2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Visual Communications (With Aid)
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
In 2019-2020, 5,657 people earned their degree in visual communications, making the major the 161st most popular in the United States.
At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 2,861 visual communications graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,303 and $24,501 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 100 colleges that offer a degree in visual communications. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent visual communications programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the visual communications program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
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More Ways to Rank Visual Communications Schools
The graphic arts 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 “Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid”.
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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Visual Communications (With Aid)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Washington - Seattle Campus. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Seattle, Washington, and it awarded 24 bachelors’s graphic arts degrees in 2019-2020.
UW Seattle did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Visual Communications Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for UW Seattle is $13,297 for Bachelor’s Degree Graphic Arts 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 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Visual Communications at University of Washington - Seattle Campus
Out of the 100 schools in the Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, New York City College of Technology landed the #2 spot on the list. City Tech is a fairly large public school situated in Brooklyn, New York. It awarded 128 bachelors’s graphic arts degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend City Tech is $3,667 for Bachelor’s Degree Graphic Arts students with aid.
Read full report on Visual Communications at New York City College of Technology
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Purdue University - Main Campus. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in West Lafayette, Indiana, and it awarded 14 bachelors’s graphic arts degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree graphic arts students with aid list, Purdue has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Visual Communications Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $13,986 for Bachelor’s Degree Graphic Arts students with aid per year to attend Purdue.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Out of the 100 schools in the Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Farmingdale State College landed the #4 spot on the list. SUNY College of Technology at Farmingdale is a fairly large public school situated in Farmingdale, New York. It awarded 45 bachelors’s graphic arts degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend SUNY College of Technology at Farmingdale is $8,638 for bachelor’s degree graphic arts students with aid.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend North Carolina State University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. NC State is a public institution located in Raleigh, North Carolina. The school has a large population, and it awarded 18 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at NC State, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Visual Communications Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for North Carolina State University is $16,458 for bachelor’s degree graphic arts students with aid.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read more about Visual Communications at North Carolina State University
The University of Texas at Austin did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #6. UT Austin is a large school located in Austin, Texas that handed out 40 bachelors’s graphic arts degrees in 2019-2020.
UT Austin did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Visual Communications Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $18,023 for bachelor’s degree graphic arts students with aid per year to attend The University of Texas at Austin.
With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Visual Communications at The University of Texas at Austin
Indiana University - Bloomington came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. IU Bloomington is a public institution located in Bloomington, Indiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 6 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
IU Bloomington also took the #17 spot in our “Best Visual Communications Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $13,253 for Bachelor’s Degree Graphic Arts students with aid per year to attend IU Bloomington.
The low student loan default rate of 4.3% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read more about Visual Communications at Indiana University - Bloomington
Iowa State University landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Iowa State is a large school located in Ames, Iowa that handed out 36 bachelors’s graphic arts degrees in 2019-2020.
Iowa State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Visual Communications Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend Iowa State is $15,496 for Bachelor’s Degree Graphic Arts students with aid.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Brigham Young University - Provo ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Provo, Utah, and it awarded 58 bachelors’s graphic arts degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our bachelor’s degree graphic arts students with aid list, BYU has also earned the #20 rank in our “Best Visual Communications Bachelor’s Degree Schools” ranking. It costs about $13,322 for bachelor’s degree graphic arts students with aid per year to attend BYU.
The low student loan default rate of 1.7% 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 92%.
Full Brigham Young University - Provo Visual Communications Report
Utah Valley University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Orem, Utah, this large public school handed out 130 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s graphic arts students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Utah Valley University is $9,159 for Bachelor’s Degree Graphic Arts students with aid.
With a ranking of #11, University of California - Davis did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Davis, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s graphic arts degrees to 235 students in 2019-2020.
UC Davis did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Visual Communications Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The estimated yearly cost for UC Davis is $14,669 for Bachelor’s Degree Graphic Arts students with aid.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read full report on Visual Communications at University of California - Davis
University of Illinois at Chicago came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s graphic arts degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $13,312 for Bachelor’s Degree Graphic Arts students with aid per year to attend University of Illinois at Chicago.
The low student loan default rate of 3.4% 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%.
Full University of Illinois at Chicago Visual Communications Report
University of North Texas came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. UNT is a large public school situated in Denton, Texas. It awarded 44 bachelors’s graphic arts degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $15,086 for Bachelor’s Degree Graphic Arts students with aid per year to attend UNT.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read full report on Visual Communications at University of North Texas
Texas State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #13. Located in San Marcos, Texas, this large public school awarded 69 degrees to qualified bachelors’s graphic arts students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Texas State University is $15,230 for bachelor’s degree graphic arts students with aid.
Read full report on Visual Communications at Texas State University
With a ranking of #15, Northern Kentucky University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Highland Heights, Kentucky is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s graphic arts degrees to 13 students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Northern Kentucky University is $9,049 for bachelor’s degree graphic arts students with aid.
Read full report on Visual Communications at Northern Kentucky University
San Francisco State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #16. San Francisco State University is a large public school situated in San Francisco, California. It awarded 63 bachelors’s graphic arts degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for San Francisco State University is $15,113 for Bachelor’s Degree Graphic Arts students with aid.
University of Wisconsin - Green Bay did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #17. Located in Green Bay, Wisconsin, this medium-sized public school handed out 18 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s graphic arts students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Green Bay is $14,395 for bachelor’s degree graphic arts students with aid.
Lake Washington Institute of Technology did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #18. This small school is located in Kirkland, Washington, and it awarded 17 bachelors’s graphic arts degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Lake Washington Institute of Technology is $7,713 for bachelor’s degree graphic arts students with aid.
Ferris State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #19. This fairly large school is located in Big Rapids, Michigan, and it awarded 2 bachelors’s graphic arts degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Ferris State University is $12,889 for bachelor’s degree graphic arts students with aid.
With a ranking of #20, West Virginia University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Morgantown, West Virginia, this large public school awarded 65 degrees to qualified bachelors’s graphic arts students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $12,983 for bachelor’s degree graphic arts students with aid per year to attend WVU.
Read full report on Visual Communications at West Virginia University
With a ranking of #21, University of California - San Diego did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. UCSD is a large school located in La Jolla, California that handed out 24 bachelors’s graphic arts degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $14,232 for Bachelor’s Degree Graphic Arts students with aid per year to attend UCSD.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
University of Delaware landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Newark, Delaware, this large public school handed out 17 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s graphic arts students in 2019-2020.
UD not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #11 on our “Best Visual Communications Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Delaware is $17,220 for bachelor’s degree graphic arts students with aid.
The low 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read more about Visual Communications at University of Delaware
University of Arkansas came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. This large school is located in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and it awarded 21 bachelors’s graphic arts degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for University of Arkansas is $16,381 for Bachelor’s Degree Graphic Arts students with aid.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read more about Visual Communications at University of Arkansas
Rutgers University - New Brunswick ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. New Brunswick, New Jersey is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s graphic arts degrees to 22 students in 2019-2020.
Rutgers New Brunswick did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #24 on our “Best Visual Communications Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. It costs about $21,654 for Bachelor’s Degree Graphic Arts students with aid per year to attend Rutgers New Brunswick.
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 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read full report on Visual Communications at Rutgers University - New Brunswick
With a ranking of #25, Western Washington University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Graphic Arts Schools for a Bachelor’s For Those Getting Aid list. Western Washington University is a fairly large school located in Bellingham, Washington that handed out 49 bachelors’s graphic arts degrees in 2019-2020.
WWU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #19 on our “Best Visual Communications Bachelor’s Degree Schools” list. The yearly cost to attend WWU is $16,529 for Bachelor’s Degree Graphic Arts students with aid.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
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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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