2023 Most Popular Colleges for Design & Applied Arts in the Southwest Region
98
Ranked Colleges
3,286
Degrees Awarded
$30,600
Avg Cost*
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Most Well Attended Design Major in the Southwest Region” ranking - to help you make that decision.
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.
Across the Southwest region, there were 3,286 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $29,079 and $23,287 respectively.
For this year’s “Most Well Attended Design Major in the Southwest Region” ranking, we looked at 98 colleges that offer a degree in design and applied arts. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have one of the most popular design and applied arts programs in the United States.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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 “Most Well Attended Design Major in the Southwest Region”.
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. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
Most Well Attended Design Major in the Southwest Region
The colleges and universities below are the best for southwest region design students.
Top 25 Most Popular Colleges for Design & Applied Arts in the Southwest Region
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Arizona State University - Tempe. The school came in at #1 for the Most Well Attended Design Major in the Southwest Region. ASU - Tempe is a large school located in Tempe, Arizona that handed out 192 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, 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 86%.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Arizona State University - Tempe
Out of the 98 schools in the Most Well Attended Design Major in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of North Texas landed the #2 spot on the list. University of North Texas is located in Denton, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 144 ’s design degrees to qualified students.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at University of North Texas
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Texas State University. The school came in at #3 for the Most Well Attended Design Major in the Southwest Region. Texas State is located in San Marcos, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 136 ’s design degrees to qualified students.
Full Texas State University Design & Applied Arts Report
Out of the 98 schools in the Most Well Attended Design Major in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Northern Arizona University landed the #4 spot on the list. This large school is located in Flagstaff, Arizona, and it awarded 99 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad 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 Northern Arizona University
Out of the 98 schools in the Most Well Attended Design Major in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, The University of Texas at Austin landed the #5 spot on the list. UT Austin is located in Austin, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 104 ’s design degrees to qualified students.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% 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 UT Austin
El Centro College ranked #6 on this year’s Most Well Attended Design Major in the Southwest Region list. El Centro College is located in Dallas, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 137 ’s design degrees to qualified students.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at El Centro College
Grand Canyon University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Design Major in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #7. This large school is located in Phoenix, Arizona, and it awarded 69 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
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 Grand Canyon University Design & Applied Arts Report
With a ranking of #8, The University of Texas at Dallas did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Design Major in the Southwest Region list. Richardson, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s design degrees to 68 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.8% 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 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full UT Dallas Design & Applied Arts Report
Collin County Community College District did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Design Major in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #9. Collin County Community College District is a large school located in McKinney, Texas that handed out 149 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
Full Collin County Community College District Design & Applied Arts Report
Austin Community College District landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Design Major in the Southwest Region ranking. Austin Community College District is located in Austin, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 81 ’s design degrees to qualified students.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Austin Community College District
Oklahoma State University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Design Major in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #11. Oklahoma State University - Main Campus is located in Stillwater, Oklahoma and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 56 ’s design degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 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.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Oklahoma State University - Main Campus
University of Houston landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Design Major in the Southwest Region ranking. University of Houston is a public institution located in Houston, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 53 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The low undergrad 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%.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at UH
With a ranking of #13, Scottsdale Community College did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Design Major in the Southwest Region list. Scottsdale, Arizona is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s design degrees to 54 students in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Scottsdale Community College
Texas Christian University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Design Major in the Southwest Region ranking. Texas Christian University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Fort Worth, Texas. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 43 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full TCU Design & Applied Arts Report
Texas Tech University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Design Major in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #15. This large school is located in Lubbock, Texas, and it awarded 38 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Texas Tech
Texas State Technical College came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Design Major in the Southwest Region ranking. TSTC is a fairly large school located in Waco, Texas that handed out 35 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
Full TSTC Design & Applied Arts Report
University of Oklahoma Norman Campus did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Design Major in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #17. University of Oklahoma Norman Campus is located in Norman, Oklahoma and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 34 ’s design degrees to qualified students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The low undergrad 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%.
Full University of Oklahoma Norman Campus Design & Applied Arts Report
Houston Community College ranked #18 on this year’s Most Well Attended Design Major in the Southwest Region list. Houston Community College is a large school located in Houston, Texas that handed out 47 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
Full Houston Community College Design & Applied Arts Report
With a ranking of #19, The Art Institute of Dallas did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Design Major in the Southwest Region list. This small school is located in Dallas, Texas, and it awarded 32 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at The Art Institute of Dallas
Wade College ranked #19 on this year’s Most Well Attended Design Major in the Southwest Region list. Wade College is a small school located in Dallas, Texas that handed out 32 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
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. With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Wade College
Oklahoma Christian University landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Design Major in the Southwest Region ranking. OC is located in Edmond, Oklahoma and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 31 ’s design degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Oklahoma Christian University
Baylor University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Design Major in the Southwest Region ranking. This large school is located in Waco, Texas, and it awarded 31 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Baylor University
With a ranking of #21, Saint Edward’s University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Design Major in the Southwest Region list. Austin, Texas is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s design degrees to 31 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.8% 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 Saint Edward’s University
El Paso Community College did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Design Major in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #21. El Paso Community College is a public institution located in El Paso, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 67 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at El Paso Community College
With a ranking of #25, University of Central Oklahoma did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Design Major in the Southwest Region list. UCO is a public institution located in Edmond, Oklahoma. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 30 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at University of Central Oklahoma
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