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2023 Most Well Attended Design Major in the Plains States Region

118 Ranked Colleges
2,327 Degrees Awarded
$26,700 Avg Cost*
Most Well Attended Design Major in the Plains States Region

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Most Well Attended Design Major in the Plains States Region” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

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 Plains States region, there were 2,327 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $31,239 and $24,704 respectively.

This year’s “Most Well Attended Design Major in the Plains States Region” ranking looked at 118 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in design and applied arts. To top this list, a school must have a successful design and applied arts program that graduates more students in the field than other colleges that offer the same major.

Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Most Well Attended Design Major in the Plains States Region” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Most Well Attended Design Major in the Plains States Region

The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Well Attended Design Major in the Plains States Region”.

1

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Iowa State University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Design Major in the Plains States Region list. Iowa State University is a large public school situated in Ames, Iowa. It awarded 252 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.4% 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 89%.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Iowa State

2

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Design Major in the Plains States Region list. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is a public institution located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The school has a large population, and it awarded 130 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full UMN Twin Cities Design & Applied Arts Report

3

Out of the 118 schools in the Most Well Attended Design Major in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Metropolitan Community College landed the #3 spot on the list. MCC is a fairly large public school situated in Omaha, Nebraska. It awarded 82 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 5.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at MCC

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Washington University in St Louis. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Design Major in the Plains States Region list. Washington University in St Louis is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Saint Louis, Missouri. It awarded 74 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. 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 WUSTL

5
KU crest
University of Kansas
Lawrence, Kansas

Out of the 118 schools in the Most Well Attended Design Major in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Kansas landed the #5 spot on the list. KU is a public institution located in Lawrence, Kansas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 72 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, 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%.

Full University of Kansas Design & Applied Arts Report

5

Out of the 118 schools in the Most Well Attended Design Major in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Minneapolis College of Art and Design landed the #5 spot on the list. Minneapolis College of Art and Design is a small school located in Minneapolis, Minnesota that handed out 71 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 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 Minneapolis College of Art and Design

7

Johnson County Community College ranked #7 on this year’s Most Well Attended Design Major in the Plains States Region list. Johnson County Community College is a public institution located in Overland Park, Kansas. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 91 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Johnson County Community College Design & Applied Arts Report

8
Bellevue University crest
Bellevue University
Bellevue, Nebraska

Bellevue University ranked #8 on this year’s Most Well Attended Design Major in the Plains States Region list. Located in Bellevue, Nebraska, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 54 degrees to qualified ’s design students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.1% 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 Bellevue University Design & Applied Arts Report

9
Kansas City Art Institute crest
Kansas City Art Institute
Kansas City, Missouri

Kansas City Art Institute did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Design Major in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #9. Kansas City Art Institute is a private not-for-profit institution located in Kansas City, Missouri. The school has a small population, and it awarded 51 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 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 Kansas City Art Institute

10

With a ranking of #10, University of Northern Iowa did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Design Major in the Plains States Region list. Located in Cedar Falls, Iowa, this medium-sized public school awarded 50 diplomas to qualified ’s design students in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UNI Design & Applied Arts Report

11
South Dakota State crest
South Dakota State University
Brookings, South Dakota

South Dakota State University ranked #11 on this year’s Most Well Attended Design Major in the Plains States Region list. South Dakota State University is located in Brookings, South Dakota and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 48 ’s design degrees to qualified students.

The low undergrad 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%.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at South Dakota State University

12

University of Minnesota - Duluth came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Design Major in the Plains States Region ranking. University of Minnesota - Duluth is a medium-sized public school situated in Duluth, Minnesota. It awarded 44 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.6% 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 UMN Duluth

13

Maryville University of Saint Louis came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Design Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in Saint Louis, Missouri, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 42 degrees to qualified ’s design students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Maryville U

13
Saint Louis Community College crest
Saint Louis Community College
Saint Louis, Missouri

Saint Louis Community College ranked #13 on this year’s Most Well Attended Design Major in the Plains States Region list. Located in Saint Louis, Missouri, this fairly large public school handed out 52 degrees to qualified ’s design students in 2020-2021.

Full Saint Louis Community College Design & Applied Arts Report

15

Des Moines Area Community College landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Design Major in the Plains States Region ranking. This large school is located in Ankeny, Iowa, and it awarded 87 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at DMACC

16

University of Nebraska - Lincoln came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Design Major in the Plains States Region ranking. This large school is located in Lincoln, Nebraska, and it awarded 38 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.

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 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 full report on Design & Applied Arts at University of Nebraska - Lincoln

17
UCM crest
University of Central Missouri
Warrensburg, Missouri

With a ranking of #17, University of Central Missouri did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Design Major in the Plains States Region list. This fairly large school is located in Warrensburg, Missouri, and it awarded 37 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at University of Central Missouri

18

Missouri State University - Springfield ranked #18 on this year’s Most Well Attended Design Major in the Plains States Region list. Missouri State is located in Springfield, Missouri and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 32 ’s design degrees to qualified students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.9% 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 Missouri State University - Springfield

19
Century College crest
Century College
White Bear Lake, Minnesota

With a ranking of #19, Century College did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Design Major in the Plains States Region list. Located in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, this medium-sized public school awarded 62 degrees to qualified ’s design students in 2020-2021.

Full Century College Design & Applied Arts Report

20

Minneapolis Community and Technical College landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Design Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Minneapolis Community and Technical College is a medium-sized school located in Minneapolis, Minnesota that handed out 97 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Minneapolis Community and Technical College Design & Applied Arts Report

20

With a ranking of #20, Wichita State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Design Major in the Plains States Region list. This fairly large school is located in Wichita, Kansas, and it awarded 28 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Wichita State University Design & Applied Arts Report

22
Webster crest
Webster University
Saint Louis, Missouri

With a ranking of #22, Webster University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Design Major in the Plains States Region list. This medium-sized school is located in Saint Louis, Missouri, and it awarded 30 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Webster University Design & Applied Arts Report

22
Dunwoody College of Technology crest
Dunwoody College of Technology
Minneapolis, Minnesota

Dunwoody College of Technology landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Design Major in the Plains States Region ranking. This small school is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and it awarded 24 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Dunwoody College of Technology

24
Bemidji State University crest
Bemidji State University
Bemidji, Minnesota

Bemidji State University ranked #24 on this year’s Most Well Attended Design Major in the Plains States Region list. Bemidji State University is located in Bemidji, Minnesota and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 23 ’s design degrees to qualified students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Bemidji State University Design & Applied Arts Report

25
Kirkwood Community College crest
Kirkwood Community College
Cedar Rapids, Iowa

With a ranking of #25, Kirkwood Community College did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Design Major in the Plains States Region list. Located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, this fairly large public school awarded 22 diplomas to qualified ’s design students in 2020-2021.

Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Kirkwood Community College

25
Park University crest
Park University
Parkville, Missouri

Park University landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Design Major in the Plains States Region ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Parkville, Missouri, and it awarded 22 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Park University Design & Applied Arts Report

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Notes and References

References

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