by our College Data Analytics Team
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Design Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking.
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 Middle Atlantic region, there were 7,125 design and applied arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $31,489 and $23,859 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Design Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking analyzed 83 colleges that offered a degree in design and applied arts. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great design and applied arts programs and 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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
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 “Best Value Design Schools in the Middle Atlantic 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. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Design Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Lehigh Carbon Community College. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Design Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. LCCC is a public institution located in Schnecksville, Pennsylvania. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 25 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for Lehigh Carbon Community College is $6,897 for Middle Atlantic Region Design students.
Out of the 83 schools in the Best Value Design Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Kutztown University of Pennsylvania landed the #2 spot on the list. Kutztown University is a medium-sized public school situated in Kutztown, Pennsylvania. It awarded 72 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
Kutztown University not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #24 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Kutztown University of Pennsylvania is $23,227 for middle atlantic region design students.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Harrisburg Area Community College. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Design Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s design degrees to 26 students in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend Harrisburg Area Community College is $11,608 for Middle Atlantic Region Design students.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Harrisburg Area Community College
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend LaGuardia Community College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Design Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Long Island City, New York is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s design degrees to 43 students in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend LaGuardia Community College is $7,444 for middle atlantic region design students.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Finger Lakes Community College. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Design Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region. Located in Canandaigua, New York, this medium-sized public school handed out 16 degrees to qualified ’s design students in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend Finger Lakes Community College is $10,534 for Middle Atlantic Region Design students.
Full Finger Lakes Community College Design & Applied Arts Report
With a ranking of #6, Monroe Community College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Design Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. This medium-sized school is located in Rochester, New York, and it awarded 44 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for Monroe Community College is $6,891 for middle atlantic region design students.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Monroe Community College
Brookdale Community College ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Brookdale Community College is a public institution located in Lincroft, New Jersey. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 26 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for Brookdale Community College is $9,351 for middle atlantic region design students.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Brookdale Community College
Montclair State University landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Best Value Design Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. This large school is located in Montclair, New Jersey, and it awarded 99 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
In addition to being on our middle atlantic region design students list, Montclair State has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” ranking. It costs about $17,381 for middle atlantic region design students per year to attend Montclair State.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Montclair State University
With a ranking of #9, Nassau Community College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Design Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Nassau Community College is located in Garden City, New York and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 55 ’s design degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for Nassau Community College is $4,932 for Middle Atlantic Region Design students.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Nassau Community College
Mohawk Valley Community College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Utica, New York, and it awarded 40 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend MVCC is $7,942 for middle atlantic region design students.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Mohawk Valley Community College
California University of Pennsylvania came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Design Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. California University of Pennsylvania is a medium-sized public school situated in California, Pennsylvania. It awarded 15 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for Cal U is $19,117 for Middle Atlantic Region Design students.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at California University of Pennsylvania
With a ranking of #12, Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Design Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Main Campus is located in Indiana, Pennsylvania and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 68 ’s design degrees to qualified students.
It costs about $22,828 for Middle Atlantic Region Design students per year to attend Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Main Campus.
Kingsborough Community College landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Best Value Design Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. KCC is a fairly large school located in Brooklyn, New York that handed out 76 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend Kingsborough Community College is $6,086 for middle atlantic region design students.
Kean University did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Design Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking, coming in at #14. Kean is located in Union, New Jersey and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 61 ’s design degrees to qualified students.
Kean also made our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list, coming in at #22. It costs about $18,191 for middle atlantic region design students per year to attend Kean University.
With a ranking of #15, Northampton County Area Community College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Design Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. This medium-sized school is located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 28 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for Northampton Community College is $9,162 for middle atlantic region design students.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Northampton County Area Community College
SUNY Oneonta landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Best Value Design Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. SUNY Oneonta is a medium-sized public school situated in Oneonta, New York. It awarded 54 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $18,223 for Middle Atlantic Region Design students per year to attend SUNY Oneonta.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Buffalo State ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. This medium-sized school is located in Buffalo, New York, and it awarded 15 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $13,785 for middle atlantic region design students per year to attend Buffalo State.
With a ranking of #18, Queens College did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Design Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. QC is a fairly large public school situated in Queens, New York. It awarded 131 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend QC is $3,469 for Middle Atlantic Region Design students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
SUNY Fredonia ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. SUNY Fredonia is located in Fredonia, New York and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 23 ’s design degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for SUNY Fredonia is $14,378 for middle atlantic region design students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.5% 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%.
New York City College of Technology did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Design Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking, coming in at #20. New York City College of Technology is a fairly large school located in Brooklyn, New York that handed out 178 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
It costs about $4,120 for Middle Atlantic Region Design students per year to attend New York City College of Technology.
Full New York City College of Technology Design & Applied Arts Report
Suffolk County Community College did quite well in the 2023 Best Value Design Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking, coming in at #21. Suffolk County Community College is located in Selden, New York and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 31 ’s design degrees to qualified students.
It costs about $5,270 for Middle Atlantic Region Design students per year to attend Suffolk County Community College.
Full Suffolk County Community College Design & Applied Arts Report
County College of Morris landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Best Value Design Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. County College of Morris is located in Randolph, New Jersey and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 27 ’s design degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for County College of Morris is $9,274 for middle atlantic region design students.
Fashion Institute of Technology landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Best Value Design Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. FIT SUNY is a medium-sized public school situated in New York, New York. It awarded 1,400 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
FIT SUNY did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Design & Applied Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region” list. It costs about $10,389 for Middle Atlantic Region Design students per year to attend Fashion Institute of Technology.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.0% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full Fashion Institute of Technology Design & Applied Arts Report
Purchase College ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Located in Purchase, New York, this small public school awarded 29 degrees to qualified ’s design students in 2020-2021.
The yearly cost to attend Purchase College is $17,701 for Middle Atlantic Region Design students.
SUNY New Paltz ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Design Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. This medium-sized school is located in New Paltz, New York, and it awarded 27 ’s design degrees in 2020-2021.
The estimated yearly cost for SUNY New Paltz is $17,123 for Middle Atlantic Region Design students.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate 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%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
