2023 Best Value Colleges for Illustration (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Illustration Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

Illustration is the 249th most popular major in the country with 2,538 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.

Across the Plains States region, there were 87 illustration graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Illustration Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 2 colleges that offer a degree in illustration. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality illustration programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the illustration program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Illustration Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons 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 Illustration Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for plains states region illustration students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 2 Best Value Colleges for Illustration (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region

1

Minneapolis College of Art and Design
Minneapolis, Minnesota

#1 in overall quality

$22,385 Average Net Price

$23,334 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Minneapolis College of Art and Design. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Best Value Illustration Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. MCAD is a small school located in Minneapolis, Minnesota that handed out 50 ’s illustration degrees in 2020-2021.

MCAD not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Illustration Schools in the Plains States Region” list. It costs about $22,385 for Plains States Region Illustration students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend MCAD.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read more about Illustration at Minneapolis College of Art and Design

2

Kansas City Art Institute
Kansas City, Missouri

#2 in overall quality

$25,203 Average Net Price

$17,733 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Kansas City Art Institute. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Illustration Schools in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Kansas City Art Institute is located in Kansas City, Missouri and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 32 ’s illustration degrees to qualified students.

Kansas City Art Institute also made our “Best Illustration Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #2. It costs about $25,203 for Plains States Region Illustration students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Kansas City Art Institute.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read more about Illustration at Kansas City Art Institute

• Best Value Colleges for Illustration (Income $0-$30k)

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.