by our College Data Analytics TeamFor its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 153 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for graphic design students pursuing a bachelor's degree. Combined, these schools handed out 5,207 bachelor's degrees in graphic design to qualified students.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
The graphic design bachelor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:
The overall quality of a bachelor's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To take this into account we consider a school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a host of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.
Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for graphic design students working on their bachelor's degree.
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 Graphic Design Bachelor's Degree Schools 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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in graphic design. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
It is difficult to beat Iowa State University if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in graphic design. Iowa State is a very large public university located in the small city of Ames.More information about a bachelor’s in graphic design from Iowa State University
It's difficult to beat Fashion Institute of Technology if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in graphic design. FIT SUNY is a moderately-sized public school located in the large city of New York.More information about a bachelor’s in graphic design from Fashion Institute of Technology
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is one of the best schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in graphic design. UMN Twin Cities is a very large public university located in the large city of Minneapolis.More information about a bachelor’s in graphic design from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Every student who is interested in a bachelor's degree in graphic design has to look into University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. UIUC is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Champaign.More information about a bachelor’s in graphic design from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Pratt Institute is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Brooklyn.More information about a bachelor’s in graphic design from Pratt Institute - Main
UF is a very large public university located in the city of Gainesville.More information about a bachelor’s in graphic design from University of Florida
Michigan State is a very large public university located in the small city of East Lansing.More information about a bachelor’s in graphic design from Michigan State University
TCU is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Fort Worth.More information about a bachelor’s in graphic design from Texas Christian University
Located in the city of New York, New School University is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in graphic design from The New School
Drexel is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Philadelphia.More information about a bachelor’s in graphic design from Drexel University
Located in the midsize city of Tempe, ASU - Tempe is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in graphic design from Arizona State University - Tempe
CCS is a small private not-for-profit college located in the large city of Detroit.More information about a bachelor’s in graphic design from College for Creative Studies
Art Center College of Design is a small private not-for-profit college located in the medium-sized city of Pasadena.More information about a bachelor’s in graphic design from Art Center College of Design
Located in the large city of San Jose, San Jose State is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in graphic design from San Jose State University
MICA is a small private not-for-profit college located in the city of Baltimore.More information about a bachelor’s in graphic design from Maryland Institute College of Art
Located in the medium-sized city of Provo, BYU is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in graphic design from Brigham Young University - Provo
Located in the city of Washington, GWU is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in graphic design from George Washington University
Located in the large city of Boston, Northeastern is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in graphic design from Northeastern University
Located in the large city of Boston, Boston U is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in graphic design from Boston University
Located in the city of Los Angeles, FIDM Los Angeles is a private for-profit school with a small student population.More information about a bachelor’s in graphic design from FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising - Los Angeles
Located in the distant town of Menomonie, UW - Stout is a public university with a medium-sized student population.More information about a bachelor’s in graphic design from University of Wisconsin - Stout
Located in the fringe town of Oxford, Miami University - Oxford is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in graphic design from Miami University - Oxford
Columbia is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit college located in the city of Chicago.More information about a bachelor’s in graphic design from Columbia College Chicago
VCU is a very large public university located in the midsize city of Richmond.More information about a bachelor’s in graphic design from Virginia Commonwealth University
Learn about other programs related to Graphic Design that might interest you.
BA in Graphic Design & Media Arts - Web Design
Gain a solid grounding in your online web design classes and exercise your creative muscle with this specialized online bachelor's from Southern New Hampshire University.
Get on the right path to the fast-paced, exciting world of video game art and design with this online bachelor's from Southern New Hampshire University.
BS in Game Programming & Development
Go beyond traditional software development to gain the technical expertise required to succeed in an exciting and competitive field with this online bachelor's from Southern New Hampshire University.
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Graphic Design Bachelor's Degree Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 26 | Laguna College of Art and Design | Laguna Beach, CA |
| 27 | Rochester Institute of Technology | Rochester, NY |
| 28 | DePaul University | Chicago, IL |
| 29 | Temple University | Philadelphia, PA |
| 30 | Appalachian State University | Boone, NC |
| 23 | North Carolina State University | Raleigh, NC |
| 24 | University of Illinois at Chicago | Chicago, IL |
| 25 | Chapman University | Orange, CA |
View the Best Graphic Design Bachelor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.
One of 9 majors within the Design & Applied Arts area of study, Graphic Design has other similar majors worth exploring.
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Visual Communications | 2,989 |
| Interior Design | 2,981 |
| Illustration | 2,034 |
| Fashion Design | 1,914 |
| Industrial Design | 1,574 |
| Game & Interactive Media Design | 1,301 |
| Other Design & Applied Arts | 844 |
| Commercial & Advertising Art | 780 |
| Commercial Photography | 146 |
