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. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Most Well Attended Graphic Design Major for a Bachelor’s” ranking is part of that endeavor.
Graphic Design is the 107th most popular major in the country with 8,710 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.
At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 5,207 graphic design graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,682 and $26,217 respectively.
For this year’s “Most Well Attended Graphic Design Major for a Bachelor’s” ranking, we looked at 349 colleges that offer a degree in graphic design. This ranking identifies schools that graduate the most students in graphic design.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Most Well Attended Graphic Design Major for a Bachelor’s” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. 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 “Most Well Attended Graphic Design Major for a Bachelor’s”.
Out of the 349 schools in the Most Well Attended Graphic Design Major for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern New Hampshire University landed the #1 spot on the list. Manchester, New Hampshire is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s graphic design degrees to 388 students in 2020-2021.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Queens College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Graphic Design Major for a Bachelor’s list. QC is a fairly large school located in Queens, New York that handed out 131 bachelors’s graphic design degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 349 schools in the Most Well Attended Graphic Design Major for a Bachelor’s that were part of this year’s ranking, California State Polytechnic University - Pomona landed the #3 spot on the list. This large school is located in Pomona, California, and it awarded 113 bachelors’s graphic design degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Liberty University. The school came in at #4 for the Most Well Attended Graphic Design Major for a Bachelor’s. This large school is located in Lynchburg, Virginia, and it awarded 92 bachelors’s graphic design degrees in 2020-2021.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Portland State University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Graphic Design Major for a Bachelor’s list. Portland State University is a large public school situated in Portland, Oregon. It awarded 83 bachelors’s graphic design degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Iowa State University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Graphic Design Major for a Bachelor’s ranking. Iowa State University is a large public school situated in Ames, Iowa. It awarded 79 bachelors’s graphic design degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities ranked #7 on this year’s Most Well Attended Graphic Design Major for a Bachelor’s list. Located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, this large public school handed out 75 degrees to qualified bachelors’s graphic design students in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Graphic Design at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Art Center College of Design did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Graphic Design Major for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #7. Art Center College of Design is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Pasadena, California. It awarded 75 bachelors’s graphic design degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. 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.
Read full report on Graphic Design at Art Center College of Design
Pratt Institute - Main ranked #9 on this year’s Most Well Attended Graphic Design Major for a Bachelor’s list. This medium-sized school is located in Brooklyn, New York, and it awarded 71 bachelors’s graphic design degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, 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.
Grand Canyon University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Graphic Design Major for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #10. This large school is located in Phoenix, Arizona, and it awarded 69 bachelors’s graphic design degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 5.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Graphic Design at Grand Canyon University
With a ranking of #10, Columbia College Chicago did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Graphic Design Major for a Bachelor’s list. Columbia College Chicago is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 69 bachelors’s graphic design degrees in 2020-2021.
Temple University landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Graphic Design Major for a Bachelor’s ranking. Temple University is a large school located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that handed out 63 bachelors’s graphic design degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Maryland Institute College of Art landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Graphic Design Major for a Bachelor’s ranking. Maryland Institute College of Art is located in Baltimore, Maryland and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 63 bachelors’s graphic design degrees to qualified students.
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%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Oakland University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Graphic Design Major for a Bachelor’s ranking. Oakland University is a public institution located in Rochester Hills, Michigan. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 58 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of Nevada - Las Vegas did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Graphic Design Major for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #15. Las Vegas, Nevada is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s graphic design degrees to 56 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.9% 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 more about Graphic Design at University of Nevada - Las Vegas
With a ranking of #15, Virginia Commonwealth University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Graphic Design Major for a Bachelor’s list. VCU is a public institution located in Richmond, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 56 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.6% 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%.
Bellevue University landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Graphic Design Major for a Bachelor’s ranking. Bellevue University is a fairly large school located in Bellevue, Nebraska that handed out 54 bachelors’s graphic design degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
California Baptist University landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Graphic Design Major for a Bachelor’s ranking. Riverside, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s graphic design degrees to 52 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Graphic Design Major for a Bachelor’s ranking. Located in Champaign, Illinois, this large public school awarded 51 degrees to qualified bachelors’s graphic design students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.
Read full report on Graphic Design at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Northeastern University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Graphic Design Major for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #20. Northeastern is a large school located in Boston, Massachusetts that handed out 49 bachelors’s graphic design degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.5% 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%.
Los Angeles Film School ranked #21 on this year’s Most Well Attended Graphic Design Major for a Bachelor’s list. This medium-sized school is located in Hollywood, California, and it awarded 47 bachelors’s graphic design degrees in 2020-2021.
Coastal Carolina University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Graphic Design Major for a Bachelor’s ranking, coming in at #21. Coastal Carolina University is located in Conway, South Carolina and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 47 bachelors’s graphic design degrees to qualified students.
Read more about Graphic Design at Coastal Carolina University
With a ranking of #23, Appalachian State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Graphic Design Major for a Bachelor’s list. Appalachian State University is a public institution located in Boone, North Carolina. The school has a large population, and it awarded 46 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. 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 Graphic Design at Appalachian State University
Arizona State University - Tempe ranked #24 on this year’s Most Well Attended Graphic Design Major for a Bachelor’s list. Arizona State University - Tempe is a large school located in Tempe, Arizona that handed out 45 bachelors’s graphic design degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Graphic Design at Arizona State University - Tempe
California State University - Sacramento came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Graphic Design Major for a Bachelor’s ranking. Sac State is located in Sacramento, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 44 bachelors’s graphic design degrees to qualified students.
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%.
Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
While not in the ’top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | Cedarville University | Cedarville, OH |
| 51 | College for Creative Studies | Detroit, MI |
| 53 | Montclair State University | Montclair, NJ |
| 53 | Longwood University | Farmville, VA |
| 53 | The University of the Arts | Philadelphia, PA |
| 53 | Wichita State University | Wichita, KS |
| 53 | Chapman University | Orange, CA |
| 53 | Central Michigan University | Mount Pleasant, MI |
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
