Architecture and Design Design & Applied Arts Report
With a ranking of #16, Woodbury University did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in the Far Western US Region list. Woodbury University is a small school located in Burbank, California that handed out 33 ’s design degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergraduate 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 undergrad student loan default rate of 1.6% 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%.
Academy of Art University did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #17. Academy of Art University is located in San Francisco, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 162 ’s design degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Academy of Art University
Los Angeles Pacific College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in the Far Western US Region ranking, coming in at #18. Los Angeles Pacific College is a private for-profit institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 8 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
Full Los Angeles Pacific College Design & Applied Arts Report
Columbia College Hollywood ranked #19 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in the Far Western US Region list. Columbia College Hollywood is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Tarzana, California. It awarded 5 ’s design degrees in 2021-2022.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Columbia College Hollywood
With a ranking of #20, Platt College - Ontario did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in the Far Western US Region list. This small school is located in Ontario, California, and it awarded 17 ’s design degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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%.
Walla Walla University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in the Far Western US Region ranking. This small school is located in College Place, Washington, and it awarded 18 ’s design degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Walla Walla University
Los Angeles Film School came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in the Far Western US Region ranking. LA Film School is a medium-sized school located in Hollywood, California that handed out 52 ’s design degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad 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 full report on Design & Applied Arts at Los Angeles Film School
Seattle Central College ranked #23 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in the Far Western US Region list. Seattle Central College is a public institution located in Seattle, Washington. The school has a small population, and it awarded 48 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Seattle Central College
With a ranking of #24, California Institute of the Arts did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in the Far Western US Region list. CalArts is located in Valencia, California and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 15 ’s design degrees to qualified students.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at California Institute of the Arts
With a ranking of #25, California State University - Chico did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major in the Far Western US Region list. California State University - Chico is a public institution located in Chico, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 102 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Not only did these schools make the top 26 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
Read more about our data sources and methodologies