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2024 Best Graphic Design Schools in the Great Lakes Region

36 Colleges in the Great Lakes Region
1,492 Graphic Design Degrees Awarded
Graphic Design is of the hottest degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #107 most popular major in the country. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 36 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Graphic Design Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,492 degrees in graphic design during the 2020-2021 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Graphic Design School

Best Graphic Design Schools in the Great Lakes Region The graphic design program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Graphic Design rankings. For our Best Overall Graphic Design School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Graphic Design Rankings by Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Graphic Design
Bachelor's Degrees in Graphic Design
Master's Degrees in Graphic Design

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 Schools in the Great Lakes Region list to help you make the college decision. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

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. 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.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.


 

Best Schools for Graphic Design in the Great Lakes Region

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the graphic design degrees they offer, see the list below.

10 Top Great Lakes Region Schools in Graphic Design

1
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In IL
51 Graphic Design Degrees Awarded

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in graphic design. Located in the small city of Champaign, UIUC is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #34 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UIUC is a great university overall.

There were roughly 51 graphic design students who graduated with this degree at UIUC in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in graphic design from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

2
Michigan State crest
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In MI
38 Graphic Design Degrees Awarded

Michigan State University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in graphic design. Located in the city of East Lansing, Michigan State is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #74 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Michigan State is a great university overall.

There were approximately 38 graphic design students who graduated with this degree at Michigan State in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in graphic design from Michigan State University

2
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
6th Most Popular In MI
40.0% Growth in Graduates

College for Creative Studies is a great choice for students interested in a degree in graphic design. Located in the city of Detroit, CCS is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

There were about 25 graphic design students who graduated with this degree at CCS in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in graphic design from College for Creative Studies

3
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
4th Most Popular In WI
42 Graphic Design Degrees Awarded

University of Wisconsin - Stout is a good decision for students interested in a degree in graphic design. UW - Stout is a moderately-sized public university located in the town of Menomonie. This university ranks 11th out of 46 colleges for overall quality in the state of Wisconsin.

There were approximately 42 graphic design students who graduated with this degree at UW - Stout in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in graphic design from University of Wisconsin - Stout

4
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
6th Most Popular In OH

Miami University - Oxford is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in graphic design. Miami University - Oxford is a large public university located in the fringe town of Oxford. A Best Colleges rank of #116 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Miami University - Oxford is a great university overall.

There were about 15 graphic design students who graduated with this degree at Miami University - Oxford in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in graphic design from Miami University - Oxford

5
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In IL
69 Graphic Design Degrees Awarded

Located in the large city of Chicago, Columbia is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #370 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Columbia is a great college overall.

There were approximately 69 graphic design students who graduated with this degree at Columbia in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in graphic design from Columbia College Chicago

6
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In WI
48 Graphic Design Degrees Awarded

Located in the large city of Madison, Madison College is a public college with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #419 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Madison College is a great college overall.

There were about 48 graphic design students who graduated with this degree at Madison College in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in graphic design from Madison Area Technical College

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In IL
50 Graphic Design Degrees Awarded

UIC is a very large public university located in the large city of Chicago. A Best Colleges rank of #192 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UIC is a great university overall.

There were roughly 50 graphic design students who graduated with this degree at UIC in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in graphic design from University of Illinois at Chicago

8
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, IL
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
4th Most Popular In IL
41 Graphic Design Degrees Awarded

Located in the large city of Chicago, DePaul is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #203 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means DePaul is a great university overall.

There were approximately 41 graphic design students who graduated with this degree at DePaul in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in graphic design from DePaul University

9
Ferris crest
Ferris State University
Big Rapids, MI
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In MI
37 Graphic Design Degrees Awarded

Ferris is a fairly large public university located in the distant town of Big Rapids. This university ranks 16th out of 57 colleges for overall quality in the state of Michigan.

There were about 37 graphic design students who graduated with this degree at Ferris in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in graphic design from Ferris State University

Best Graphic Design Colleges by State

Explore the best graphic design colleges for a specific state in the Great Lakes Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Ohio 939 223
Michigan 915 399
Illinois 870 384
Indiana 737 55
Wisconsin 672 321

View All Rankings >

Graphic Design is one of 9 different types of Design & Applied Arts programs to choose from.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Visual Communications 824
Interior Design 744
Commercial & Advertising Art 565
Fashion Design 442
Industrial Design 359
Game & Interactive Media Design 341
Illustration 278
Commercial Photography 226
Other Design & Applied Arts 104

View All Graphic Design Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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