by our College Data Analytics Team
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Graphic Design Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking.
In 2020-2021, 8,710 people earned their degree in graphic design, making the major the 107th most popular in the United States.
Across the Great Lakes region, there were 1,492 graphic design graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 943 graphic design graduates with average earnings and debt of $40,343 and $26,790 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Graphic Design Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking analyzed 76 colleges that offered a degree in graphic design. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their graphic design program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Graphic Design Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that 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. 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 “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Graphic Design Major in the Great Lakes Region”.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Graphic Design Major in the Great Lakes Region list. MIAD is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It awarded 43 bachelors’s graphic design degrees in 2020-2021.
Full Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design Graphic Design Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend American Academy of Art. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Graphic Design Major in the Great Lakes Region list. This small school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 6 bachelors’s graphic design degrees in 2020-2021.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend College for Creative Studies. The school came in at #3 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Graphic Design Major in the Great Lakes Region. CCS is a private not-for-profit institution located in Detroit, Michigan. The school has a small population, and it awarded 25 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
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.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Cleveland Institute of Art. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Graphic Design Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Cleveland Institute of Art is a private not-for-profit institution located in Cleveland, Ohio. The school has a small population, and it awarded 11 bachelors’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. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.9% 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 full report on Graphic Design at Cleveland Institute of Art
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Columbia College Chicago. The school came in at #5 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Graphic Design Major in the Great Lakes Region. This medium-sized school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 69 bachelors’s graphic design degrees in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #6, Taylor University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Graphic Design Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Upland, Indiana, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 17 degrees to qualified bachelors’s graphic design students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Northland College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Graphic Design Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Northland is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Ashland, Wisconsin. It awarded 4 bachelors’s graphic design degrees in 2020-2021.
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.
Cedarville University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Graphic Design Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Cedarville University is a small school located in Cedarville, Ohio that handed out 25 bachelors’s graphic design degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad 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%.
Quincy University landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Graphic Design Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Quincy University is located in Quincy, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 7 bachelors’s graphic design degrees to qualified students.
With a ranking of #10, University of Wisconsin - Stout did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Graphic Design Major in the Great Lakes Region list. This medium-sized school is located in Menomonie, Wisconsin, and it awarded 42 bachelors’s graphic design degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Grace College and Theological Seminary ranked #11 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Graphic Design Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Winona Lake, Indiana is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s graphic design degrees to 14 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%.
With a ranking of #12, Franklin College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Graphic Design Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Franklin College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Franklin, Indiana. It awarded 5 bachelors’s graphic design degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 5.0% 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%.
Read more about Graphic Design at Franklin College of Indiana
Judson University landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Graphic Design Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Judson University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Elgin, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 6 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
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. 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%.
Carthage College came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Graphic Design Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Kenosha, Wisconsin is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s graphic design degrees to 13 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.6% 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%.
Olivet College landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Graphic Design Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Olivet, Michigan, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 4 degrees to qualified bachelors’s graphic design students in 2020-2021.
Augustana College came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Graphic Design Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Rock Island, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 16 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s graphic design students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Finlandia University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Graphic Design Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #17. This small school is located in Hancock, Michigan, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s graphic design degrees in 2020-2021.
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.
With a ranking of #18, North Central College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Graphic Design Major in the Great Lakes Region list. North Central College is located in Naperville, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 14 bachelors’s graphic design degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Saginaw Valley State University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Graphic Design Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Saginaw Valley State University is a public institution located in University Center, Michigan. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 27 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Edgewood College ranked #20 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Graphic Design Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Edgewood is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Madison, Wisconsin. It awarded 8 bachelors’s graphic design degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.0% 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%.
With a ranking of #21, Mount Vernon Nazarene University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Graphic Design Major in the Great Lakes Region list. MVNU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Mount Vernon, Ohio. The school has a small population, and it awarded 9 bachelors’s 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%.
Read full report on Graphic Design at Mount Vernon Nazarene University
Adrian College came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Graphic Design Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Adrian, Michigan is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s graphic design degrees to 6 students in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #23, Calvin University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Graphic Design Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Calvin is located in Grand Rapids, Michigan and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 14 bachelors’s graphic design degrees to qualified students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Mount St. Joseph University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Graphic Design Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Mount St. Joseph University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Cincinnati, Ohio. The school has a small population, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Graphic Design at Mount St. Joseph University
Oakland University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Graphic Design Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Rochester Hills, Michigan, this fairly large public school awarded 58 degrees to qualified bachelors’s graphic design students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% 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 more about our data sources and methodologies