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2023 Best Value Illustration Schools in the Great Lakes Region

10 Ranked Colleges
278 Degrees Awarded
$22,400 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Illustration Schools in the Great Lakes Region

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Illustration Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking - to help you make that decision.

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

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 278 illustration graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Illustration Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking, we looked at 10 colleges that offer a degree in illustration. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent illustration programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the illustration program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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The illustration school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Illustration Schools in the Great Lakes Region”.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. 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 Great Lakes Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region illustration students.

Top 10 Best Value Colleges for Illustration in the Great Lakes Region

1
Ferris crest
Ferris State University
Big Rapids, Michigan

Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Illustration Schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Ferris State University landed the #1 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Big Rapids, Michigan, and it awarded 33 ’s illustration degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our great lakes region illustration students list, Ferris has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Illustration Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Ferris State University is $12,213 for great lakes region illustration students.

Full Ferris Illustration Report

2

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Cuyahoga Community College District. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Illustration Schools in the Great Lakes Region. This fairly large school is located in Cleveland, Ohio, and it awarded 7 ’s illustration degrees in 2020-2021.

Cuyahoga Community College District also made our “Best Illustration Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #7. The yearly cost to attend Cuyahoga Community College District is $4,909 for Great Lakes Region Illustration students.

Read full report on Illustration at Cuyahoga Community College District

3

Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Illustration Schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Kalamazoo Valley Community College landed the #3 spot on the list. Kalamazoo Valley Community College is a public institution located in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 7 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Kalamazoo Valley Community College also made our “Best Illustration Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #9. The estimated yearly cost for Kalamazoo Valley Community College is $4,525 for great lakes region illustration students.

Full Kalamazoo Valley Community College Illustration Report

4
Columbia crest
Columbia College Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Illustration Schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Columbia College Chicago landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 39 degrees to qualified ’s illustration students in 2020-2021.

Columbia also took the #2 spot in our “Best Illustration Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Columbia is $26,258 for Great Lakes Region Illustration students.

Read more about Illustration at Columbia College Chicago

5

Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Illustration Schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Columbus College of Art and Design landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in Columbus, Ohio, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 46 diplomas to qualified ’s illustration students in 2020-2021.

CCAD also made our “Best Illustration Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #3. The estimated yearly cost for Columbus College of Art and Design is $26,493 for great lakes region illustration students.

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.

Full CCAD Illustration Report

6
The Academy crest
American Academy of Art
Chicago, Illinois

American Academy of Art ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Illustration Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. This small school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 13 ’s illustration degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our great lakes region illustration students list, The Academy has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Illustration Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $28,554 for Great Lakes Region Illustration students per year to attend The Academy.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read more about Illustration at American Academy of Art

7

Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Best Value Illustration Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design is located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 50 ’s illustration degrees to qualified students.

MIAD also made our “Best Illustration Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #6. The estimated yearly cost for MIAD is $26,046 for great lakes region illustration students.

Read more about Illustration at MIAD

8

With a ranking of #8, College for Creative Studies did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Illustration Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. CCS is a private not-for-profit institution located in Detroit, Michigan. The school has a small population, and it awarded 49 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at CCS, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Illustration Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $34,767 for great lakes region illustration students per year to attend College for Creative Studies.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read more about Illustration at College for Creative Studies

9

Art Academy of Cincinnati ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Illustration Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Art Academy of Cincinnati is a private not-for-profit institution located in Cincinnati, Ohio. The school has a small population, and it awarded 10 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

AAC also made our “Best Illustration Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #10. It costs about $24,564 for great lakes region illustration students per year to attend Art Academy of Cincinnati.

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 Art Academy of Cincinnati

10

With a ranking of #10, Cleveland Institute of Art did quite well on the 2023 Best Value Illustration Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Cleveland Institute of Art is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Cleveland, Ohio. It awarded 17 ’s illustration degrees in 2020-2021.

CIA also took the #5 spot in our “Best Illustration Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for CIA is $35,626 for Great Lakes Region Illustration students.

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. 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%.

Read full report on Illustration at CIA

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

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