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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Graphic Design in Illinois

12 Ranked Colleges
329 Degrees Awarded
$22,800 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Graphic Design Schools for a Bachelor's in Illinois

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Graphic Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

Graphic Design is the 105th most popular major in the country with 8,541 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

Across Illinois, there were 462 graphic design graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 329 graphic design graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,319 and $24,183 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Graphic Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois” ranking, we looked at 12 colleges that offer a degree in graphic design. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality graphic design programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the graphic design program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Graphic Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois” list to help you make the college decision.

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. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Graphic Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Graphic Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois.

Top 12 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Graphic Design in Illinois

#1 in overall quality

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Graphic Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #1 spot on the list. This large school is located in Champaign, Illinois, and it awarded 56 bachelors’s graphic design degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIUC, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Graphic Design Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UIUC is $15,880 for illinois bachelor’s degree graphic design students.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Graphic Design at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

#9 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northeastern Illinois University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Graphic Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Northeastern Illinois University is a medium-sized school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 6 bachelors’s graphic design degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Northeastern Illinois University, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Graphic Design Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Northeastern Illinois University is $15,843 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Graphic Design students.

Read full report on Graphic Design at Northeastern Illinois University

#3 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Chicago. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Graphic Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. University of Illinois at Chicago is a large public school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 38 bachelors’s graphic design degrees in 2019-2020.

UIC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Graphic Design Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $13,312 for illinois bachelor’s degree graphic design students per year to attend University of Illinois at Chicago.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Graphic Design at UIC

#4

Columbia College Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
#6 in overall quality

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Graphic Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Columbia College Chicago landed the #4 spot on the list. Columbia is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 67 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree graphic design students list, Columbia has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Graphic Design Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Columbia College Chicago is $31,099 for illinois bachelor’s degree graphic design students.

Full Columbia College Chicago Graphic Design Report

#5

Bradley University

Peoria, Illinois
#2 in overall quality

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Graphic Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Bradley University landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in Peoria, Illinois, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 18 degrees to qualified bachelors’s graphic design students in 2019-2020.

Bradley also took the #2 spot in our “Best Graphic Design Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Bradley is $25,634 for illinois bachelor’s degree graphic design students.

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 student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Bradley University Graphic Design Report

#6

American Academy of Art

Chicago, Illinois
#10 in overall quality

American Academy of Art came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Graphic Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. The Academy is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 2 bachelors’s graphic design degrees in 2019-2020.

The Academy also took the #10 spot in our “Best Graphic Design Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for American Academy of Art is $28,106 for illinois bachelor’s degree graphic design students.

Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read full report on Graphic Design at The Academy

#11 in overall quality

Trinity International University - Illinois did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Graphic Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking, coming in at #7. Located in Deerfield, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 8 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s graphic design students in 2019-2020.

TIU Illinois also took the #11 spot in our “Best Graphic Design Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend TIU Illinois is $21,204 for illinois bachelor’s degree graphic design students.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on Graphic Design at TIU Illinois

#8

Elmhurst University

Elmhurst, Illinois
#8 in overall quality

Elmhurst University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Graphic Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking, coming in at #8. Elmhurst, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s graphic design degrees to 7 students in 2019-2020.

Elmhurst did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Graphic Design Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Elmhurst is $21,485 for illinois bachelor’s degree graphic design students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Graphic Design at Elmhurst University

#9

Roosevelt University

Chicago, Illinois
#12 in overall quality

Roosevelt University landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Graphic Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. Roosevelt is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 18 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Roosevelt, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Graphic Design Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Roosevelt University is $22,749 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Graphic Design students.

Read full report on Graphic Design at Roosevelt University

#10

North Central College

Naperville, Illinois
#7 in overall quality

With a ranking of #10, North Central College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Graphic Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. North Central is located in Naperville, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 23 bachelors’s graphic design degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree graphic design students list, North Central has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Graphic Design Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $24,786 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Graphic Design students per year to attend North Central.

The 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 North Central Graphic Design Report

#11

Augustana College

Rock Island, Illinois
#4 in overall quality

Augustana College ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Graphic Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. This small school is located in Rock Island, Illinois, and it awarded 14 bachelors’s graphic design degrees in 2019-2020.

Augustana did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Graphic Design Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $23,874 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Graphic Design students per year to attend Augustana College.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Read full report on Graphic Design at Augustana College

#12

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois
#5 in overall quality

DePaul University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Graphic Design Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. DePaul University is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 41 bachelors’s graphic design degrees to qualified students.

DePaul also made our “Best Graphic Design Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #5. It costs about $30,090 for illinois bachelor’s degree graphic design students per year to attend DePaul University.

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%.

Read full report on Graphic Design at DePaul

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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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