2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major
1,086
Ranked Colleges
$41,000
Avg Cost*
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Schools Highly Focused on Design Major” ranking is part of that endeavor.
Design & Applied Arts is the 36th most popular major in the country with 36,323 degrees awarded in 2021-2022. 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.
For this year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Design Major” ranking, we looked at 1,086 colleges that offer a degree in design & applied arts. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in design & applied arts.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
More Ways to Rank Design & Applied Arts Schools
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 “Schools Highly Focused on Design Major”.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
Schools Highly Focused on Design Major
The colleges and universities below are the best for design students.
Top 25 Most Focused Colleges for Design & Applied Arts
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Design Institute of San Diego. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major list. 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 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 Design Institute of San Diego
Out of the 1,086 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Design Major that were part of this year’s ranking, The Modern College of Design landed the #1 spot on the list. The Modern College of Design is a private for-profit institution located in Kettering, Ohio. The school has a small population, and it awarded 54 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 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 The Modern College of Design Design & Applied Arts Report
Out of the 1,086 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Design Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwest College of Art & Design landed the #1 spot on the list. Tacoma, Washington is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out ’s design degrees to 19 students in 2021-2022.
Full Northwest College of Art & Design Design & Applied Arts Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Nossi College of Art. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major list. Nossi College of Art is a private for-profit institution located in Nashville, Tennessee. The school has a small population, and it awarded 39 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Full Nossi College of Art Design & Applied Arts Report
Out of the 1,086 schools in the Schools Highly Focused on Design Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Interior Designers Institute landed the #5 spot on the list. Interior Designers Institute is a small private for-profit school situated in Newport Beach, California. It awarded 47 ’s design degrees in 2021-2022.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Interior Designers Institute
Pennsylvania College of Art and Design came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Design Major ranking. Pennsylvania College of Art and Design is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. It awarded 30 ’s design degrees in 2021-2022.
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. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Pennsylvania College of Art and Design
American Academy of Art landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major ranking. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out ’s design degrees to 22 students in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.9% 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%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Full American Academy of Art Design & Applied Arts Report
With a ranking of #8, Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major list. This small school is located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and it awarded 124 ’s design degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design
College for Creative Studies ranked #9 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Design Major list. CCS is a private not-for-profit institution located in Detroit, Michigan. The school has a small population, and it awarded 98 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
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. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at College for Creative Studies
The North Coast College did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major ranking, coming in at #10. The North Coast College is a small private for-profit school situated in Lakewood, Ohio. It awarded 10 ’s design degrees in 2021-2022.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. 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%.
Full The North Coast College Design & Applied Arts Report
With a ranking of #11, Laguna College of Art and Design did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major list. LCAD is a small school located in Laguna Beach, California that handed out 90 ’s design degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% 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%. 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.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Laguna College of Art and Design
New York School of Interior Design landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major ranking. NYSID is a small private not-for-profit school situated in New York, New York. It awarded 155 ’s design 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 more about Design & Applied Arts at New York School of Interior Design
With a ranking of #13, Wade College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major list. Wade College is a small school located in Dallas, Texas that handed out 21 ’s design degrees in 2021-2022.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Wade College
With a ranking of #14, Otis College of Art and Design did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major list. Otis College of Art and Design is a private not-for-profit institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 132 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, 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 more about Design & Applied Arts at Otis College of Art and Design
Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Design Major ranking. RMCAD is a private for-profit institution located in Lakewood, Colorado. The school has a small population, and it awarded 122 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 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 Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design
With a ranking of #16, Maryland Institute College of Art did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major list. Maryland Institute College of Art is located in Baltimore, Maryland and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 314 ’s design degrees to qualified students.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Full Maryland Institute College of Art Design & Applied Arts Report
Columbus College of Art and Design landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major ranking. Columbus College of Art and Design is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Columbus, Ohio. It awarded 123 ’s design degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.5% 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%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Full Columbus College of Art and Design Design & Applied Arts Report
With a ranking of #18, Art Academy of Cincinnati did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major list. AAC is located in Cincinnati, Ohio and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 26 ’s design degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 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 AAC Design & Applied Arts Report
Escuela de Artes Plasticas y Diseno de Puerto Rico came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Design Major ranking. San Juan, Puerto Rico is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s design degrees to 19 students in 2021-2022.
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 EAPD
Cleveland Institute of Art did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major ranking, coming in at #20. This small school is located in Cleveland, Ohio, and it awarded 65 ’s design degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.1% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Cleveland Institute of Art
With a ranking of #21, Art Center College of Design did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major list. 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 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. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Design & Applied Arts at Art Center College of Design
Moore College of Art and Design landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Design Major ranking. Moore College of Art and Design is a small school located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that handed out 48 ’s design degrees in 2021-2022.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Moore College of Art and Design
Delaware College of Art and Design ranked #24 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Design Major list. DCAD is a private not-for-profit institution located in Wilmington, Delaware. The school has a small population, and it awarded 13 ’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.7% 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%. 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.
Full DCAD Design & Applied Arts Report
Pratt Institute - Main came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Design Major ranking. Brooklyn, New York is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s design degrees to 413 students in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.0% 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 impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 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 excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Design & Applied Arts at Pratt Institute - Main
